The 5 best types of stories to share on digital channels (website, email, social media) during your next fundraising campaign

1. 5 TYPES OF
STORIES TO SHARE
ON SOCIAL MEDIA
STORYTELLING SUMMER SCHOOL
WITH JULIA CAMPBELL
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

3. WELCOME STUDENTS!
What is Storytelling Summer School?
• 6 weekly Facebook Live videos with actionable ways to use storytelling to raise
awareness and funds for your nonprofit;
• Freebie downloads, checklists, planners, and more;
• Invitation to the Private Facebook community, where you can exchange ideas with
other nonprofit professionals and ask for my personalized advice.
Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school

4. LESSON PLANS
• Week 1: 5 types of stories to collect and to share on your digital channels
(website, email, social media) during your next fundraising campaign
• Week 2: How to craft stories that will take your community from passive to PASSIONATE
• Week 3: Solutions to the 6 biggest digital storytelling challenges faced by nonprofits
• Week 4: 10 specific ways to use digital storytelling in your next fundraising campaign
• Week 5: How to fill in a Digital Storytelling Calendar to stay on track and never run out of
ideas
• Week 6: Battle-tested tools to rock your digital storytelling
Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school

5. STORYTELLING
SUMMER SCHOOL IS
SPONSORED BY
Storytelling in the Digital Age:A
Guide for Nonprofits
Now available on Amazon!
More info: http://amzn.to/2vF5RPF
Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school

6. WHAT WE WILL COVERTODAY
• The 5 best types of stories to share on digital channels (website, email, social media)
during your next fundraising campaign
• Client story
• Staff story
• Volunteer story
• Donor story
• Community story
• Examples from different nonprofits using these stories in their digital storytelling
campaigns
Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school

7. GET THE STORYTELLING COLLECTION
WORKSHEET
• Storytelling Summer School students – keep an eye out in your email as you should have
received it, and it has also been uploaded to the Facebook Group in Files.
• You can also download it by going here: http://jcsocialmarketing.com/storyworksheet/
Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school

8. WHY 5 TYPES OF STORIES?
• Modern fundraising campaigns have multiple touchpoints, especially in the online space.
• You need to collect multiple stories to share during your next fundraising campaign.
• Telling several different types of stories about your work, staff, volunteers, community,
and beneficiaries will address any knowledge gaps between the organization and the
supporter.
Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school

9. Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school

10. LIST OUT THE 5TYPES OF STORIES.
• In my experience, there are 5 very compelling types of stories that all nonprofits have to
share to explain their work and its impact:
1) Client story
2) Staff story
3) Volunteer story
4) Donor story
5) Community story
Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school

11. #1 – CLIENT STORY
• This type of story is not actually about your nonprofit at all!
• They are about lives that have changed and the ways in which the world or community
have been improved.
• Can feature data points (“We served 1500 meals to hungry families this year”) but are
not data-driven.
• Focus should be on the impact of your organization, not on the program or service you
provide. Benefits not features!
Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school

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15. #2 – STAFF STORY
• Even if you only have one part-time staff member, they have a fantastic story to share.
• A common riff on the Staff Story is to share the personal journey of the founder or
founders of the nonprofit:What need did they see in the community?What struggles did
they endure?Why did they do it?
• Choose the staff member wisely – they must be enthusiastic and willing to share their
story publicly, with gusto!
Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school

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20. #3 –VOLUNTEER STORY
• If you are like most nonprofits, your volunteers are the heart and soul of your
organization.
• You can pull a greatVolunteer Story from the person who comes and licks envelopes for
your annual appeal, to the president of your Board.
• The key with a greatVolunteer Story is the passion and excitement that the person
brings to their role and to the organization.
Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school

24. #4 – DONOR STORY
• I’m sure your donors want to know that you value them for their contributions.
• They also want to hear from you during other times of the year – not just when you
want money.
• Your donors are low-hanging storytelling fruit.They know you and like you enough to
give you their money!
• Donors, especially directors of large foundations and major gift donors, like to hear from
other people that run in the same circles. Having another donor vouch for you is a very
powerful form of social capital.
Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school

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28. #5 – COMMUNITY STORY
• You may not have a well-known celebrity touting your cause, but well-known community
members can work just as well.Think of the major, state senator, chief of police, local
news anchor.
• The key is “social proof” – getting a story from someone that people in your community
know and trust.
• Another good resource for Community Stories are your partners – other organizations
that you work with to provide programs and services.You can’t do it alone, so why not
ask others to vouch for your great work, and you can do that for them in return?
Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school

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32. HOMEWORK
• Commit in the next 48 hours to making a list of 5 stories that you can collect and craft
to share during the storytelling campaign.
• In addition to that list, think of 5 people that you can speak to that may be willing to
share their story. NOTE: All 5 can be from one category, or 2 can be from one category
– do not think that you have to have an even representation from all categories.
• Fill out the Storytelling CollectionWorksheet – get it here:
http://www.jcsocialmarketing.com/storyworksheet
Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school

33. LESSON PLANS
 Week 1: 5 types of stories to collect and to share on your digital channels (website, email,
social media) during your next fundraising campaign
• Week 2: How to craft stories that will take your community from passive to
PASSIONATE
• Week 3: Solutions to the 6 biggest digital storytelling challenges faced by nonprofits
• Week 4: 10 specific ways to use digital storytelling in your next fundraising campaign
• Week 5: How to fill in a Digital Storytelling Calendar to stay on track and never run out of
ideas
• Week 6: Battle-tested tools to rock your digital storytelling
Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school

34. STORYTELLING
SUMMER SCHOOL IS
SPONSORED BY
Storytelling in the Digital Age:A
Guide for Nonprofits
Now available on Amazon!
More info: http://amzn.to/2vF5RPF
Sign up for Storytelling Summer School: www.jcsocialmarketing.com/school