Storytelling has become a hot topic in non-profit fundraising. It went from something that you almost never heard about just a few years ago, to the topic of numerous books, websites and conferences today. There’s a reason for this change: storytelling is extremely important to good fundraising.

As fundraisers, we need to be carrying on a constant conversation with our donors. Sometimes this conversation happens in person or on the phone. Other times, we talk to our donors through newsletters, e-mails and snail mail letters. No matter how we carry on the conversation, a dialog like this without stories becomes stale and ultimately boring.

We need our donors emotionally involved and excited about our work… not bored. That’s why we need to incorporate stories into our fundraising work.