This is the first article of 3-part series. 

The world of fundraising is changing and with it, fundraisers’ skill sets need to change, too. For the last decade, most nonprofits received their funding through grants, major donors, galas and peer-to-peer events. However, the philanthropic landscape and rapidly changing behaviour of the new generation of donors require us to revisit the fundraising strategies. As a result, fundraisers have to update and re-define their career and job roles to organize and run efficient fundraising campaigns in the new decade. 

So what has changed in the philanthropic landscape that is transforming the job roles and careers? Firstly, the novelty and appeal of peer-to-peer fundraising is washing off. According to Nonprofit Pro’s study on Peer-to-Peer Fundraising, nearly 65 percent of nonprofits said fewer than 50 percent of their event participants fundraise in 2018, much lower than in previous years. This downward trend is likely to continue. To grow revenue, nonprofits must adapt their strategies and focus on retention of donors who prefer to receive information, interact and engage with causes online. 

Secondly, we are drowning in more information than ever before, and the way we process that content has changed, too. Today, nonprofits need to make sure they can not only grab attention of the donors during in-person, live interaction but also compete for the donor’s attention in the digital space. It is noisy out there, full of friends and family, media and news, commercial brands, and other charitable organizations – there are lots of other voices that want to be heard. 

Here are some existing and next generation skills for professional fundraisers:

Traditional Fundraising Skillset	Next Generation Fundraising Skillset
Grant writing	Verbal and visual storytelling
Professional communication, appeals and messaging	Social media management, conversational communication
Interpersonal skills such as pitching and persuasion	Community building and engagement
Event planning and organization	Digital marketing (paid ads, content, virality)
Donor database research	Sponsor co-marketing relationships
Marketing skills such as direct mailing, emailing, donor list segmentation, creating printed marketing materials	Brand positioning and building
Leadership skills	Digital fundraising technology
Accounting and reporting	Donor retention

In this three-part blog series dedicated to The Fundraiser of the Future, we’ll dive into the details of building three fundamental skills for thriving in this new landscape: storytelling, digital marketing, fundraising technology. 

Part 1: Why storytelling is essential for becoming The Fundraiser of the Future

Adapting to the online world means communicating as clearly, transparently and compellingly as possible not with a small group of people but with large crowds.  And the most efficient way to make them listen is to tell your story. You may think “I am already an experienced communicator!” and you will be right. However, the key difference is the communication vehicle you take for online and in-person communication. 

When communicating with donors in-person, the main requirement is to present information in the clearest way with strong logic, backup data and effective pitch. This scenario has a huge advantage: you have an undivided attention of your audience and instant emotional feedback.  However, In online communication you lose this advantage so transferring your pitch into a storytelling format is the most efficient way to grab attention of people and engage them emotionally without seeing them in person. By becoming a good storyteller, you will dramatically increase your chances for successful fundraising projects. 

How to be memorable and to stand out from the crowd

Cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner suggests we are 22 times (!) more likely to remember a message when it is presented as a story. The psychological power of stories is immense. They engage the right side of our brain – the imaginative, experiential side of experience. A well-told narrative activates its reader’s sense of empathy so they feel like an active participant. 

The good news is that as a professional fundraiser, you already have an advantage when it comes to telling stories, because they’re already built into what you do. A story involves characters who overcome a challenge to find resolution in some way. That’s exactly what we’re doing when we set out to raise money for a cause we believe in. 

We’re trying to overcome the obstacle of not having something – usually financial resources, but it can also be awareness or support – to solve a problem, and we need our donors’ help to do it. We have the power to create a very engaging story that the audience can actually become a part of.

So how to find the stories in your nonprofit that people will memorize? Simply look at what your organization is already doing through the lens of story. 

• Who are the characters? 
• What’s the problem? 
• What resolution will they be able to achieve with your donors’ help? 

One important tip is to look at whoever you’re trying to help, rather than your organization itself, as the story’s hero. 

For example, a story about a talented, underprivileged teenager who was able to attend a special school is a lot more interesting than a story about the fundraisers who helped her get a scholarship. Telling stories about an animal in need that can be saved through donations is much more engaging than one story about an animal shelter trying to stay open for another year. 

The power of visual storytelling

We tend to think of stories as something that we read, but storytelling can be applied to all aspects of your fundraising. Make sure the images you choose illustrate the story, showing us the characters and their challenges. Video is an incredibly powerful storytelling tool that has immediate visual impact. 

Ensure all parts of your campaign communications – writing, images, design, and video – are as well-produced as you have the resources to make happen. Investing in good quality content is likely to pay off in better campaign outcomes. But don’t think you can’t tell a great fundraising story if you don’t have a fancy camera or professional copywriter. If the work you’re doing matters (and it does!) then people will connect with your story no matter what. 

How to start building your storytelling skills 

• Take time to think about your cause from the storytelling lenses as mentioned before. 
• Identify the heroes of your cause, problem and its resolution as well as obstacles to get there.
• Write stories of your past achievements and add visual proof. 
• Get inspiration from online resources dedicated to storytelling
• Start practicing it daily: post your stories in social media, in emails and share them in-person with donors. 
• Observe what type of stories spark emotions, make the donors feel connected to your cause and crave more stories from you. 

Next in this series, we’ll talk about the digital marketing and fundraising technology skills that will complement your amazing story and truly make you a well-rounded and next generation fundraiser. Stay tuned!

Mira Soullen is a Vice President of Marketing at enterprise-class crowdfunding platform FundRazr. Mira is an author of “Deconstructing Marketing and Metrics” masterclass for startups, as well as a marketing guest lecturer at Langara, BCIT and Global Startup School.