Charlie Hulme DonorVoice What well do today Neurological insight as to why stories work Understand how to tell stories Five areas to focus on that have a proven impact on response and results ID: 503997
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Slide1
How To Make Your Story Stand Out
Charlie HulmeDonorVoiceSlide2
What we’ll do today…
Neurological insight as to why stories workUnderstand how to tell stories
Five
area’s to focus on that have a
proven
impact on response and results
First draft of your next appeal
!
Take stock of how we’ve been doingSlide3
Why we’re doing it…
Both the number of donors and amounts they donate are dropping180,000 registered charities in UKCountless thousands more too small to
register
All experience no growth and horrendous retention
Competing for attention with commercials
Everyone’s trying to tell their story!Slide4
What do all of fundraisings runaway successes have in common?Slide5
Don’t we already know everything about stories?
…overly formal, cold, detached, and abstract!
1.5 million words
2,412 online and direct mail documents
725 U.S. charity organizations raising min $20 million
145 raising less than $20 million
10 international charities that raise at least $20 million in the U.S. Slide6
It’s not enough to just tell a story…Slide7Slide8Slide9
Problem?
Solution?
Action?
Basic story structuresSlide10
What’s your core?Slide11
Exercise #1: What’s your core?
Get into groupsIdentify and discuss what the core purpose of your charity is (this may not be the current mission statement!)
Can you define that purpose/core in a simple phrase, e.g. “The low cost airline”Slide12Slide13
“If I look at the mass I will never act. If I look at the one, I will”
“The death of one man is a tragedy; the death of millions is a statistic”
People not NumbersSlide14
How does this affect giving?Slide15
‘Identifiable victim’ beat big number by more than 50%Slide16
A) Give
$10 million
to fight a disease claiming
20,000
lives and
save 10,000
B) Give
$10 million
to fight a disease claiming
290,000
lives and
save 20,000Slide17
The bigger the number the less we donateSlide18
Get
back into groups
Think of an individual’s story that moved you
How could that persons experience embody the
core
of your work?
Tell their story using the headings ‘Problem’, ‘Solution’, ‘Action’
Exercise #2: People not NumbersSlide19
Which ‘story’ got our attention?Slide20
Question of perception…Slide21
Which works better?
‘We can only reach half…’‘’We’ve already reached half…’Slide22
Go back to your story
What did that persons life look like before you?
What would the future have held for them without you?
What does it look like now?
How can you use the difference to illustrate ‘hope’?
Exercise #3: Hope not HopelessSlide23
If it can work for him…Slide24Slide25Slide26
Help Raise $3000
A)
$2000
already raised
B)
$300
already raised
Group A had a six fold increase in contributions! Slide27
Think about your next campaign
Who are you talking to?
Can you demonstrate that the ‘solution’ happened because of people ‘like’ them?
Exercise #4: Together not SeparateSlide28
Where would you put this?
Put drops in ‘R ear’Slide29Slide30Slide31
How does this story show that you’re the organization that will get the job done?
What’s your ‘Unique Reason to Give’?
Weave all these elements together and tell your story…
Exercise #5: Leaders not FollowersSlide32
Tell us your story…Slide33
These aren’t stories at all!
Before you wrote it, someone lived it…
Whatever you put before your cause you lose…Slide34
Checklist…
Is there an attention grabbing headline?Does it fit within our core purpose?Is it about what we want or what they can do?Is it single focused?
Is it easy to follow, or are we using insider jargon?
Is there an identifiable ‘victim’?
Is our message hopeful or hopeless?
Have we used social proof to evidence support?
Is our Unique Reason to Give clear? Slide35
Eliminate copy by committeeSlide36
Would you have been allowed to sign off his ‘story’?Slide37
Questions?