| Stories are an important part of nonprofit marketing. | | | | few cents a day could bring food, shelter and clean |
| Facts can be persuasive on their own, but when they | | | | water. The sad photographs presented add vividness |
| are woven into a meaningful depiction of a real or | | | | of the story. This strategy emphasizes the bad story |
| imagined event, they bring added power. Stories put us | | | | and gives a glimmer of hope by showing that the good |
| into the action, allow us to experience the joy, misery, | | | | story is being written, if only more volunteers and |
| heartache and love of the characters involved, | | | | donors would join the cause. This is the combination |
| imagined or real. They are at the heart of fundraising, | | | | typically used, as it is very powerful, but it may not |
| the inspiration for organizers to organize and donors to | | | | always be ideal for nonprofit branding. |
| donate. Whether knocking door-to-door or using the | | | | Not everyone has the stomach for bad-story-first |
| many tools for nonprofits in Facebook, Twitter and | | | | campaigns and some may choose to avoid them |
| social sites, when trying to convince people to jump | | | | altogether. Another approach is to provide a sunnier |
| aboard a cause it is helpful to not only let them know | | | | side of what people take for granted as a negative |
| about the issues, but also to feel for them. | | | | thing, arousing curiosity as to how this might become a |
| A picture can tell a thousand words, and coupled with | | | | reality and what they can do to help. An example of |
| a good narrative or blurb, can paint a picture of what | | | | this comes from the world of guerrilla marketing, |
| it's like to be impoverished, victimized or suffering from | | | | where the Dubai Autism Center created a shopping |
| a disease or any other situation that might be the | | | | bag featuring an image of a happy child reaching up |
| target of nonprofit fundraising. Running through every | | | | with her little hand towards the handle of the bag so |
| charity effort is a combination of two stories: the one | | | | that when carried, it appears as though the girl is |
| about the problematic situation and the other one | | | | holding the shopper's hand. While this campaign may |
| about a future where the problem is solved. Both are | | | | not win as great an outpouring of support from each |
| necessary because without the good story, there is no | | | | donor, it stands a chance of attracting more donors |
| hope and without the bad, there is no problem to be | | | | because it doesn't bring them to a bad place |
| solved. | | | | emotionally. |
| Everyone is familiar with charities like the Foster | | | | Stories are an important part of our history and also of |
| Parents' Plan where we are told the story of a child or | | | | our future, literally, as they are being used by nonprofit |
| family in an underdeveloped country for whom only a | | | | organizations to better our world. |