Grow your story.org

Close your eyes and imagine your nonprofit doing exactly what you vision. Is every kid fed? Is every veteran housed?

Whether you just started out or you have years under your belt, sometimes having a fresh set of eyes can help you craft stories that connect community and dollars, to your mission.

To get started, think of the simplest way to describe your mission. Keep asking “why”. For example, if you think “we connect families to healthy food”. Why do you do that? “we connect families to healthy food because … ” Your answer to that why is the root of your story. Is it easy to understand? And can you quantify your work?

Nonprofits are often under staffed and under paid. It can be a luxury to take the time to think through this when you are swamped with work. Another challenge is a lack of qualified fundraising professionals. Most nonprofits cannot afford a professional fundraiser so they have a volunteer or program manager write the fundraising content. These aren’t bad things and have enabled millions of donations to reach the right nonprofit over the years.

So, if you aren’t sure on where to start in writing your story, start with asking why. Go around and ask volunteers, clients, and current donors about their “why”. In those answers, you will find your best stories.