Thursday February 26- Facts tell, stories sell

Hi !

Captain T. G. Culpepper: What’s cookin this week 

In this week’s enews…

• What do YOU say: Facts or stories or both?

• About last week…

• Students teaching students

• Great post: How to sustain relationships

• The crazy out there

• This week’s poll (please answer): A campaign’s biggest pain point

The solution to the Triple E (enews easter egg) from last week: Names of actors who starred in Heat, one of my favorite movies.

This week’s enews is different. I wanna hear from you!

Let’s dive into what sells.

Sylvester Marcus: Facts tell, stories sell

I have said numerous times that storytelling sits at the heart of fundraising and marketing. Tell a great story, get those emotions flowing and you’ll see more conversions and build more relationships.

On the other hand, leading with data, numbers and facts in a fundraising campaign is a way to bore the audience and potentially stop them from donating.

Facts tell, stories sell.

But is that true?

Are stories the best (only?) way to get people to donate to a fundraising ask? Are dry facts ineffective? Numbers confusing? Data distracting?

I am a HUGE fan of storytelling in an ask. Less rational (numbers/data/facts), more emotional (story of one person/family facing a crisis). So if you were sending multiple emails during a campaign, the story would take center stage in most of those emails. I’d be careful about including any data points as a way to mobilize the audience to act.

But maybe I’m wrong.

Last week I read this piece which questions the CW of facts tell, stories sell. It got me thinking about my approach to fundraising asks and what we use to make the ask.

Which is why this week I’m coming to you:

Please read the article above and reply to this email with your thoughts on the topic.

I am thankful that my enews community has a TON of fundraising smarties. Which is why I’m curious how you view the issue and what you do at the nonprofit you work for (or consult with).

Do you use only stories in your fundraising campaigns? Only facts and data? A mixture?

Please read the post and lemme know your opinion and thoughts!

Lennie Pike: Your turn

I ask for feedback because I want to hear from you. From time to time I’m gonna share some of the feedback you send- positive or negative- because I wanna shine a spotlight on my favorite people: My subscriber community!

Last week I discussed pop up ads. And I forgot to add something very very important 🤦  

Thanks to subscriber Kara who reminded me about the issue of pop up ads and accessibility for people with disabilities. 20% of the population has a disability and they may not be able to access or read your pop up ad.

I should have included a link to an article which discusses the best practices, challenges and solutions for ensuring accessible pop ups.

Kara mentioned that the nonprofit she works for serves children with disabilities and therefore they have decided not to use pop up ads. Your nonprofit may choose to use them but accessibility should be part of the consideration process.

Thank you Kara!

Otto Meyer: I love this idea!

In this section I’ll share with you something good being done by a nonprofit that you can learn from.

Two problems that needed solving:

1. Arizona ranks 45th in the U.S. in education.

2. Only 41% of Arizona’s third graders are reading at grade level.

That sucks.

Enter the nonprofit Read Better Be Better. Their mission is to connect young readers and youth leaders to inspire a love of literacy and leadership.

They train older students to teach younger students to read and succeed. The goal: More students reading at a grade appropriate level while also putting older students into a leadership role. Watch how they accomplish this mission.

Love it!

J. Russell Finch: A little of this and that

In this section I’m going to share with you great content I’ve picked out that you can learn from.

1. 5 strategies to sustain donor relationships. MUST READ!!!! (Clairification)

2. Corporate sponsorship myths vs. facts (Blackbaud)

3. 8 tips for improving your impact report (Give WP)

4. Thank you letter examples you can use (Give Central) Editor’s note: No matter what it says in the article, never ever ever mention the amount of the donation in the first line of a gratitude letter!

5. 3 things to do after a donor says yes to a legacy gift (Stelter Insights)

Melville Crump: It’s a mad mad mad mad world

From time to time I’ll share with you some of the more crazy, nuts, outrageous things I come across on the Interwebs. Here’s this week’s edition.

Hundreds of thousands of what fast food item landed on a beach in the UK?

It was annoying but what turned out to be the prankster ringing everyone’s doorbells multiple times?

A company claims to have made purses out of leather from this creature.

A script from the film Goonies, a toilet seat, a glass eye, a silicone pregnancy belly, a mustache curler. Where would all these items be found?

🎶 This week I listened to Starship’s “We Built This City” on an endless loop. Gets me goin.

I’ll be back in your inbox next Thursday. Have a great weekend!

P.S. Please tell me…