During a recent discussion about mission-driven and fundraising communication, someone mentioned, “You can’t share a narrative without stats, and you can’t share stats without the narrative.” This statement is a helpful reminder. Nonprofits must strike a balance when communicating the quantifiable effect of their work and sharing the stories of success. For fundraising-related communication, both of these aspects appeal to different individuals.
Some donors are most inspired when they feel the human connection and hear the first-hand experience of those that are benefitting from a program or organization. For this group, the data is nice but doesn’t mean as much as a real story that shares experience and perspective.
Others approach giving from with a “Spock-like” viewpoint. The human emotion isn’t important; they want to ensure that their contribution is having a statistically relevant influence on the society around them. To them, the human stories are nice but aren’t the reason to give – as one individual’s experience is less pertinent than the broader reach and effects.
These two examples are endpoints. Most supporters are somewhere between them when assessing motivation for giving. Balancing narrative and data ensures that you’re reaching all of your audience. Sharing data that is definable and relevant to your work builds transparency and trust. And sharing stories reinforces to your audience that you are connected to the experience of those benefitting from your work.
Photo by Austin Neill on Unsplash
Justin (he, him) is a Principal and Co-Founder of Social Change Consulting. He has over fifteen years of nonprofit experience, with expertise in online fundraising, digital communications, and data management. Justin helps organizations connect their communication strategy to their income development needs. When he’s not on the clock, Justin is exploring Berlin, running, listening to too many podcasts, and drinking too much coffee.