In this issue:

• Ethical fundraising storytelling 📖 holds the beneficiary in high regard
• Start with YOU (placeholder mindset)
• Readably and viewably yours...

---

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

​
​Every person is a story, right?

And every person is a bundle of stories.

This truth is important for life, yes – and for fundraising storytelling. If we forget it, we may make the mistake of reducing beneficiaries to caricatures. They deserve better.

Our son Baye, now 23, was born in Ethiopia. His story is wonderful. It has many chapters.

For example, here he is at age 8, in an orphanage just before we adopted him:

But that's not the whole story. Baye's a brother, a son, a friend, a husband. He loves movies, music, and board games. He's played soccer, ran track, competed in trail races. In college now, he's authoring his future every day.

Here's Baye while stationed in Japan with the U.S. Marines:

The point is that each photo (of any person) only captures a single moment, a slice of life – and it's easy to fall into the trap of forgetting that a mere slice is not a whole life.

As fundraisers, we often "step into" someone else's story to portray a need in hopes of moving our supporters to action, to help. Whenever we do this, we ought to remember that...

---

Ethical fundraising storytelling 📖 holds the beneficiary in high regard

And this ought to begin with the mindset that:

Every person is a bundle of stories: past, present, and future.

And here are 6 more guidelines for you to keep in mind to do your fundraising ethically...

• Whenever possible, get the beneficiary's permission to tell their story.
  ​
• Even then, consider that the beneficiary may have given their permission only because you gave them support – and they feel indebted.
  • So ask yourself: Would they normally give permission? If not, avoid using their story.
• Let the beneficiary know their stories are valued and you respect their privacy and experiences.
  ​
• If possible, compensate beneficiaries for their stories (because their stories are theirs and hold value).
  ​
• Tell others' stories the way you would want your story to be told.
  ​
• Don't use images, video, or words that sensationalize or stereotype a person or situation.

(For more ideas on ethical storytelling, check out ethicalstorytelling.com.)

The way to connect your heart to your supporters' hearts is to fully feel the story you are telling – which requires an inclusive imagination – that includes the whole person: past, present, and future.

Save the date? On Thursday, May 5th, Julie will be giving a 90-minute webinar on fundraising storytelling. (And our son Baye will be joining her as a webinar panelist!)

More webinar details coming soon...

---

Start with YOU (placeholder mindset)

Brett here:

You know you are important...

(Don't argue with me on this!)

And you know YOU is important... in fundraising.

The most attractive word for nearly every person is their name. The next most attractive word is the pronoun that stands in for every person's name: YOU.

And even though you know this, once in a while – in the heat of writing, for example – you may forget to prioritize YOU.

So... what do you do?

Well, what I do is use YOU as a placeholder whenever I'm preparing to write. I plop YOU in as the first word of a title or a paragraph I'm about to write – as I'm brainstorming – to remind me to use YOU as early and often as possible.

What does this look like?

Here are a few examples of how I used YOU as a placeholder just before writing these words in this newsletter:

​

​

You see, YOU sure helps ME!

(Try it, maybe?)

---

Readably and viewably yours: free learning content you'll love...

The following are all worth donning your reading (and viewing) glasses. We loved them. Maybe you will too? Check 'em out!

• ​When Getting Help Hurts Your Fundraising by Jeff Brooks
  ​
• ​Donor Impact Data Hub by Neon One
  ​
• ​Designing Your Nonprofit Website to Look the Part: 5 Tips by Mary Cahalane
  ​
• ​Donation Intention and Threat – What's the Link and Why Does It Matter? by Harriet Day (via Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy)
  ​
• ​The Most Successful Advertisement in the History of the World by Denny Hatch

---

Until next time: May your fundraising elevate others by sharing stories that embrace the whole person... past, present and future.

We'll see you in your inbox soon.

All our best,

​

​

​

​

​Julie Cooper & Brett Cooper​
Fundraising Copywriters & Communications Strategists
​FundraisingWriting.com

​
​PS: Need help? Maybe you could use done-for-you fundraising donor communications... written, designed, and delivered to you, month after month, without the expense, training, doubts, and turnover of a new hire. Sounds good? Why not book a free call and let's chat.

​
PPS: If you like this newsletter and want to support it, please forward it to a friend with an invitation to subscribe right here (😊 = thank you!):
​https://fundraisingwriting.ck.page/newsletter-signup​