The Story of Fundraising

What's the last good story you read?

I am currently reading a novel that is one of the few I have read multiple times. Despite the fact that I know how it is going to end, the story itself is so compelling that I enjoy it time and again.

While it is doubtful that our fundraising copy is going to spend any time on the New York Times best-seller list, there's no reason why our newsletters and e-newsletters, appeals and e-appeals, videos, and websites have to be boring. But unfortunately, we get lazy and fall back on talking about ourselves or using timeworn clichés instead of seeking out a great story that will pull our donors and prospects into the heart of the action, almost as if they are experiencing our work themselves.