Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Inspiring stories bring emotion and life to newsletters, annual reports, gala speeches and face-to-face donor meetings. Fundraising copywriter and donor communications specialist, Julie Cooper, encourages development directors to cultivate a “story collecting mindset” among fundraisers to ensure uplifting narratives about the impact of their donors and organizations are never in short supply. “Simplify this task by creating a #StoryGold channel on Slack where staff can drop snippets on-the-go,” Cooper says. “You can also add a ‘Share a Story’ button to your team's workflow software — just be sure to include an example of the kind of story notes you're looking for.” Another option is to send monthly or quarterly calendar reminders along with a Google form where team members can share quotes, inspiring moments they've recently experienced or before-and-after story arcs that are mission-relevant. Staff may be resistant to add another task to their busy schedules. Remind them that a streamlined story banking plan actually saves time by eliminating the need to scramble for content. “A story system = less stress and more money,” Cooper says. “Better stories mean deeper donor connections.” Source: Julie Cooper, Principal, JB Cooper LLC, Wheaton, IL. Email: [email protected]. Website: fundraisingwriting.com
Source: The major gifts report
DOI: 10.1002/mgr.32596
Author: Megan Venzin
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4409282215