Non-Profit Storytelling - Part 4: How to Find Fresh Story Leads from Your Nonprofit CRM & Fundraising Software

According to a Give.Org Donor Trust Report, nearly 64% of donors emphasize the importance of trusting a charity before contributing. As a result, “Nonprofits must prioritize transparency, effective communication, and building trust” (Humanata). 

Stories show (and tell) how your organization is changing the lives of those in need. In today’s digital landscape, it is essential that you are prioritizing the collection of nonprofit impact stories. These stories should be easily collected, organized, and shared to increase donations, attract volunteers, and improve engagement. 

So, who do you ask for stories? Your fundraising software can help you answer this question: Who should I ask for a story and when is a prime time to ask?

Our answer? Find people who can tell your story by looking at your donor data. 📈

FUNDRAISING DATA STORY INDICATORS 
Here are some data-related indicators of who and when to reach out and ask for a story:

Donation Increases

• You notice that one of your donors, who gave to your organization once 6 months ago, recently became a recurring donor.
• You see that one of your monthly donors recently doubled their monthly giving amount. 
• More people from the same family begin to donate to your organization.
• You analyze your fundraising data and found 6 people who donated to one program but recently expanded their giving efforts to another one of your programs. 

Community Engagement

• You learned from your donation form that you recently gained a new donor who heard of your organization through a current donor.
• One donor recently made a series of referrals to 5 other people who end up giving. ← a hot story to get! 🔥
• 1st time peer-to-peer fundraising - You see that one of your volunteers recently launched a FaceBook birthday donation campaign to give money to your nonprofit.
• Merch Purchases - When you sell a merchandise item, like a t-shirt, to someone who might want to share a story as to why they bought the item and why they want to support your mission.
• You ask for stories from the 5% of people who regularly open and read your newsletters.

Attendance Increases 

• You notice that a few people have recently increased the frequency of attending your events and are more active participants than they were last year. 

A good rule of thumb is anytime a donor increases the frequency of donating or the amount donated to you - this is a good time to ask for a story.

These are just a few examples of when your story radar antennas should go up - because data too tells a story.

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLATFORM AND DATA PROVIDE CLUES ON WHO TO ASK FOR STORIES

There are a range of fundraising tools out there to help you analyze donor data. Some tools are specifically designed for small nonprofits and some are oriented towards larger organizations. When searching for a fundraising tool, make sure that you’re able to easily view a donor’s transaction history and save details about their overall engagement. In addition, the ability to seamlessly create giving forms and send thank you’s should not be overlooked. 🙏

Phil Schmitz, CEO of CharityEngine, urges nonprofits to use their technology to get a 365-degree view of their donors.

He likes to remind nonprofits to, "Look beyond the most obviously interesting data! For example, the runner-up bidder for a large auction item might have a story as interesting as the winner’s. The widow who sends you $10 a month in memory of her husband—but has done so regularly for a decade—surely has a story to tell. There are many options for fundraising software, but the system that gives you the most comprehensive, real-time look at your donors is where you’ll find some hidden gems."

Selecting the right fundraising tool for your organization is key. Here’s a well-written overview from Betterworld on how to what to consider when making your final decision for your nonprofit (make sure to consider cost, ease of use, payment processing options, etc.).

Tools like 4aGoodCause are great for smaller nonprofits who could benefit from one-on-one guidance and helpful suggestions. 4aGoodCause is a leader in the fundraising industry, supporting good causes for over 25 years.

‍CONCLUSION

In summary, it should be easy to extract data from your fundraising tool to gain insights into your nonprofit engagement, donor history, and to find story leads to drive revenue itself. In addition, all of your tools should be able to talk to and work with one another so that you can easily extrapolate the information you need to help your nonprofit grow in 2024.
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Additional Resources:

• The Ultimate Guide to Nonprofit Fundraising - HubSpot
• Fundraising Strategy for Beginners - How to Create Your Own - Donorly
• 9 Key Elements to Include on Your Donation Form to Maximize Monthly Donations - 4agoodcause

Check out the other articles in our series:

Part 1 - Who to ask for impact stories as a nonprofit

Part 2 - 12 Key Moments When You Should Ask for Stories

Part 3 - How to use GoodSeeker stories Optimize Google Ad Grants

Part 4 - How to find nonprofit storyteller ideas from your nonprofit CRM

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MEET GOODSEEKER:

Our story software makes it extremely fast and easy to collect, manage, and share impact stories for volunteer recruiting, fundraising, and more. Easily encourage donations and improve your SEO to grow your organization.