Welcome to Part 2 of our series on the elements of great of storytelling for nonprofit fundraising, from the Storytelling for Business course by Kevin Allison at the StoryStudio.org. In Part 1, I covered the essentials of a story: emotional arc and a person to relate to. Part 2 is about the second most important […]
Keys to Brilliant Nonprofit Storytelling Part 1: Emotional Arc and Character
Welcome to the first post in a series about the mechanics of great storytelling, from the Storytelling for Business course by Kevin Allison at the StoryStudio.org. You already know that telling a story is key to reaching the hearts of your donors, but do you know exactly what that means? What to say, when to […]
6 Nonprofit Thought Leaders You Need To Follow
Dan Pallotta – Author of Uncharitable Dan Pallotta created the multi-day charitable event industry. Think cross country bike rides for charity. These events made it possible for individuals to raise large sums of money for the charities and causes they cared about, basically a kind of crowdfunding. Pallotta is, thus, one of the great innovators in the […]
Why Storytelling is Key To Nonprofit Fundraising
Don’t get so caught up in the details of your nonprofit that you forget to convey the human story behind it. While grantmakers and foundations may be more concerned with your business plan, donors give to people with causes, not to credentials and projections. Studies show that people ultimately make buying decisions based on emotions. […]
5 Tips to Handle Suggestions from you Supporters
Passionate, deeply involved supporters are a godsend, but when they start to provide well-intentioned feedback, it can be more distracting than helpful. Here are some pointers on separating the wheat from the chaff and fielding supporter feedback. 1. Consider the Source Some of the loudest opinions come from the least credible sources. Don’t get caught […]
How Crowdfunding Supports Women-led Nonprofits
If you work in a nonprofit, chances are you are a woman or are led by one. Women make up 45 percent of nonprofit CEOs, and 73 percent of overall workers, but only 21 percent of nonprofits with budgets over $25 million are led by women. This suggests that most smaller nonprofits, those most in […]
5 Social Media Strategies to Reach Your Target Audience
While crowdfunding gives you access to a much wider audience for spreading your message and connecting with potential supporters, it can also put you at risk of diluting your message. With access to so many people, you need to make sure that you are spending your time wisely and getting in front of the most […]
Overcoming the Overhead Myth with Crowdfunding
Modern nonprofits don’t operate like the charities of old. They blend attributes of social enterprises, educational institutions, microfinance banks, and volunteer organizations. While these non-traditional models are having bigger and more lasting impacts, it means that these nonprofits have unusual organizational structures and often a higher proportion of funds going to overhead, a four-letter word […]
What happens after #GivingTuesday?
You can breathe now – the third annual #GivingTuesday has come and gone. We were so excited to see how many of our users chose to participate in the annual day of giving back. Compared to last year, the total raised for #GivingTuesday increased by 15x on CauseVox. We had hundreds of #GivingTuesday campaigns running. […]
Final Countdown to #GivingTuesday
We’re just a day away from the third annual #GivingTuesday; it’s time to do a status check. With Thanksgiving this week, time is getting tight to put the final pieces into place for the 24-hour giving holiday on December 2. Hopefully, you’ve been able to make use of the CauseVox GivingTuesday Resource Center to help your organization […]
