Storytelling: The Secret Sauce of Fundraising Success

Stories have been written, printed, blogged, shared, discussed, debated, and passed down through the generations. Why? Because people have an incredible appetite for stories. Stories trigger a physical response in the same way a delicious meal satisfies.Nonprofit organizations have amazing stories to share ? stories of perseverance, fortitude, and generosity.?Stories give nonprofits a way to stand out in a world that gets noisier every day, where people are looking for ways to find meaning and connection.Great stories?engage donors?and?raise more money.?Scientific evidence confirms good storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to engage stakeholders and influence behavior. Stories raise awareness, change behavior, and trigger generosity. Facts and logic are not nearly as persuasive as a good story. Stories penetrate our natural defense systems and become more compelling and memorable. As a result, great stories can be very powerful.But what makes a great story? What ingredients engage the audience and have an impact? What flavors will spark the appetite and make the mouth water? There are some ingredients that are essential. You just can?t make a good sauce (or gravy as my grandfather called it) without tomatoes.Like a good meal, storytelling can be delicious if it is executed with a bit of strategy. It requires planning the meal, choosing and collecting the right ingredients, and then sharing the meal with the right people, in the right setting, and at the right time.With the right recipes, you will use stories to engage stakeholders and increase gifts to your organization. In the chapters of?Storytelling: The Secret Sauce of Fundraising Success,?you will find the recipes to become a storytelling gourmet!?Winner of the BookAuthority?s 2020 Best Fundraising Books of All Time AwardBookAuthority, which collects and ranks the best books in the world, named Storytelling: The Secret Sauce of Fundraising Success among the best fundraising books of all time.?Table of ContentsForewordIntroductionChapter OneThe Menu: Introduction to Delicious StoriesChapter TwoThe Recipe for the Secret Sauce: Key Ingredients for a Good StoryChapter ThreeShopping for the Perfect Ingredients: Finding Your StoriesChapter FourServing up the Entr?e: Sharing Your StoriesChapter FiveVariations on the Recipe: Adding Spice to Your StoriesChapter SixThe Side Dishes: The Many Ways Stories Can Be ServedChapter SevenThe Kitchen Mishap: Navigating Change with StorytellingChapter EightThe Dessert: Sweet Success StoriesConclusionCheck Please! Summary and Additional ResourcesAppendix AStory Collection FormAppendix BSample Consent FormAppendix CStorytelling Culture Assessment FormAppendix DResources