Ready, Steady, Jump!

As part of a workshop I taught a couple of years ago, I shared the story of the Parachute Club.  Afterwards, Lee-Anne Camlin, Planned Giving Officer at Lakehead University said she was interested in setting this up and asked if I would send her additional information.  Well I didn’t really have anything written, so I crafted the following overview.  I met her recently at a conference and she told me it’s working very well.  So, I thought I’d share with others – who knows it might also work for you.  By the way, Lee-Anne said it would be okay if anyone wanted to contact her to see how it’s going. 

In the world of fundraising, we know the value of being ‘donor-centred’, but perhaps we should pay more attention to this concept when asking professional advisors to get involved in our planned giving programs.  I think this approach reflects what Dale Carnegie was talking about when he said:

“You’ll have more fun and success when you stop trying to get what you want and start helping other people get what they want.”                             Dale Carnegie

The Story of the Parachute Club (tagline: a mutually-beneficial relationship).

Once upon a time…I started working at a university on the Prairies, looking after their planned giving program which had been set up by a wonderful and wise person (Leslie Weir). Unfortunately, she had left the year before I arrived and no-one had managed the program in her absence.  As part of my initial search of the files, I discovered her Planned Giving Committee folder.  Leslie had set up the committee to help develop PG-related policies, procedures and marketing materials.  They had accomplished a great deal in strengthening the program, but hadn’t met since Leslie left.

I decided to visit each committee member to thank them for their contributions and determine their interest in staying involved.  When I phoned, I explained the intention of my visit and out of the six original members; only three were interested in further involvement – the other three said that while they had enjoyed being involved –they declined the invitation.

When I met the three who were interested they were very complimentary about their initial period of involvement, when the program was just getting off the ground, but all said they really weren’t interested in staying on.  The reasons given were: too many meetings, the trip to/from the university took too much time and they questioned the real benefit to the university now the initial work had been completed.   However, they all expressed a desire to support the university (they were all alumni).

I’d heard similar responses, in my past work when members stepped down from PG committees, and that was why I’d developed the Parachute Club concept – but this was going to be my chance to ‘jump right in’.  And so I delivered the pitch.

And to my delight, all three said yes.  I was particularly happy because this ‘small but mighty’ group represented the exact mix of professional advisors I had wanted:  an estate lawyer (who had lots of experience with CRA and charitable bequests), an independent insurance agent and a tax accountant (again, very familiar with CRA).

Download the following PDF to discover the guidelines for Parachute Club Membership and the process I followed in recruiting members. The Nuts & Bolts of The Parachute Club

The Outcome

It was a very successful alternative to the traditional PG or Advisory Committee structure.  I developed a wonderful working relationship with all members and learned so much from them and the university was all the richer for their shared wisdom.

As it turned out, all the meetings were held in the downtown area, and members took turns hosting these…usually at 7 or 7:30 am.  I would always arrive with a collection of fresh-baked goodies from some of the amazing bakeries in Winnipeg and the members would provide the coffee and tea.

For me, the meetings were a delightful and stimulating opportunity to learn so much from such wise and experienced professionals.  Just listening to them discussing the complex cases I would ask them to ‘drop in on’ was fascinating as collectively they brought such a depth and breadth of skills, knowledge and experience to each PG ‘case’.

Over the two years that I worked at that university, I only had to ask for a formal position papers twice (which, by agreement were paid for).  Both involved very complex gift planning structures – well beyond my expertise.  One was a million dollar ‘triple-backed, insured annuity’ involving ten donors with one as the ‘insured life’ and the other was something that many in the planned giving world in the early 2000’s were introduced to…the Banyan Tree ‘opportunity’.

What was the ROI for the Parachute Club Members? They told me that liked the idea of not having to attend ‘regular’ committee meetings, and found the case discussions a wonderful opportunity to dive into interesting, often challenging and professionally-engaging discussions.  They loved being able to give something back to their university and learn something at the same time.

We only met as a full group about 3 or 4 times a year – the rest of the Parachute Club business was conducted by email and, sometimes, by phone.   And I kept my supervisor apprised of the help I received.

And since they were donating their time and expertise, I treated them to the same level of stewardship as my planned giving donors.   And, they were invited to PG stewardship events/activities and other university activities as key volunteers.

That’s about it – I always talk about this in my fundraising workshops as I do believe it’s a much more beneficial way to involve and build relationships with professional advisors.

Long-term benefits

Over time, the members did refer clients who were interested in making a ‘PG’ gift to the university to me.

