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Strategic storytelling. Why ?. Alumni since 2000…. Millennials, Gen Y’ers, Huh?. Most members of the class of 2018 were born in 1995!. …which means: Ferris Bueller and Sloan Peterson could be their parents. They have been always able to use cell phones….
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Alumni since 2000… Millennials, Gen Y’ers, Huh?...
Most members of the class of 2018 were born in 1995! …which means: Ferris Bueller and Sloan Peterson could be their parents.
They have been always able to use cell phones… Which means, Seinfeld Plots make no sense to them! …and, most of them have never been taught cursive
Women have always outnumbered college men on college campuses • And, they have never gone to the store to buy music… Which means, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is an oldie to them!
96% have cell phones and more than 85% own smart phones! They send 100+ text messages per day (about 1 ½ hours worth).That’s an average of 3,000/month. In fact, more than half would rather text than talk on the phone.
They watch on average 7 hours and 13 minutes of online video a month! …and, 20% quit watching the video after just 10 seconds
90% send emails . …however, nearly 60% believe that they are unsure whether email has a future. …in fact, 25% already think its dead.
Digital Space? 1 in 5 will dismiss their alma mater because of a bad experience on their university’s website (within 20 seconds). 41% are on Facebook …down from 59% in 2014 …down from 85% in 2010.
Social Media? • 90% use social media. • The average social media user maintains five accounts • They no longer use location based sites to “check-in” • 75% never read blogs
Generation Z? …also known as Post-Millennials, i-Generation, Founders, Plurals, or the Homeland Generation (mid-1990’s to early 2000’s)
Who are they? • Gen Z is the most ethnically diverse generation in US history • 47% ethnic minorities • By 2020 they will account for 40% of all consumers. • They are adept researchers. They know how to self-educate and find information. • 33% watch lessons online, 20% read textbooks on tablets, and 32% work with classmates online. • They are do-gooders; they want to make a difference in the world. • 60%want their jobs to impact the world, 26% currently volunteer, and 76% are concerned about humanity's impact on the planet. • They are social!...spending on average 7.6 hours per day socializing with friends and family.
Who are they? • They watch between two and four hours of YouTube and less than an hour of traditional television per day. • Their attention span is estimated at just eight seconds, comparative to 12 seconds for Millennials. • They find email to be an outdated communications method and are 3x likelier to open a chat message received through a push notification. • Prefer social networks like Snapchat, Instagram, Secret, and Whisper, and a quarter have left Facebook this year.
Telling your story is important for fundraising Not only for major gifts, but for the annual fund!
Learning objectives: • How to approach refining the story for an organization. • Resources that will help better understand the importance of storytelling in fundraising. • How to help our Board members tell the story (beyond being able to tell their own story)? • How to help communications staff (and others who don’t have a donor-centered fundraising point of view) create strategic stories to support fundraising efforts. • How to use our rich history to tell that story? We all have archives… • How to engage donors through strategic storytelling
"Numbers numb, jargonjars, and no one ever marched on Washington because of a statistic." – Andrew Goodman
Poll Fill in the blank: I usually tell about ____ story/ies about my non-profit organization when I visit a prospect. 1. Zero stories2. One story3. More than one story
Effective stories inspire people for social causes by creating human connection and emotional resonance.
Well-crafted stories can communicate abstract and complex ideas in ways that encourage understanding and value connections.
Stories can be used to introduce a new topic into the public dialogue, contribute to an ongoing conversation and engage people as active participants.
Stories can be used to share learning and lessons from successes and failures within colleagues, donors and other key audiences.
Poll Which set of pictures were more enticing?
“Show” vs. “Tell” Why is “show” stronger than “tell”? • Telling = delivering facts, making statements, telling the listener what you want him/her to believe • Showing = letting the listener reach his/her own conclusion by telling a story
Question Do you “show” or “tell?” How do you “show” your story to your alumni? …to your donors?
You have an amazingly compelling story to tell. • You need to continue to build our case. To meet future is goals, this is essential. • Create an infectious spirit within your organization that recognizes we have yet to achieve our potential – our goals are ambitious. • Therefore, philanthropy is especially important and appealing. This is how you make it appealing to donors! • Recognize your strengths. • There is a link between your organizations broad goals and a case for a future campaign. • Campaigns are about solving problems of the community…and your organization is VERY important to the larger community. You must continue to demonstrate your impact.
It’s everything we say (and how we say it). It’s everything we do (and how we do it). And, it’s everything we are (and how it looks, feels, and gets communicated).
Your message is about authenticity! Remember, who you say you are is not the experience itself; it’s the promise of the experience. It’s what tells the true story of your organization.
Positioning your organization matters! • Think about your donors/alumni as CONSUMERS (gasp – consumers?) • Engagement decisions are similar to purchasing decisions. • Promote the value proposition – impact! • Integrated messaging matters. (Gosh…it’s not just about us?) • Various communication channels. • Be authentic and real. • Voice and yes, photography matter (but no glamor shots!) • Pay attention to the landscape – we can learn a lot from others. • Test. All good marketers know the value of testing a campaign. It is equally important for advancement professionals to do the same. • Invest in marketing – trust me, others are doing it!
Storytelling + Fundraising = $$$ …it’s about solutions
Find Your Characters, Show Their Struggle Philanthropy is compelling when it happens to someone, not to something.
Translating needs into solutions • It’s not about what you want! • It’s about what you do that: • solves a problem, • changes lives, • changes communities, • makes the world a better place. • Question: how do you solve a problem?
