[스크랩] Fundraising - Telling Your Essential Story

Composing and Conveying Your Essential Story

by Terry Axelrod, CEO, Raising More Money

The easiest way to provide an Emotional Hook for your organization is through 
stories. People will remember a story. Long after the specific facts have slipped 
from their minds, that story will linger. You need to decide as an organization 
what your main "Essential Story" will be. Then you can choose the 
ideal medium by which to convey this story.

The Essential Story is the archetypal story that conveys the emotional essence 
of your work powerfully each time that story is told. It may be a true story 
about one particular person or group, or it may be a composite of several stories 
of real people whose lives have been changed by your organization. Perhaps it 
is the story of the abandoned child, the person who beat the odds, or the family 
that your organization helped get back on its feet. This story should move you 
every time you tell it.

In working with groups in our workshops to identify the Essential Story for 
their organizations, we have dissected the Essential Story into three distinct 
stages:

Stage 1: The "Before" Stage.

Choose one person's story, give the person a fictitious name, and briefly describe 
their situation before they came in contact with your organization. Describe 
in vivid language what their life was like then. What exactly were their circumstances? 
What, if any, impact did this person have on the person relaying the story? 
Did it upset or inspire the storyteller?

Stage 2: The "Intervention."

What brought this person in contact with your organization? What specific services 
or support did they receive from you? What was your personal observation of 
them at that time?

Stage 3: The "After" Stage.

What are the results of the intervention? How has life changed for this person? 
What is now possible for them? What does this person now say about his or her 
life? How are they giving back to others?
For an example of an Essential Story incorporating these three stages, please 
see the Sample Essential Story.

And finally...

Take the time to practice telling the Essential Story for your organization. 
Of course, knowing and using this story does not preclude you from using other 
stories as well. It just gives you a fail-proof fall-back story that everyone 
on your team can always trust to successfully convey the emotional essence of 
your organization's fine work.

Once you know your organization's Essential Story, you can use any or all of 
the following elements to tell it at your Point of Entry Events. You may tell 
the story exactly or adapt it to fit the teller. Be sure to keep it brief and 
to the point.

* TOUR: Let people see your compelling work firsthand. Intersperse each stop 
on the tour with anecdotes, highlighting the needs as you go. You are painting 
a picture as you walk people through the building. Even if all you have to tour 
is a standard office, you can set up stations in each work area with photos 
and stories of people served. Have two or three staff members prepared to give 
testimonial stories of people they will never forget. Their passion for their 
work, combined with the gripping stories and photos, will move and inspire your 
visitors.

* VIDEO: Although it's not a necessary element of the Point of Entry, a video 
is an effective way to communicate the Essential Story. If you decide to make 
a video, consider any video footage you may already have before launching into 
a costly production. A brief news clip about your organization, with verbal 
remarks to put it in context and add the missing points, can be excellent. If 
you are part of a national organization, check to see what generic video material 
is available to you.
If you want to make a new video, try to get it donated or get special funding 
to produce it. Consider hiring a producer who has worked in television news. 
They are experts at painting a succinct emotional picture with images, words, 
and music that both educate and move the audience.

* LIVE TESTIMONIALS: There is no substitute for the live testimonial. Having 
the person tell their own story right there at your Point of Entry can be extremely 
compelling—assuming the testimonial speaker is having a good day. It can 
also drag on too long with too much or too little emotion. If you are planning 
to have the same speaker at each of your Point of Entry Events, consider their 
availability as well as their skill at telling their story consistently each 
time.
The structure for the testimonial talk is quite simple. It follows the same 
outline as the Essential Story:
1. What my life was like before.
2. I decided to make a change and found this wonderful organization.
3. Now my life is so much better, for example: ________.
4. Now I'm more committed than ever to helping others in the same situation 
I was in by doing ________.

* AUDIOTAPE: Audiotape is also a highly effective medium for communicating 
your Essential Story. It is inexpensive to produce and easy to transport, and 
yet offers the immediacy of voice and sound. Many groups, especially those who 
feel they have "boring office syndrome," do very well with audiotape. 
It can be combined with a tour by having different audio-taped testimonials 
played at several points along the office tour.

* LETTERS: Testimonials in the form of letters are also very powerful, especially 
if they are read by someone who knows or knew the person who wrote the letter. 
A simple letter of thanks to a caring staff member, with details of how the 
person's life was changed by the organization, can be very moving. These also 
work well in confidential situations and in cases where the Point of Entry will 
be moved to many remote locations.

* PHOTOS: If it's true that a picture conveys a thousand words, what better 
way to tell your story? Whether through a photo album on the table or large 
blown-up photos posted on the walls, do consider using photos at your Point 
of Entry. Sometimes the addition of a caption or quote from the person in the 
photo can add that extra tug at the heartstrings.
No matter how you decide to convey it, the Essential Story is truly "essential" 
to communicating the emotional impact of your organization's mission.

TERRY AXELROD is the CEO and founder of Raising More Money, a Seattle-based company that has trained nearly 2,000 nonprofits around the world in fund-raising, including the Salvation Army, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the American Red Cross. She has published three books and two videos on her fundraising system. Her model is based on her success at raising $7 million in two-and-a-half years for a private inner city school in Seattle. Terry is the director of the American Association of Fundraising Counsels, a trustee of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, and a life trustee of the Swedish Medical Center. She received her master’s degree in social work at the University of Michigan, and has founded three nonprofits. 

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