How to Write a Compelling Story for Easy Fundraising

Now that you know how to write a compelling fundraising story, proceed to tell your story and create a FundACause campaign today! Visit www.fundcause.net to donate or start a campaign now.

10. Finally, create your campaign

Sometimes the title is all a donor sees and they are compelled to give. Your campaign title will either influence people to read your story or make them scroll past your campaign. Be sure to choose a title that is catchy and summarises your campaign.

9. Decide on a captivating title for your campaign

After writing your story, it is important you review for grammatical errors and inconsistencies. Make changes where necessary and ask for feedback from others. Also, ask if they would give to your cause after reading the story. If you get any response other than the affirmative, you should improve your story until you get positive responses.

8. Review your story and ask for feedback from others

At the end of your story, it is important to highlight the action you need your readers to take. Although you might feel it is obvious, it is better to be clear on what you expect from them than assume they know what to do next.

7. Conclude your story with a call to action

• Avoid using verbose expressions when simpler and shorter ones can still convey the same message.
• Tell your readers just enough information to make them connect to your cause.
• Add a relevant video or additional resource link if you feel the need to include a fully descriptive story.

Do not make your story too long or you stand the risk of losing your readers’ attention. You can shorten your story when you:

6. Keep your story concise

Fundraising platforms like FundACause do not condone illegal and dishonest campaigns. You owe it to yourself to be honest about your story. Your cause should be genuine so should your story. Genuine stories reveal a vulnerability that people can relate to and such will build more interest in your campaign.

5. Be Honest and Authentic

READ ALSO: HOW TO GET DONORS TO FULLY COMMIT TO YOUR CAUSE

This can be achieved by talking to them one on one or sending out a survey. Review the information and stories gathered to develop a concise story for your campaign.

As an organisation, you can ask your employees, beneficiaries, partners, previous donors and other stakeholders to share stories of how they have been impacted by the organisation.

For instance, if you are raising funds for school fees as a student, you can ask your fellow students and tutors to talk about your performance and how committed you have always been. This will help to build a compelling story that gives donors the confidence that their donation will be judiciously used.

Sometimes, people see in us what we don’t see in ourselves; it is always good to leverage that perspective. By so doing, you could hit a story goldmine. You can ask others to share their perspective on your cause with you.

4. Tell your story from the perspective of others

As an organisation, you can focus on stories of your potential beneficiaries to build an interest in your campaign; avoid making general statements. However, make sure you seek their consent before using their stories.

Highlight the problem(s) you are hoping to solve with the campaign and why. Also, include the existing or projected impact of the cause on you or the recipient(s) if this challenge is not addressed.

3. Mention the challenge(s) you need to solve

“My name is Clement Kola and I am looking to raise money for my younger sister to complete her education…”

Begin your story with an introduction of yourself and/or your organisation. Also, include your relationship with the cause. If you are creating a campaign on behalf of someone else you may need to include an introduction of the person and how you are connected to the person. Keep the introduction brief. You can simplify it into one sentence. Here is an example of how you can start:

2. Start with an introduction of yourself 

• What is the campaign about?
• Why is is important to you?
• Who is the beneficiar(ies) of the fundraising?
• What is the target amount and will it be enough to meet the need?
  • What specifically will the raised funds be used for?
• If you are the beneficiary, how will the funds make your life better?
• If you are not the beneficiary, how will the funds make their life better?

Before you start writing your story, it is important to decide on the essential details of your campaign. Ask yourself the following questions and note the answers if needed:

1. Highlight the details of your story 

The ability to tell a compelling story that would get potential donors emotionally vested in your cause is central to the success of your campaign. To help you run campaigns that are able to deliver on objectives, leveraging effective storytelling, here are some tips to help:

“Stories create community, enable us to see through the eyes of other people, and open us to the claims of others,” said Peter Forbes. Stories connect people emotionally with a common cause despite differing perspectives and experiences.

By Damilola Davids