I always included them on my list of professional advisors when donor asked for referrals.  And a few of donors told me they had chosen them as their professional advisors.

They told others in their professional practices about their ‘club’ membership– which helped bolster the university’s reputation within their professional circles.

And, they ended up referring more clients and company work to one another.

So, why not take the leap…don’t worry your parachute is sure to open.

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” ~G. K. Chesterton

Have you needed to deal with any dragons in your life – or the life of your loved ones?  Possibly, by adopting a more narrative approach to medicine, this might help you to beat them.  Interested, then read on…

I first came across the term, narrative medicine, in 2005 when working with a healthcare charity.  At the time, I was developing my narrative approach in helping non-profit organizations ‘tell their story’ to generate funds and recruit volunteers.

I had been searching for information on the role empathy plays in listening and gathering stories when I discovered an article by Dr. Rita Charon, A Model for Empathy, Reflection, Profession and Trust.

It was a bit of a eureka moment as I had previously spent a few years incorporating stories into my work in the health promotion sector, but had never heard of this pioneering work.  To my delight, in 2006 she published, Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness and while written for medical practitioners, it’s a fascinating resource for any student of narrative.

And, it encouraged me to dust off and build on my earlier health promotion work.

Over the past few years I have presented at various healthcare conferences in Canada on the benefits of adopting a narrative approach with colleagues or patients.  And, further research revealed that stories are helping healthcare providers across Europe and Canada to bridge gaps, reduce overlaps and costs thereby improving patient care.  For example, check out the success of The Esther Project in Sweden, or Saskatchewan’s Patient First approach.

Last year I presented at the Chronic Disease conference in Saskatoon and had the privilege of working with a few courageous women, ahead of the conference, to help them prepare and share their stories about living with chronic pain.  I also conducted a workshop to help patients shape and share their stories for the Patient Voices Network in British Columbia.  For those interested in developing their own story around an illness, I’m attaching the template called, Shaping Your Patient Story, developed as a result of my work in this field.

My father died when I was 18, after suffering from years of pain associated with chronic kidney disease.  I often wonder if my father and my family’s experience would have changed if the practice of narrative medicine had been part of his treatment plan.   While it probably couldn’t have slayed his ‘dragon’ perhaps it would have tamed it.

Learning the art of storytelling:

The Way of the Storyteller – Ruth Sawyer

Improving Your Storytelling – Doug Lipman

Suddenly They Heard Footsteps – Dan Yashinsky

Websites:  Norma Cameron’s TEDxTalk on Cultivating Narrative Intelligence

NPR’s Scott Simon: How To Tell a Story  

NPR’s Ira Glass:  Ira Glass on Storytelling (four parts)

Storytelling for corporations/organizations:

The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling (or) The Springboard – Stephen Denning

The Story Factor (or) Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins – Annette Simmons

Your Client’s Story (specifically for financial advisors) – Scott West & Mitch Anthony

Tell To Win – Peter Guber

Gathering personal or family Stories:

Telling Stories of Life through Guided Autobiography Groups:  J. Birren & K. Cochran

Writing About Your Life – William Zinsser

Storycatcher – Christina Baldwin

Focus on Stories about/for Women:

Women Who Run With the Wolves – Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Inviting the Wolf In – Loren Niemi & Elizabeth Ellis

Writing Stories (focus on journalistic, non-fiction writing)

Telling True Stories – From the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University

How To Interview (Self-Counsel Series) Paul McLaughlin

Blending creativity (and the need to) in your work:

A Whole New Mind – Daniel H. Pink

Ted Talks by Sir Ken Robinson: How Schools Kill Creativity

The Leader’s Edge – Charles J. Palus & David M. Horth

Stories in Healthcare & Healing: 

Narrative Medicine – Dr. Rita Charon

Composing a Life – Mary Catherine Bateson

The Healing Heart ~ Communities. Ellison M. Cox & David Albert

Best book ever – on using plain language in all you write/tell:

Death Sentences – Don Watson

Why Gather Legacy Stories?

If you’re interested in learning a little about why you should bother, why not read this true story… 

The Phyllis Summerhayes Story

While I believed that gathering and sharing legacy stories was important in honouring donors, it was through my administration of an estate gift to the University of Victoria in 2005, that I truly understood its immense power. 

It all started one morning when I received a call from a local lawyer informing me of an estate gift for the University of Victoria.  At the time, I was the manager of planned giving and estate administration.  After meeting with the lawyer I discovered it was a bequest of approximately $3.5 million from Phyllis Summerhayes, born in California in 1908, to establish an endowed fund in honour of her father, Maurice Summerhayes, to support student awards in the faculty of engineering.  This was the largest gift UVic had ever received for student awards. 

