Nonprofit storytelling is hard… And it gets even harder during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and heartbreaking cases of police brutality. This week on the Nonprofit Jenni Show, we’re getting advice from some storytelling experts so you can keep inspiring your donors, volunteers, and other supporters in the midst of crisis. We also talk about Jenni’s new Awareness Kits to help your nonprofit educate the community about COVID-19 and Racial Injustice.
How can nonprofits appropriately ask for funds, even in the midst of crisis?
Our first guest on the podcast this week is Dan Reed, CEO of SEED Fundraisers. I asked him to share some tips for fundraisers who feel like it’s inappropriate to continue fundraising right now if your nonprofit isn’t directly contributing toward COVID-19 relief or advocacy against police brutality.
Dan gives a couple really important pieces of wisdom:
Your current donors became passionate about your mission for their own individual reasons. Maybe something happened in their life to draw them to your cause, or maybe your previous storytelling efforts inspired them to support you. Either way, their passion for your mission doesn’t suddenly disappear because of external crisis.
Many donors understand that external crises, even those that don’t seem to directly impact your mission, are affecting your nonprofit. They want to double down on their efforts to support you.
The importance of your mission does not disappear because of external crises, and you need to continue to focus on your long-term vision. You owe it to your cause to continue to fundraise.
Dan also points out that if your organization is helping provide relief for those impacted by COVID-19, systemic racism, or another crisis in the news, you may have a greater ability to fundraise and tell stories than those who don’t have the same position of authority as your organization.
Examples of Modifying Your Storytelling to Address COVID-19 and Police Brutality
I know a lot of nonprofit leaders are struggling to modify their stories in the midst of COVID-19 and tragic news stories about police violence. Dan and I talked about a couple examples of nonprofits which have successfully incorporated information about COVID-19 and systemic racism into their storytelling:
API Middle Tennessee was founded by a group of Asian Pacific Islanders who wanted to advocate for racial justice in the Middle Tennessee community. Although acts of police brutality disproportionately impact another racial group (the Black community), API Middle Tennessee believes it is part of their mission to advocate for racial justice for everyone. Recently, they have posted many messages on their social media channels about the acts of violence against the Black community with the hashtag #asians4blacklives.
CIC Ministries is based in Santa Clara County, California, and they serve people in detainment and incarceration. Dan explains that they used the forced isolation period of COVID-19 to help community members better empathize with the isolation prisoners feel on a daily basis.
Fear-Based Versus Hope-Based Appeals
I asked Dan how he feels as a fundraising expert about whether nonprofits should use fear-based or hope-based appeals as they fundraise during a time of crisis. For example:
Without your donation, more Black lives will continue to be lost; versus
With your donation, we can save Black lives and advocate for racial justice.
Dan explains that both types of appeals are effective, but the hope-based appeal is the only one that can create lasting engagement with your donors. A fear-based approach is most effective for scaring people into giving you one or two donations to achieve a short-term goal. However, a hope-based approach helps you show donors the long-term impact they can have at an institutional and cultural level.
Real Life Example: A Nonprofit Which Constantly Deals With Crisis
My second podcast guest this week is Kyle Matthews, Executive Director of Beat NB. Kyle’s team has to be sensitive with their storytelling at all times because the families they serve are all going through a crisis. Beat NB serves families who have a child struggling with neuroblastoma by funding life-changing research about treating the disease.
Beat NB’s mission is deeply meaningful to Kyle because he lost his son Ezra to neuroblastoma. When a nonprofit leader is directly connected to a mission this way, it can be difficult to explain the organization’s mission succinctly. Passion often causes us to ramble, or get deep into the details of a story that our audience may not be ready to hear.
If you listen to this week’s podcast episode, you know that Kyle does a great job at distilling down his organization’s complex mission into just one sentence--and he sounds extremely passionate while doing so.
Kyle’s advice for telling your story is:
If you can say it in two pages, narrow it down to one.
If you can say it in one page, narrow it down to a half-page.
Work your way down to just one sentence by talking about your mission at a very high level. At the end of the day, your story just needs to tell people what you do, and why you do it.
Kyle says it’s helpful for him to write out his organization’s stories, and then pick out the elements which are unneeded for getting the key point across. Over time, his organization has honed in on key words which they repeat frequently to reinforce different parts of the story. For example, Kyle uses the word “bold” a lot because Beat NB is willing to take measured risks that other research organizations do not.
How do you make your story relevant to everyone, even if they don’t have a connection to the mission?
Although neuroblastoma is the most common cancer in infants, only a small portion of the US population has a direct connection to this specific form of cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, there are about 800 new cases every year. I asked Kyle how Beat NB tells its story so that it’s impactful to everyone, even if they don’t have a personal connection to neuroblastoma.
Kyle says his organization focuses on telling the stories of individual families and kids. Beat NB builds personal relationships with the families they serve so they can get to know which parents want to share their family’s story, and which want to stay out of the public eye. Then Beat NB’s leadership can keep an ear out for the stories their families are already telling.
For example, many parents have been posting on social media about how COVID-19 has impacted their children, such as by causing certain surgeries to be canceled. When parents want their stories to be shared publicly, Beat NB can amplify their voices.
Free and Affordable Resources to Help Your Nonprofit Talk About COVID-19 and Police Brutality
I know it can be hard to figure out the best way to tell your story in general--even when there aren’t national crises that require everyone’s attention. But if COVID-19 and racial injustice are part of your story right now, I know that can make storytelling even harder.
Recently, I released a couple Awareness Kits to help nonprofit professionals like you share accurate information and evidence-based solutions with your constituents:
Awareness Kit: COVID-19 (free version) (full version)
Awareness Kit: Racial Injustice (free version) (full version)
I want to make sure these resources are accessible for all nonprofits, regardless of size, so there is a free version of both of these kits for you to use. The free versions include:
Flyers with information about each issue
An image album you can share on Facebook and Instagram
An infographic you can share through email, your blog, and wherever else you like
All of these resources have space for you to include your nonprofit’s logo and to request donations.
If you would like to download the full version of either Awareness Kit, I have them affordably priced at $49 each. With the full versions, you can:
Customize the colors and fonts to match your brand
Edit any of the text to remove or add relevant information for your audience
Get sample copy (text) that I’ve already written for you to post on social media, your blog, or in email newsletters
Get more recommendations from me on how to most effectively share your story
Get Professional Help Deciding Your Next Steps
I started this podcast series on the COVID-19 crisis because I’ve been hearing from so many nonprofit professionals who are unsure how it will impact their funding opportunities and relationships. I can’t wait to hear from you too! Schedule a free initial consultation call to chat with me about your idea for a new nonprofit, social enterprise, or other social sector organization. I would love to help you figure out the best next steps to take to protect your organization and mission. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the Nonprofit Jenni Show for free so you won’t miss any new episodes about resilience through COVID-19!
Also, I want to thank Little Green Light for sponsoring this episode! Little Green Light is my favorite donor management system because it was built by nonprofit development professionals who know what features and metrics nonprofits really need for their fundraising and relationship building. LGL is also extremely affordable for small nonprofits and offers free fundraising resources for my podcast listeners! Visit www.littlegreenlight.com/jenni for free ebooks like “How to Retain Donors After Your Giving Day”, “Six Steps to a Successful Appeal”, and more.