Storytelling: Why do You Care? Why Should They?

You do not need to be Mark Twain or Jane Austen to be a successful storyteller. In fact, telling a story that sounds like fiction will leave a lot of readers thinking it is. Excessive details, melodrama, and exaggeration can make your appeals an entertaining read but not a compelling appeal. Instead, you should approach charity storytelling like you are telling a story to a friend, a story that you care about. You want to give them details that make them connect emotionally to the story and be engrossed in it.
Going off on tangents or adding too many details (like many good fiction stories), is a good way to make it seem like you do not care about the heart of the story and make your friend lose interest. This does not mean you should not be creative when writing your appeal. So, what should you put in your story to ensure that your reader knows that you care and that they should care too?

Your Story Must Appeal to Your Audience

Rather than focusing on writing a good story, it is important to think about what your donors care about first. This allows you to craft your story to make your donors WANT to read it and then give. Your storytelling should be laser-focused on your donors’ priorities. For instance, if you are an animal shelter sending an appeal to dog lovers, focus on a dog in need. In your appeal, tell donors the dog’s story. What problems is the dog facing? What will happen if they do not get the help they need?
Approaching your appeal by introducing the story’s main character, the problem, and the consequences is a good start. These elements will get supporters emotionally invested and help you reach your fundraising goal.
But those elements alone are not enough. Your story still needs a hero (your donor). By this point in the story, you will have spelled out the consequences your subject faces by not getting what they need. Next, your donor must play the role of the hero. One reason many stories are ignored is that the reader is not involved in the story. They are essentially a passive observer. Instead think of the emotional impact of asking your hero to make a choice. Do they save the day by donating or must the subject remain at risk?

You do not Have To Tell the Whole Story at Once

Before novels were printed in their entirety, stories were released in parts, called serials.
Serial novels are the birthplace of the cliff-hanger. The purpose of a cliff-hanger was to leave readers in suspense until the next instalment.
▪️ Your appeal can have a cliff-hanger, too. Your storytelling could treat the appeal as a work in progress. What happens to your subject becomes dependent on the actions of your heroes. Will the dog get enough support to find a shelter and pay for their vet fees? Or will there be enough support to enable them to find a forever home and better life? Their fate is entirely in the hands of the story’s heroes. Their actions will determine the outcome

To break this down, your first appeal asks your readers to make a choice. Your follow-up should be in response to that choice. Did the donor give and help the dog? Or did they not give? If yes, update them on the dog and give them the happy ending that they made possible, or let them know that there is more that they can do. Whichever, you should also let them know it was only through their help that this partial or total success was possible. You could also let them know that there are other animals still in need. If your donors did not give, let them know there’s still time to help and ask again with a reminder of the potential consequence of your donors not stepping up to be the hero.

Visual Storytelling is Worth a Thousand Words

Most readers skim a letter or email rather than hang on every word, even if the story is compelling, so it is a good idea to use visual storytelling to direct your donors’ eyes to the most important parts of the story. Use the right picture (or pictures) to set the mood for the appeal.
Looking again at our animal shelter seeking help for a rescue dog, include a picture of the dog looking sad in the first appeal. It is even more effective to use a photo of a dog looking directly at the camera. Remember, the dog needs help. If they look happy, donors may not register that there is a need for them to address. Instead, they see a happy dog that contradicts your message. Place images near bold lines or important paragraphs. This increases the odds donors read those messages.
If you are breaking up your appeal, and the donor supported your first appeal, in your second correspondence, show a happy version of the dog to match the happy ending. A picture of a happy dog sets a completely different mood for your letter.
You can use an image of a happy, well cared-for dog toward the end of your appeal. This helps donors visualize what their gift can accomplish. If your appeal is online, you can also use this image on your donation form and thank-you pages.
Tip: When using images of people and living things, make sure they are looking directly at the camera. When looking at the image, your readers will begin feeling a connection to the subject when they look into their eyes.
Remember that when you are sending an appeal via social media, brevity is important so do not overuse images. One powerful image or the use of an embedded video can serve your appeal much better.
Finally, it is work noting that storytelling should do more than just entertain your audience. A great story not only informs your readers but inserts them into the story and asks them to take action. By focusing on what your donor needs to hear, using the right images to help donors connect with your subject, and splitting your appeal into two parts so that donors decide the story’s ending with their actions, your appeals will motivate donors to give in order to make the better outcome a reality.

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