The strange part was that neither Phyllis nor any of her relatives had any prior relationship with the university.  Even her executors knew very little about her – other than knowing she had never married, had no children or any relatives in Canada.  While this was good news for the university, for me, it was still a bit too much of a mystery. 

Well, it took weeks of research, and wouldn’t have been possible without help from the executors, and the other 13 beneficiaries in her will (all distant relatives scattered throughout South Africa, England, and the USA that had each received over a million dollars).  What I found out early on in my research was that Marigold Vodden was the only one of the 13 that had actually met Phyllis.  Marigold was her only niece and lived in Yorkshire in England (and to my delight had just purchased a computer and, was eager to correspondence to practice her email skills).  With everyone’s help, I was able to piece together this story and better understand the compelling reason behind the gift.  Here it is…

Maurice Summerhayes was born in England in 1872, immigrated to California where he became a fruit grower.  While there he met and married Hilda (who had previously emigrated from England with her family).  After approximately ten years in California the bottom dropped out of the fruit growing business so Maurice took his wife and only child, Dorothy, back to London and enrolled in the School of Mining to train as a mining engineer. 

After this they returned to North America, this time to Canada, where Maurice worked as a mining engineer in Timmins, Ontario.  Unfortunately, Hilda did not like the mining town and left Maurice and returned to California.  It was shortly after this that Phyllis was born. 

Phyllis grew up believing she had no father; she never saw him and thought he must be dead.  Phyllis didn’t learn the truth until she was a teenager when he visited California (it was during this trip that the photo of the two of them was taken).  From that day forward, Phyllis never left her father’s side.  She returned to live in Canada with him and when he retired to Vancouver Island, she moved there to look after him. After Maurice died on April 10, 1953 at the age of 81, Phyllis decided to stay and made the Island her home.

I was determined to ensure that her memory and story were not lost (since she had created the award in her father’s name, her name would have simply disappeared in an administrative file).  So I compiled the various photos and snippets of her life from her relatives created the Phyllis Summerhayes story.  This was shared with her relatives who, through this process, appeared to be getting to know one another quite well. Once the estate administration was completed, the university decided to hold a media conference to announce and celebrate the gift. 

What was an incredible and unexpected bonus was that all 13 named beneficiaries informed me they would be travelling from across the globe to Victoria to join in the celebration and meet one another.  And, Marigold Vodden represented the family at the media conference and told everyone this wonderful story. 

It was a lot of work, but my diligence and persistence paid off in more ways than one.  The response to the media release and conference was incredible.  The media coverage was positive, touching and comprehensive: print, television, and radio.

And following the media conference, when I returned to my office, I received a call.  It was from a woman who had just heard my interview on the local CBC news and wanted to establish an award – just as Phyllis had done – to honour her husband who had recently died.

In the days and weeks that followed, I had many enquiries which translated into quite a few new legacy gift confirmations.  While new gifts and positive media coverage proved the point that stories are powerful motivators, it was knowing that we had honoured Phyllis and her memory and in doing so, brought a family together…now that was the real ‘return on the investment’.  

If you are interested in gathering legacy stories, here’s template you can customize for your own organization Creating A Legacy: Gathering Stories  It provides an introductory page that you can review with your planned giving donors, a suggested list of autobiographical questions, and a story consent form.  Rather than having to search out the story after receiving the bequest, I’ve been able to gather many stories from donors that are now sitting in files, waiting to be told, once their legacy gifts are received.

There are lots of great tools to help you craft your mission statement.  The one I recommend is a ‘values-based’ approach.    After all, the work of your organization should be your ‘Mission In Action’. 

This brief outline provides a few questions you can use to flex those creative muscles to review, or develop, your mission statement. First, let’s consider the role of a values-based mission statement:

1. Declaration of the values of an organization – the reason why it exists today – not simply ‘what it does’.  
2. Description of the path to be taken to arrive at your stated future vision – a world where the organization is successfully achieving its stated goals (or, in some cases – the role of the organization may be redundant as mission is fully realized). 

Following the KISS method, the mission statement could contain as few as two sentences:

1. We (your organization) believes… (values/philosophical beliefs that inform the work of the organization).  THEREFORE…
2. (Your organization) raises and manages funds to (e.g. provide/supplement/maintain, etc.)

