Nonprofit Asker as Storyteller

Stories connect us, make us feel, help us remember, offer us a glimpse into our shared humanity.

From ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, one of the first to discuss the significance of story and suggest the basic elements of a compelling story, to Jonathan Gottschall, a contemporary story scientist studying how stories make us human, to the groundbreaking work of Dr. Rita Charon, the physician who pioneered the narrative medicine movement, the evidence supporting the power of story spans the ages. We are wired for story.

With so much available research, the importance of story is clear. What I'm interested in is the "how" of story. More specifically, how nonprofit askers can use story in their work. What are the steps to building and then sharing appropriate, compelling, and memorable stories with prospects that create emotional impact which leads to investments in an organization's mission?

To become better storytellers, let's break down the use of story in your ask cycles into three parts - before, during, and after a prospect visit. Before the visit you'll build the story. During the visit you'll share the story. After the visit you'll edit the story.

For prospects you've been working with try these tips as you continue to build a story with them. For new prospects, these suggestions are a must for creating a sense of belonging and ultimately getting a yes to your request.

Before a Visit (Build the Story)

• When you're folding together the story of your prospect with the story of your organization, prospect analysis is a valuable tool. Prospect analysis, especially when it uncovers giving propensity, affinity, and capacity, will provide direction so that you feel free to engage with your prospect authentically during a visit without worrying about losing the thread of the story you are building. Prospect analysis helps you paint an initial picture of a prospect and create a vision for how she fits into the larger story of your organization and its mission.
• Your prospect will remember 5% of the statistics you share compared to 63% of the stories they hear. So, use data in your story, but use it sparingly. Use it intelligently. The purpose of the story is to create emotional impact. Always remember, the one is more impactful than the millions. How does this work in the context of the visit? You may say, "We served 2,000,000 people last year. But out of these millions, one stands out to me as extra special. That's the story I'd like to share with you today."
• Part of your job as an asker is to be a story collector. Always be collecting. Then when you do the pre-visit work you can hand select a story that will resonate with your prospect based on the data - likes, dislikes, interests, connections. Be sure to gather stories from within the community your organization serves. Depending on your mission this could mean students, patients, or clients. Just be sure you get permission to share someone's story. If you've benefited from your organization’s mission, by all means share your personal story.
• Learn all you can about the prospect, but don't let this research lead to rigid preconceptions. Let it, instead, inform some of the words you choose, the thoughts you share, and the nonverbals you use.
• Prospect analysis should help you build a story that is the most appropriate and emotionally impactful for this prospect in this moment. It's almost like your donor database should be used alongside a story database so you can pull appropriate stories based on what you see in the data for any given prospect.
• Rehearse. Rehearse. Rehearse again. But only memorize the first few opening lines of your story. You want to stay focused yet free to adjust to any communication cues you receive from the prospect.

During a Visit (Share the Story)

• If the same storytelling tools - words, intonation, gesture, expression, movement, breath, beat, pause - are available to all of us, what sets one storyteller apart from another? Time spent collecting, building, rehearsing, and sharing stories. We want to practice using these tools in between prospect visits to keep them sharp and ready to use. 
• Immediately before the visit starts, center your mind on the story you built for this prospect in this moment. This may be as simple as taking a few deep intentional breaths as you run through the opening of the story or as involved as a warmup that includes movement, breathing, and relaxation techniques. As soon as the visit starts all of your prep work is set aside, freeing you up to focus entirely on your prospect in the present moment.
• As you share your story, you are listening to your prospect, allowing room for your story to comingle with theirs at the appropriate moments. If you are really alive and present in the moment, you will only need to focus on your story for the first part of the visit, after this you will be so attuned to your prospect that ideas, thoughts, and words will effortlessly flow from one moment to the next.
• Mindfully listen to your prospect. This means you are not only listening to the words they choose to share, but also to the subtext they are revealing beneath their words through intonation, gestures, movements, as well as breaths, beats, and pauses. As you hear, see, and feel these cues, adjust to them accordingly. You make adjustments intuitively. I'm asking you to be more conscious of doing it.

After a Visit (Edit the Story)

•  Make a habit of editing, aka rewriting, your story when you learn new information about your prospect.
• As soon after the visit as possible, take some time to note the points in your story that seemed to resonate with your prospect as well as the parts that didn't. What worked? What didn't? This will tighten the story for the next visit whether with the same prospect or with a different one.
• Take some time to jot down your notes from the visit. What did you learn that is in line with what you researched? What is different?
• As your connection to a prospect deepens, update your story accordingly.

If you're still with me, you will have noticed this is heavy on the before-a-visit step. When you spend time sufficiently prepping your story prior to the visit you can focus more fully on the prospect and enjoy yourself during the visit.

As a nonprofit asker, your responsibilities go well beyond asking for investments in your organization's mission. You are a creator of connections, a story collector, a storyteller, and a steward of your supporters' kindness and generosity.

From ancient philosophers to contemporary researchers, the power of story to connect us has been proven again and again. It's up to us to embrace the science of story, improve our storytelling skills, and stay in a state of gratitude as our organizations benefit from our work.