Suddenly everyone's tale is tellable...

"Suddenly everyone's tale is tellable, which seems to me a good thing, even if not everyone's story turns out to be fascinating or well told."

-David Shields, Reality Hunger

If you're good at telling stories, I will listen.

Have you ever some variation of the saying, "Let Nature speak to you" and been confused, skeptical or just dubious? I didn't understand what people were saying either -- until I came upon this tiny lake in Spray Park, Washington.

It literally looked like a mirror because it was so calm. I didn't notice it until I was standing as still as I possibly could.

It's interesting how people tend to work the same way.

You have to be ready to listen before you are ready to speak.

Fundraising and Awareness for Non-Profits

Photo Credit: umjanedoan

"Storytellers make heroes out of real people."

~Tom Kelley, IDEO

Last weekend I had the privilege of being a part of Strategy for Good. It was an event put on by some friends and is pretty much exactly what you'd think.

Some of the best strategists (Minneapolis has to offer) convened and bumped brains in order to help some non-profits.

I won't say much about the event, but it was one of the most meaningful and eye-opening experiences I've had this summer (to put that into context, I traveled all over the West Coast this summer and had some great experiences).

At one point, a woman from one of the non-profit organizations explained the hardest challenge they had was awareness. They couldn't seem to get any coverage "to save their souls," as she put it. She then went on to explain their biggest fundraiser was a walking marathon but it didn't get the coverage they'd hoped.

And that's when it hit me.

They weren't making their story special. How many wonderful non-profit organizations do you know of? Fine organizations that help save lives from kidneys to cancer. There are quite a few. If I'm not mistaken, many of these organizations have fundraisers that involve walking, running, or just donating money.

When it comes to fundraising for non-profits I think there are two big rules: Story and How Easy It Is To Donate. To keep this post short, I'm only going to talk about one.

Rule 1: Story

Just as IDEO's Tom Kelley suggests, make heroes out of real people. Tell a story about how your organization effected one person. It's easier for people to identify with "Jane Doe" rather than "thousands of lives are saved every year."

Make your story about one person and make it emotional.

Do something worth talking about. This just comes down to creativity. Everyone loves a good walk-a-thon fundraiser but unless you're Red Cross, it's not going to get the local/national/internet coverage you deserve.

Find a way to raise money that's different and exciting. Create an event that isn't the usual walk-a-thon or bake sale.