Some people think that if you cover what the organization does, then the values are implicit.  But why run the risk of leaving this open to interpretation?  Much easier to have potential funders and supporters know immediately why you do what you do.  We all know that successful fundraising is based on a platform of shared beliefs and values between the donor and the mission – so by articulating your mission – you can bring clarity to all decision-making by volunteers, staff, prospects and donors.

Some Key Questions to help you develop a ‘values-based’ mission statement.  

A few questions designed to help you discover/uncover and focus on the key building blocks for your mission statement. 

1.  What aspect of a ‘civil society’ is the central reason your organization was established?   (These are the values/beliefs that your organization upholds.) TIP: try starting this sentence with the words, We believe…
2. Now, describe the particular challenge that stands in the way of realizing the above statement. Or, perhaps it’s an opportunity that your organization can take advantage of to realize the above statement.  
3. State what your organization can/will do (through the raising and managing of funds) to address the conditions described in 2.

Now, spend some reviewing these ‘building blocks’ then start compiling your mission statement.

Here are a couple of examples.

We believe our town’s natural history and cultural heritage should be preserved and interpreted to celebrate and educate current and future generations.  (THEREFORE) The Deep Cove Heritage Society raises and manages funds to maintain state-of-the-art facilities, exhibits, and programming that engages visitors of all ages. 

Global Hope Foundation believes that wherever people are suffering, compassion and hope can help them endure. (THEREFORE)  We raise funds to mobilize people and resources to meet the needs of suffering people in a hurting world.  This is achieved through a variety of programs including disaster relief and agricultural, educational, medical and economic assistance. 

In writing fiction, there is a technique known as the ‘story spine’ that outlines the various components and flow of a typical narrative arch.  Over the years, I developed the following ‘fundraising project story spine’ to help gather information needed to create these snapshot-style overviews.

They are designed to provide initial information to satisfy donors who are exploring a range of projects, and they also represent a solid framework for a more detailed proposal.

I have also provided this framework for those within the organization who wish to submit their fundraising projects for inclusion into future fundraising goals/campaigns I have found that the answers to these basic questions often provide enough initial information for senior management to decide whether or not the project warrants further consideration.   If so, the next step would be for you to work with your program staff to complete Norma’s Fundraising Project Checklist.

1.  The Challenge

Describe the problem or opportunity that exists/existed which created the need and/or the “gap” that this this project (program/initiative) will fill.  Include a personal story of someone currently facing this challenge.  Also, include a brief description, including facts/statistics that provide evidence that this challenge/opportunity impacts others (i.e. the ‘big picture’).

2.  The Solution:

What are you proposing as a solution? Describe the people and/or partners involved in designing the solution. Who provided the initial leadership, who were the key team members?  Include dates of project development and any statistics/proof points to support the claim that this is the best solution possible.  Include how this project fits within the overall mission of your organization.

3. The Desired Future State

What is the hoped-for outcome?  Paint a picture of the desired future state and a description of how this particular approach/design is intended to resolve the challenge or take advantage of the opportunity outlined in the first section.

Include a high-level description of the proposed steps involved in addressing the challenge (a summary of the project strategic approach/plan).    Brief timeline: include dates for launch of program – or if already underway – key dates of key improvements toward goal, project completion, etc.

4.  Evaluation/Performance Measurement

Explain how the program will be evaluated, how/when performance is measured to determine if it is ‘making (or has made) a difference’.  If this is an expansion or extension of a current program, include proof of impact so far, as well as any testimonials or stories that demonstrate ‘success in action’ from a human perspective.

5.  Your Call to Action – The Crucial Stepping Stone…

How much money and/or other resources are needed to realize the Desired Future State (this is your current fundraising goal).  What, if any, funding do you already have in place (if applicable) and who provided this.  Include what the ‘gap’ in funding is (remember that people often like to give to something that has already received support from others).  And, it’s crucial to include a Call to Action – even if it’s only the name of a person to contact for further information (excluding this step defeats the purpose of creating the whole story).

Cultivating Narrative Intelligence…The Evolution of Story

As we evolve into a global community, the skills of a storyteller – cultivating imagination, embracing listening and exercising perceptual agility – are needed more than ever before. Why? Through listening, gathering and telling stories we can develop sympathy and empathy for others and tap into an incredible source of ‘local’ wisdom; essential ingredients for any civil society.

Norma believes this is an idea worth spreading…do you?

After years of being a storyteller and a fundraising/communications consultant, I decided to marry these two pursuits to create the most effective way for non profit organizations (and others) to communicate to their target markets to accomplish two main goals: generate passion and motivate action (toward philanthropy).

