Nothing kicks up the power of a fundraising appeal quite like a great story. A story has the power to emotionally connect with your audience and illustrate impact in action. It naturally builds a strong case for support in the process. And one of the best ways to grow your skills as a writer and a storyteller is to look at fundraising story examples and learn from them.
One of the fundraising stories that I’ve written that is a personal favorite of mine is an email I wrote for the YMCA of Greater Toronto for their Sprott House campaign during Pride Month. The voice of the story is part of what makes this story so powerful. It’s a personal story taken from the director of YMCA Sprott House and his lived experience.
Let’s take a closer look at this email appeal and why it’s a really powerful fundraising story example. I’ll also be sharing my story structure that I teach my clients and students inside The Storytelling Non-Profit Master Class.
5 Elements of a Great Fundraising Story
To help you see why this fundraising story example is so powerful, I’m going to break it down along side the storytelling structure I work with in fundraising appeals. The structure is 5 parts: connection, character, conflict, resolution, and call to action. This structure helps take a story from a series of facts to something that connects with an audience and invites them to take action.
1. Connection
Connection is the first part of the non-profit storytelling structure. Connection is all about that initial moment of the story where we draw in the reader or viewer. You have to immediately make a connection with them, be it through values, through emotions, through a really small vignette or a life moment that captures their attention.
Being authentic in your fundraising story is really important because it helps your organization increase it’s trust with your audience. Providing raw and powerful emotion helps make stories so compelling. Here is an example taken from my email and the reason this story was so powerful and why I was so excited to write this story.
“At 15 I was a queer youth experiencing homelessness in Toronto. Today, I’m the Director of YMCA Sprott House helping 2SLGBTQ+ youth transition from homelessness to independent living and stable housing.
I spent years precariously housed and struggling to cope. I’ve lived the shelter experience that many of our residents have had prior to coming to YMCA Sprott House. I’ve experienced the fear and anxiety that comes with having to sleep outside, worrying about my physical safety and whether my belongings will be okay if I close my eyes. I know the difference secure housing like we provide at Sprott House can make, and that’s why I’m asking you to support our community now.”
2. Character
Once you’ve established a connection, next you’re going to introduce a character. You might do this a bit in the connection portion of the story, but in the next part you’ll want bring the character to life on the page.
Who is this person or this object that you’re telling this story about? Allow people to get to know some of those details that make that story really memorable. Using vivid and gripping language is one way to make a fundraising story come alive.
In the fundraising story example from the YMCA Sprott House, the “character” of the story is their housing director who was once a queer youth experiencing homelessness in Toronto. His first hand, lived experience with the folks that he’s now helping find stable housing and live independent lives in Toronto is a huge part of what makes him compelling as a storyteller.
3. Conflict
Next, the conflict of your story unfolds. Conflict is also very important in a fundraising story because it shows donors some kind of need that they can fill through their donation. Think of conflict as a problem that somebody can solve when they make a donation.
Conflict is especially essential to fundraising stories, but unfortunately it’s something a lot of fundraising stories miss. Make sure you don’t skip over this. Unpack the problem, talk about it from different angles and help people see why the problem is such a problem.
In the example from YMCA Sprott House, there are two levels of conflict. There is the conflict that our character experienced as a youth, and there is the conflict the youth of today are dealing that he’s now trying to help them through. Here’s an example:
“I spent years precariously housed and struggling to cope. I’ve lived the shelter experience that many of our residents have had prior to coming to YMCA Sprott House. I’ve experienced the fear and anxiety that comes with having to sleep outside, worrying about my physical safety and whether my belongings will be okay if I close my eyes. I know the difference secure housing like we provide at Sprott House can make, and that’s why I’m asking you to support our community now.”
4. Resolution
Once you’ve established the stakes and conflict of your story, you’re going to demonstrate how your organization and its donors are able to resolve this conflict together. This is where the director of the YMCA weaves everything together and the resolution is the kind of housing that they provide at the YMCA Greater Toronto. Here’s an example:
“In the last year, we’ve helped 42 teens and young adults who came through our doors. Each of these people has experienced the life-changing power of a safe place to sleep. Having stable housing that becomes a home helps them heal from whatever they’ve gone through leading up to their time at YMCA Sprott House. And as they heal, they start to imagine and look forward to a better future.”
Your story’s resolution will show how a combination of creative programming or services plus philanthropy makes outcomes like this possible.
5. Call to action
And finally, you’re going to include a call to action to ask donors to join this story, to participate, and to make that donation. A strong and clear call to action in your story is essential. Just because you’ve told a story doesn’t mean that donors will intuit that donating is the next step.
Here’s an example from the YMCA email:
“With your support, we’ll be able to provide residents with essentials they need like personal hygiene kits, transit fares, and life skills training. Make your donation today to help 25 residents at Sprott House this summer.”
Fundraising Story Examples: YMCA of Greater Toronto
To have a better look at the full email, I have included a copy of the YMCA of Greater Toronto email campaign below. Please note the images side-by-side are one email.
Over the years, I’ve conducted in-depth analyses of various non-profit storytelling case studies, conducted interviews with organizations, and curated a wealth of information and examples that highlight the power of storytelling in driving impact.
Need examples of non-profit storytelling in action? Check out this list of 20+ non-profit stories that raise money. These stories not only inspire but also provide valuable lessons on how storytelling can be an important tool for driving social change and achieving your non-profit goals.
If you’re looking to enhance your storytelling work, we can help. Visit our consulting services page to learn how we can support your campaign initiatives. Book a FREE 30 min consultation call here.
