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You are here: Home / Collecting Non-Profit Stories / 7 Questions That Will Help You Tell a Giving Story
7 Questions That Will Help You Tell a Giving Story

Collecting Non-Profit Stories Featured Post

7 Questions That Will Help You Tell a Giving Story

After any fundraising campaign, your next task is engaging and retaining these donors for the next campaign and all those after. This includes donor communications and stewardship to connect donors to their impact. As you figure out what to say to donors during the post-giving phase of a campaign, sharing donors’ giving stories can be very powerful.

Stewardship is, of course, a great way to thank and appreciate donors. Through different kinds of stewardship content you can connect donors to the impact of their giving so their decision to give is reinforced. In addition to this, another way to engage donors is to invite them to share their giving story. Donor giving stories are incredible social proof that shows others (donors and non-donors alike) that people give to your cause. Giving stories are great to share in your donor newsletter, on social media, and even in future appeals.

Today I want to share with you some of the common questions that I ask donors when I’m interviewing them for a giving story.

Giving stories are great content for newsletters, social posts, and appeals

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  1. How did you first hear about our organization?
  2. What made you decide to give your first gift?
  3. Why do you enjoy giving to this organization?
  4. What is your favorite program/service/etc to donate to?
  5. What do you hope to accomplish through your philanthropy?
  6. If you were talking to someone else about giving to our organization, what would you tell them?
  7. What do you wish everyone knew about this cause?

Beyond donor giving stories, there are many ways to steward donors. Here’s my list of 21 ways to refresh your donor stewardship.

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. What questions would you ask a donor if you were interviewing them?

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About Vanessa Chase Lockshin

My name is Vanessa Chase Lockshin, and I want to empower you to tell your story. In my personal life, finding ways to tell my stories has been a transformational practice. In my fundraising life, I’ve helped hundreds of organizations tell their stories to engage and inspire their donors. To date, my work has helped non-profits raise over $10 million.

« How to Plan Your Non-Profit’s Stories for 2017
How New Directions Youth and Family Services Uses Stories in Their Donor Newsletter »

Comments

  1. Liz Eby says

    January 11, 2017 at 11:10 pm

    Hello Vanessa – I love this list of questions. I am always looking for ways to have stronger, more meaningful donor conversations.
    Sometimes I’ve found the right opportunity to ask a donor how being involved in the organization makes them feel. Responses can range across the board, but I am always surprised about how much I learn about a donor and their family through this question. Anything from “I feel great that my kids are learning so much about charity and giving to others’ to “this was my grandmother’s favorite charity and after she died, I was searching for a way to keep her memory alive”.

  2. Erica says

    January 14, 2017 at 12:41 am

    Hi, Vanessa, IN the last few years, we have included portraits of our donors in our electronic newsletter but this year we have decided to do a regular column……WE are lookihg for a the perfect column title…..Any ideas…something fun

Hi there!

My name is Vanessa Chase Lockshin and I've helped non-profits raise over $10 million by telling stories that engage and inspire donors. I'm the author of The Storytelling Non-Profit: A practical guide to telling stories that raise money and awareness, and the creator of immersive online training programs that have trained thousands of non-profit professionals. Read More…

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