I realized that the most sophisticated communication technology we have when it comes to building relationships is simply ourself.  And the best tools are well-crafted and told stories.  After all, they say a story is the shortest distance between two people and telling your organization’s story is really no different than the stories we share with each other every day.

However, if you’re going to enter into the realm of ‘Narrative Philanthropy’ I’ll warn you… it does require a wee bit of work.

First of all, you need to gather your organization’s history, mission and most of all – the positive impact it has on those it serves (proof of its “mission in action”).  Then, focus on choosing, gathering and telling the most convincing and compelling stories to your audience (could be future or current volunteers, staff or donors).  The goal of an impact story is to take others to the front lines of where your organization and its cause meet.  Choose the most emotionally-engaging way possible to tell these stories (using the most appropriate medium) to make your audience feel as though they are right there.

Once you’ve covered the history and impact, your next task is to explain your future vision; paint a picture of what the community will look and feel like if your organization realized its mission (or current goal).  Don’t forget to include the journey and resources required to get there (highlights of your plan and your budget).  Next up, you need to articulate how your audience can help to achieve this future state…your “call to action” (in easy to follow steps).  In other words, place them in this story of success.

In collecting this information, think about answering the following questions…Why is your organization the best at what it does? Why does it deserve support?  Is it a good steward of funds?  Develop your own set of questions – but in following the mantra of “show versus tell” distill and incorporate the answers into a handful of powerfully convincing and compelling tales…rather than simply listing these as facts.

Over my 20+ years as a storyteller, I’ve learned that without a doubt, simplicity and authenticity wins out every time.   By mastering how to recognize, understand and tell authentic stories about your organization and its work (in plain language) – you’ll have the vital building blocks to create a powerful communication strategy.

As you may have noticed, there is a revival of interest in storytelling and as a result there are wonderful resources on this topic.  You can find lots of books, websites, blogs, etc. on many aspects of storytelling.  While there isn’t a book specifically on applying storytelling to non profit organizations (but I’m working on it), I’ve listed some of my favourite resources below.

And, don’t forget to seek out storytelling gatherings in your neck of the woods (check on the national website for Storytellers of Canada/Conteurs du Canada.

Learning the art of storytelling:
The Way of the Storyteller – Ruth Sawyer
Improving Your Storytelling – Doug Lipman
Suddenly They Heard Footsteps – Dan Yashinsky
Couple of YouTube videos on the ingredients of a great story:
NPR’s Scott Simon on How To Tell A Story

NPR’s Ira Glass  talking about Storytelling (first part of four)

Storytelling for corporations:
The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling (or) The Springboard – Stephen Denning
The Story Factor (or) Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins – Annette Simmons
Your Client’s Story (specifically for financial advisors) – Scott West & Mitch Anthony

Gathering personal or family stories:
Telling Stories of Life through Guided Autobiography Groups:  James Birren & Kathryn N. Cochran
Writing About Your Life – William Zinsser
Storycatcher – Christina Baldwin

Focus on stories about/for women:
Women Who Run With the Wolves – Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Inviting the Wolf In – Loren Niemi & Elizabeth Ellis
Composing a Life – Mary Catherine Bateson

Blending creativity (and the need to) in your work:
A Whole New Mind – Daniel H. Pink
And a great Ted Talks video by Sir Ken Robinson on how schools are killing creativity

The Leader’s Edge – Charles J. Palus & David M. Horth

Best book ever – on using plain language in all you write/tell:
Death Sentences – Don Watson

Through her business, The Narrative Company, Norma Cameron works with clients across Canada as a fundraising and communications consultant, teacher and facilitator. She believes passionately in the need for clarity in vision, mission and goals, plain language in all communications and tapping into the unparalleled power of story to motivate teams and attract support.

Norma is part of the CAGP Teaching Faculty and as a speaker and seasoned storyteller; she has performed at conferences, concerts and festivals in Canada, the USA and the UK.  You can reach her at thenarrativecompany@telus.net.

By Norma Cameron, CFRE

It all started over a wonderful lunch with a good friend in a trendy Italian restaurant on Robson Street, downtownVancouver on a warm spring day in 2004.  We’d lived on opposite ends of the country for years, so there was a lot of catching up to do. I was in the midst of explaining to her this balancing act of what I was doing with one foot in the gift planning field and the other in the storytelling performance world.  She stopped me, mid-stream, and said, “You simply can’t be two people, you can only be one”.

