The real story you tell in your fundraising

Seth Godin’s take on fundraising can really help you think clearly about what you’re really doing when you try to motivate donors to give: What do we get when we give to a good cause? Seth says, “Every time someone donates to a good cause, they’re buying a story, a story that’s worth more than the amount they donated.”

If people aren’t donating to your cause, it’s because you’re not telling a story, or telling the wrong story to the wrong people (in the wrong way). Non-profits make change, and the way they do this is by letting us tell ourselves stories that nurture our best selves.

They aren’t buying a story about you, they’re buying a story about themselves.

So if your fundraising is all about how awesome your organization is, you’re not helping them tell their story.

Or if you’re trying to make your case by displaying your excellent processes, you’re just be irrelevant.

Or if your fundraising is packed with facts and statistics, you’re smothering the story that the donor needs to make part of her story.