Tip Sheet: Telling Your Story to Donors

Your story needs to convey what your project is about, why you need support, and how donors can impact your success.  You need to do it in a way that engages donors and helps them identify with what you are trying to achieve.  Think about how you can capture the interest of donors who aren’t buried in the details of your project.

Statistics and project plans don’t engage donors. Bring your heritage place to life by telling a story about the history of what happened there, the people that were part of it and the roots that tie it to your community. Instead of talking about fixing a leaking roof, find those elements that speak on an emotional level that will engage your donors and leave them asking “how can I help”.

Pictures and videos will capture the attention and imagination of donors where a thousand words cannot. Pictures should be of a quality suitable for print reproduction and online use. Include people in them and use them to support your storyline. Keep videos short, entertaining and focused on your story. A video should be no longer than two minutes, so plan it in detail before recording. Just like pictures you can use more than one video. Consider making videos that focus on particular elements of your story.