Now, my friend is very influential, centred and calming and her wisdom climbed up onto my shoulder, dug itself in and wouldn’t go away. I guess there was a certain element of storytelling that had already crept into my work simply by osmosis, but from that point forward my storytelling and fundraising worlds were allowed to collide.  I started incorporating story listening, gathering and telling into all my gift planning activities and to my great relief it met with great success with prospects and donors.  Then, when I first read the term, Narrative Philanthropy in a Planned Giving Today article by Jim Grote, I felt even more validated and grew more and more comfortable in pursuing this even further. 

When 2006 rolled around, I was busy teaching storytelling skills of listening, gathering and telling in the gift planning arena. I developed various templates for gathering stories along with interview techniques designed to assist gift planning officers build stronger relationships with donors.  As I continued to work with a growing number of groups I realized that stories had a wider role to play in achieving a more integrated approach to fundraising.  I think everyone would agree that adopting a narrative approach to relationship building is beneficial regardless of the specific area of fundraising.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve been presenting to even more diverse groups comprising gift planning and fundraising professionals, non profit and public sector communications and marketing teams, teacher-librarians, seniors, lawyers and professional advisors in Canada and most recently in the UK.  Plus, I’ve been diving into applied storytelling to widen my knowledge base. 

For instance, I attended a ten week course (one afternoon a week) as a participant in a Guided Autobiography course held at a local seniors home, led by James Thornton, associate professor emeritus at UBC.  There were over 30 participants and the average age was mid-80s.  Based on the work of James Birren, associate director at the UCLA Center on Aging, over his 25 years of conducting autobiography groups, it provides a framework of ten major themes in building a tapestry of your life’s story. 

Each week everyone had to be prepared to read what they’d written for a minimum of ten minutes – so based on an oral culture – and there was no need to hand in written work at any time.  This was a great relief for those who lacked confidence in grammar or punctuation, and freed them up to simply share, and often in the sharing; memories long since forgotten were triggered.  If you’re interested in this type of work, I’d recommend Birren’s book:  Telling the Stories of Life through Guided Autobiography Groups.   From a practical perspective it has truly enriched my ability to work with older people in creating their legacies. 

I also freed up some time to dive back into storytelling in schools (nothing like children to keep you honest), and during the last week in January of this year, I had the pleasure of presenting 27 storytelling sessions to elementary school children on Vancouver Island.  This was part of a combined celebration of Family Literacy Week, Chinese New Year and of course, Robert Burns’ 250^th Anniversary.  What was both surprising and a wee bit sad was for most of the students I was the first person they had heard telling stories “from their mouth” and not from a book.  This provided a wonderful opportunity to engage their little storytelling souls in what Sir Ken Robinson describe in his latest book, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything as “applied imagination”. 

The reason I continue to take time out to tell stories to a variety of audiences is partly Ken Robinson’s fault.  I think that to be successful in fundraising in today’s ever-changing, increasingly-competitive climate, it’s vital that fundraisers enhance their creative skills. As Robinson puts it,  “To develop our creative abilities, we also need to develop our practical skills in the media we want to use….Being creative is about making fresh connections so that we see things in new ways and from different perspectives.” (Robinson, The Element, p. 76-7).

So what has all this to do with fundraising? Well, the one constant is the amazing and magical response, across age groups, professions, and sectors to the power of story. I don’t think we’ve finished mining this rich vein; there’s still more to learn that will help us improve our relationship building with donors and ultimately our fundraising revenues.

Plus, I’ll admit, I’m having lots of fun (and depleting my bank account – which is very difficult as a Scot) as I continue to devote more time to refining how to apply narrative to assist non-profit organizations.  The most recent focus is how to incorporate the power of story across an organization’s strategic communications plan – all the way from a richer understanding or our target groups, to the development of key messaging and also the best possible customized mediums and tactics.  It’s a vast and magical area for research and as someone who has worked in raising funds for many research projects over the years, I realize that the real task is in moving from the pure to the applied research (hmm! wonder if I could raise funds for a narrative translational research network). 

This endeavor has taken me back to my original calling to become a journalist then public relations practitioner (before I fell backwards into fundraising like many of my colleagues, before this became a “chosen” career field).  Because I was trained to be “other-centred” in the PR field and still had the insatiable curiousity of a journalist, I instinctively approached fundraising (albeit 20 years ago) from a communications perspective.  I was convinced this must be the best approach simply because it worked and I was able to surpass that first fundraising goal of $4million for a national sports event (okay, so it was all corporate sponsorship – but it did involve lots of face to face meetings).  It was therefore, with great pleasure that I read recently in Ken Burnett’s brilliant wee book, The Zen of Fundraising that the new paradigm for fundraising is communications and not marketing.  A man after my own heart.

