By now, you probably know that your donors want to understand the impact your nonprofit is having on the community. They seek deeper transparency and measurable metrics that demonstrate that their mission and the work they are doing is helping society and the people or causes they serve.

However, there is one element that cannot be missed and that is the storytelling. Yes, it is essential to communicate quantifiable data and statistics about your group with your marketing pieces, but without losing the ability to tell your story.

Take a look at your marketing material.

Do you think you have lost your way when evoking emotions?

The way to reach top donors and individuals is by telling the tried and true story. People still give to people. And, as it has been for generations, if you can emotionally move someone to support or defend your organization, it is because you have connected to something in their humanity. The story of your nonprofit is the first thing to communicate because it gets people to act. Then the facts and figures support the decision to find rational thinking.

Luckily for you, there is an entire conference dedicated to nonprofit storytelling, and it is happening right here in my city, Orlando, Florida. Dates are October 15-17, 2018 and there is an early bird special on tickets if you buy them before July 13.

Telling the story

The Nonprofit Storytelling Conference is an annual conference that helps nonprofits communicate in the most fundamental way possible, by telling the story. Countless articles are published every day aimed at helping nonprofits with everything from board governance to fundraising and marketing. There are also many conferences that nonprofit teams can attend throughout the year. But there is no other event that I know of that focuses exclusively on storytelling, which is crucial to building brand awareness.

Topics for 2018

The Nonprofit Storytelling Conference has an excellent list of topics to help engage and inform attendees. Important topics include:

• How to ask a question based on a story.
• How to create attention-grabbing headlines to use in emails, social media, newsletters, and on your website.
• How to choose the best stories to force your donors to donate.
• How to use story-based ads on Facebook to attract new donors.
• How to use a series of stories to retain donors longer.
• How to write compelling letters, articles and publications that your donors will love.
• How to use stories to be more influential in your organization.
• How to make your profile known in the community using stories.
• How to create a one-year content calendar.

The Nonprofit Storytelling Conference also records all the presentations and you can purchase the videos and watch each session. You are also encouraged to share the videos with your team.

Additional Resources

There are three free resources you can get right now from the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference.

1. Donor Story Sequence PDF:If you’re wondering how to manage your donors and what to do with them, the donor story sequence will guide you to your next steps.
2. Ask Thank You Inform Repeat Chart:It’s a simple chart that will help you build stronger relationships with your supports.
3. Raising more money through Better Story VideoThe video completes the 3-part resource pack and tells you how to raise more money from your donors through storytelling.