{"id":21918,"date":"2020-12-16T01:06:51","date_gmt":"2020-12-16T01:06:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/virtuous.org\/raise\/2020\/12\/16\/get-technology-out-of-the-way-of-storytelling-part-1\/"},"modified":"2020-12-16T01:06:51","modified_gmt":"2020-12-16T01:06:51","slug":"get-technology-out-of-the-way-of-storytelling-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/virtuous.org\/raise\/get-technology-out-of-the-way-of-storytelling-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Technology Out of the Way of Storytelling [Part 1]"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Believe it or not, RaiseDonors isn’t just about technology.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our focus is built right into our name: raising more donors for your organization.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We just happen to use technology to help you do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ironically, our primary way of using technology is to get technology out of your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re not struggling with hard-to-use interfaces, wasting time on manual tasks, or constantly disappointed by broken processes\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026you can *finally<\/i>* do the things that really impact your fundraising results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lately on the RaiseDonors blog, we\u2019ve been diving into our own stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stories like  Muttville<\/a>, Denison Ministries<\/a>, and The Urban Alternative<\/a> show how nonprofit organizations like yours have been using RaiseDonors to streamline their online fundraising and (you knew this was coming!)\u2026. raise more donors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Seriously. Who wouldn\u2019t love a great story with a face like this?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These stories are powerful ways for us to showcase the awesome work that RaiseDonors gets to be a part of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I mean, I\u2019m not the one telling you that it works \u2013 Erick Smith from Muttville<\/a> and Jen Abohosh from Denison Ministries<\/a> are saying so!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here I need to make a confession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whole idea of telling RaiseDonors stories comes from you. Yes\u2026 you<\/i>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Power of Storytelling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Great fundraising starts with great storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stories that wake us up to realities we weren\u2019t aware of\u2014or sometimes<\/i>\u2014realities we have done our best to avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Great stories stir our emotions. Sometimes because of the hurt and pain the story reveals…the unsolvable gridlock\u2026or the glaring injustice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is where good fundraising introduces a plot twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonprofits can be a conduit for good. To bring about change.  To make a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is only possible with the support of donors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good fundraising tells a story. But it\u2019s not a story about unchangeable history. It\u2019s about a present reality that can be transformed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s a story that invites its readers to participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, donors make transformation possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donors are inspired to act now<\/i> to make things better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And why do they feel that way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s important your online giving technology doesn\u2019t get in the way.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your stories need to be told everywhere you communicate. From your website to your direct mail to your donation pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re frustrated over how to insert images, how to get your brand colors right on the page, or even how to get your campaigns set up on the backend\u2014then your storytelling gets stuffed in the back for last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of focusing on the high impact work of storytelling, you\u2019re chained to a never-ending process of troubleshooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But technology isn\u2019t the only thing getting in the way of your storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the biggest challenges with telling stories that make a difference for online fundraising and how you can knock them all out of the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problem #1: No Stories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The very first problem most nonprofits encounter with storytelling is that they have no stories to tell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or at least, they don\u2019t think they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not that the stories don\u2019t exist\u2013the problem is that they don\u2019t know the stories that are actually happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often this occurs because of a breakdown in communication between the marketing\/fundraising side of the organization and the program side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good folks on the program side are where all the action is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re the ones reuniting loved ones, finding forever homes for abused pets, or getting medicine to the sick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day in and day out, the program side of your organization is where the miracles happen. Lives are changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if these impact stories stay in programming, they won\u2019t get out to donors and prospective donors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Story Capturing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To keep stories from dying on the vine, you must have a story capturing system in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, what organizational system can you put in place to ensure your marketing and fundraising teams consistently harvest stories from the front lines and get them to your audiences?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the Fundraising Coach, Marc Pitman, encourages fundraisers to call those on the programming side<\/a> to build relationships and hear the latest stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For decades, we’ve known that face-to-face meetings were the best way to raise major gifts. But face-to-face visits aren’t possible in a pandemic. So what is a fundraiser to do? <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/i>Call program people<\/i><\/b> – now that we’re not traveling [due to COVID quarantine restrictions], we can use some of that extra time to build relationships with the program people who are making the impact stories. <\/i>– Marc Pitman, The Fundraising Coach<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Also, you could put systems in place that encourage \u201cprogram people\u201d to share testimonies of the good things happening on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use technology to help capture your stories.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n