The focus of my applied research has been to create concrete ideas that can be implemented at non-profits, regardless of their size, with the hope it will assist everyone to tap into this rich natural resource; to mine and use stories to their direct benefit.   

In order to do this effectively you need to know what to capture when gathering stories, how to categorize the various types of stories, and develop a system to store them for easy retrieval.  So that’s what I’ve been working on and why I wanted to write this article and share the results of some of my current projects (and that’s what one would call a much delayed lead).

Gathering Stories

To assist in gathering legacy stories from my gift planning donors, I created a template: Creating A Legacy: Gathering Stories and distributed this at many workshops and have received very positive feedback from organizations that are using this, or a similar process, to interview and gather information.   I also know that lots of organizations have been using the narrative approach for years, but it’s not something that we’ve talked about openly and think the broader fundraising world still can benefit from learning how powerful it can be. What’s rewarding for me is that there are more and more organizations, both large and small embracing and adopting this approach.

I’ve always loved that the fundraising culture is one in which we really are comfortable sharing our ideas, mistakes and breakthroughs as well as copies of what we’ve developed in a very collegial fashion.  And so, I’m hoping that by sharing the following ideas will be of some use to those of you are continuing the journey along this “yellow brick road”. 

The Role of Stories in Your Case For Support

One of the key areas where stories can be applied with great success is in developing your case for support.  I’ve survived the case development process at various organizations and thought it was time to develop a narrative approach to this whole exercise.

At the heart of every case statement (i.e. proposal or expression of case) there should be powerful stories but they have to be used strategically for greatest effect. 

I decided to start with a modular design (def’n: a system of parts) for developing case materials. From there, I developed an ‘artsy’ way of framing how the various parts should fit together.  It all started with my own weird definition of case: all the information you need to have at your fingertips to be able to convince any prospect that your worthy of their support.  So, you take this coupled with the modular design visual imagery and in my mind you get an open wooden box full of small building blocks of all shapes and sizes.  Each block represents a different fact or story about your organization e.g., founding history, the latest versions of your mission, vision, goals, financial statements, annual reports, all the details of what you were raising funds for, past successes, etc. 

Then, when you need to design a ‘case statement’ for a specific target group or individual prospect, you would construct your building based on the blocks of interest to that specific target group; simple enough concept that meets the test of a donor-centred approach.

One organization has this “modular case” posted on a huge wall.  It’s a series of hanging files, labeled, and in each file are a few copies of the latest version of whatever the “block” is. And folks can literally put together a customized package for a prospect in minutes. It’s also on their shared directory as a virtual modular case, but the wall display is something that is noticed by staff, board and volunteers passing through the development area and has provided a great opportunity to explain this initiative to all (and build better internal relationships).

Now, to add the narrative layer: just as a full meal would have three courses, I believe every solid case statement needs an appetizer (Stories), an entrée (Stats) and then dessert (the Call to Action).  Let’s look at the role of all three.

Appetizers – Stories:

There’s an old adage that says you should open the hearts and minds, before opening wallets.  Therefore all case statements should start with the most appropriate “Impact”  story for that particular target group and/or individual.  Emotional engagement is vital at this stage and choosing a story that provides a shared platform of values and beliefs will create the right response.  After all, the role of an appetizer is to whet the appetite for more and ideally trigger a response like, “I had no idea…I’m intrigued…please tell me more.”

Entrée – Stats:

This is where you must have done your homework on two levels.  You must now be able to fit the “story” into the overall context of your organization’s charitable mission and specifically why you need their support now. 

Another tip for me is to always remember that your case should be both convincing and compelling.  Convincing from the perspective of proving that your organization is worthy of their support, so here’s where you’d include all the statistics of the impact and difference you’ve made in the community so far (also known as the Deeds of the Past).  Then, onto the compelling part where you need to show how your organization is uniquely positioned to meet the ongoing needs of your specific community. This is where you  introduce your strategic plans (with great emphasis on the vision and how you’re going to get there) as well as financial information, required resources, experts, etc. (also known as the Needs of the Future).  

Dessert – The Call to Action:

This is so important and sometimes completely absent.  You need to decide before you present the case statement what your objectives are. In other words, what do you want your target group or individual to do in response to what you’ve just presented?  Whatever this is, check you have included all the necessary information to make it as easy as possible for them to initiate that next step.  

