Non Profits who understand the value of a story

With fewer donations and declining investments, nonprofits have to be re-think how they raise revenue.

I recently read a great article in the Wall Street Journal By Shelly Banjo in which she gave some successful fund raising case studies.

One of the most interesting to me was about Covenant House in NYC. Why? They understood the power of their clients stories. Anyone who knows about my philosophy on marketing knows that I am a big believer in story-telling as a means to capture attention. And the way they approached the ask was true and authentic.

They had the youths who had been helped, who had lived the organizations tag line “Changing Lives, Creating Futures” reach out to the people who had given in the past and had created hope for them. Done right, what can be more powerful. According to Jerome Kilbane, Covenant House's executive director “The people receiving a nonprofit's services are the best spokespeople for the organization. After receiving a call, "the size of the donor's gift increased by 50% from the year before" on average.

Their website also supports the idea of telling individual stories. A link titled “WHERE ARE THEY NOW?” looks at past youth who have been able to accomplish their goals of living independently. A great way for donors to feel they have made a difference no matter how large their gift.