[NPFX Ep. 39] When Your Nonprofit's Case for Support Just Isn't Working (with Shereese Floyd & Josh Gryniewicz)
Welcome to The Nonprofit Fundraising Exchange, a podcast from IPM Advancement. Our mission is to empower nonprofits to succeed so they can make the world a better place.
Today’s topic: When Your Nonprofit's Case for Support Just Isn't Working
A nonprofit's case for support answers a critical question for donors: "Why should I give your nonprofit my money?" In today's podcast episode, our panel examines how to tell the right story in the right way to transform your case for support, better engage donors, and get them to invest generously in your work and your mission.
Time-Stamped Episode Shortcuts:
- Why making a strong case for support is so critical [2:56]
- Using logic and emotion, and the best way to get people to remember important statistics [4:46]
- The number one mistake nonprofits make in their case for support [7:55]
- The 5 components of a strong story [10:22]
- An example of using a story to give data and facts more impact [12:52]
- Featuring fully realized humans, not stand-ins for an issue or problem [18:44]
- Examples of common nonprofit stories that don't work anymore [20:33]
- The importance of consent when telling someone's story [25:06]
- Letting clients tell their own stories, and how QR codes can help [26:29]
- How coaching can help storytellers avoid mistakes [29:50]
Special Offer: Free 30-minute consultation for NPFX listeners
Additional Resources:
- [NPFX] The Future of Storytelling for Nonprofit Donor Engagement
- Make the Donor the Hero of Your Fundraising Story
- [NPFX] 12 Mistakes Nonprofits Make in Their Fundraising Copywriting, Part 2
- How Nonprofits Succeed by Focusing on Others, Part 2: Emphasize Donor Impact
- What Should I Write About in My Next Fundraising Appeal?
- IPM's free Nonprofit Resource Library
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Guests
Shereese Floyd, CEO of Witness My Life, is an award-winning storytelling and communications professional dedicated to helping organizations increase influence and revenue with story-based marketing. Her emotional branding style has generated over $2M in direct campaigns. With over twenty years in nonprofit marketing, her expertise spans development, branding, women's leadership, and public relations. Shereese is an advocate for social change and believes story is the one thing that truly brings the world together.
Josh Gryniewicz, founder of Odd Duck, a storytelling for social change consultancy, has spent his career in nonprofit, initially as a crisis counselor and later in external relations. For over a decade, he has worked in public interest communication. As a creative, Josh has applied his craft to writing, spoken word, filmmaking, comic books, and other media. His nonfiction has been published in PopMatters, The Guardian, Huffington Post, and Medium.
Hosts
Rich Frazier has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 30 years. In his role as senior consultant with IPM Advancement, Rich offers extensive understanding and knowledge in major gifts program management, fund development, strategic planning, and board of directors development.
Russ Phaneuf, a co-founder of IPM Advancement, has a background in higher education development, with positions at the University of Hartford, Northern Arizona University, and Thunderbird School of Global Management. As IPM's managing director & chief strategist, Russ serves as lead fundraising strategist, award-winning content creator, and program analyst specializing in applied system dynamics.