Now, there are definitely ways in which you can weave different stories to create lasting impressions in each section, but at the very least, you need to ensure you start with a story.

The Role of the Narrative Database to feed your Case for Support

So, how do find the best possible story within minutes, at your desktop?  Simple, your organization sets up a narrative database. Stories, and especially good stories, are a very valuable commodity in every organization – but because we tend to hold numbers in higher esteem, stories are often lost and forgotten.  If you have to convince those who are slightly left-directed in their thinking to allocate resources for this, try introducing the concept that your narrative database will house the organization’s most precious knowledge management resources. 

To convince them you could try telling them that one of the leading knowledge management and corporate storytellers, Stephen Denning, gathered stories from Xerox photocopier repairmen and created a narrative database. It’s now called the Eureka database and estimated to be worth over $100M.  After all, cognitive scientist have discovered that we turn experience – both our own and those of others – into stories to help us remember and communicate them effectively.  You could also buy them Stephen Denning’s book The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling as a surprise gift. So, now that you’re convinced we should start to treasure our stories, here’s a story about my first attempt at setting up a narrative database.

I’m sure that someone out there, at this very moment, is developing the perfect narrative database which will be pretty snazzy and comprehensive enough to meet everyone’s needs in the very near future.  I would, however, say that while we can all wait and make this very complicated; we can also make it fairly simple and something each fundraising shop could establish with their local IT “buddies” without too much effort.

I currently have a pilot narrative database in operation at a public foundation, which has an amazing wealth of stories dating back almost 25 years.  It was my first test and I needed to find a way of tapping into the archives and current files to identify the stories best suited to support the current and future needs of the fundraising team (and to feed the strategic communications collateral machine).  I worked with an archivist and IT buddies and using MS Sharepoint, we created a narrative database.  

A detailed description of the steps we took to build this “searchable, relational database” would probably put you to sleep, so I’ll save you that chore.   For instance it included database architecture, views, structure…zzzzz…see what I mean.  In a nutshell, once we knew the type of stories we wanted in the database, we created a Story Submission Template, featuring the various fields in which to slot the key elements of each and every story making it easy for us to search and retrieve the stories at a later date. Once all the stories were entered, we could find what we needed in a couple of clicks of a mouse.  Let me paint a picture of this in use…

I’m heading out to meet with a 70 year old woman who during my first visit tells me she’s interested in setting up an endowed fund through a bequest.  The motivation is to honour her late husband who had suffered from a disease (the charity’s focus) and despite seeking the best medical attention available; he suffered chronic pain for the last 20 years of his life.  He loved children, but his disease had made having his own, impossible.  I was building a package to deliver to her on my next visit and needed to choose a story or two to include. 

So, I searched through the database for stories about other donors who’d established endowed funds (among the category labeled donor Maps & Model stories), first-person stories of people who had benefited from the research breakthroughs in pain management or relief and/or from research in improving reproductive chances (among the category labeled Impact stories), and stories about researchers who were currently working in these fields.   Armed with this knowledge, I could search the database and see what stories existed in those categories to help me build a customized package.

Other key factors in building the narrative database is being able to upload both stories and “story leads”, those story ideas that you don’t want to lose, but that you won’t develop fully until the need arises.  Otherwise, your communications team would be writing stories that might never be used.   Other factors include the ability to track whenever a particular story is used and by whom, for what, (this will save the organization from using the same story too often), and don’t forget to include a link to whatever images you have to support the story. In addition, remember to track when permission and privacy legislation issues have been satisfied and the story has received the necessary in-house approvals.

I’m also working with other, smaller organizations that doesn’t have the resources to develop a sophisticated narrative database.  So, they’re tracking stories and story leads on Excel and simply using the built-in Excel sort functions for searching.  

There’s a lot more to cover, but I simply wanted to plant the idea of valuing and organizing your stories to achieve maximum value from them.

In pursuing this project, you will have a chance to exercise those finely-tuned relationships building skills with your internal team, especially those in communications and those who control resources – as it does take some time to set up. This is a long-term investment.  After all, your stories do need to be culled, refined and most of all, shared.   In closing, I’d like to quote Ken Burnett from his book, The Zen of Fundraising,

“So fundraising is the inspiration business, and however much we may try to elevate and complicate it, at its heart it is little more than telling stories.  I’d encourage all of my fellow fundraisers to become master storytellers.”  

Norma Cameron, CFRE

You can reach Norma at thenarrativecompany@telus.net

This article appeared in the February 2009 issue of Gift Planning in Canada, Canada’s premier source of comment and analysis for professional gift planners.