{"id":937,"date":"2022-08-08T09:51:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-08T09:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/blog\/story-arc-for-fundraising\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T22:43:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T22:43:06","slug":"story-arc-for-donor-nurture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-ca\/blog\/story-arc-for-donor-nurture\/","title":{"rendered":"Create your own story arc for fundraising conversations"},"content":{"rendered":"

A guest post by Kel Haney, Senior Consultant at Donorly. Kel introduces her method for shifting fundraising conversations from transactional moments to relationship opportunities. Use this advice to create a story arc to make your fundraising conversations run smoothly – without using a script!<\/p>\n

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For the past 17 years, I\u2019ve been engaging in fundraising conversations with potential donors on behalf of non-profit organisations. Through coaching, training, and mentoring, I\u2019ve shared my methodology with hundreds of individuals, usually artists and development teams. I\u2019m all about \u201ctaking the \u2018ick\u2019 out of the \u2018ask\u2019”<\/a>: I help individuals fundraise in a manner that feels authentic, honest, and even enjoyable. <\/p>\n

Before I jump in, I want to acknowledge that we all come to these conversations with our own history: memories of unsavoury fundraising asks (a canvasser stopping you on the street and not taking \u2018no\u2019 for an answer), cringe-worthy missteps (a fundraiser calling your personal phone and not knowing your giving history with the organisation), and our own psychological roadblocks connected to our personal relationship to money (an ingrained sense of shame around talking about finances). None of these challenges can be avoided \u2013 we need to acknowledge that they exist and use those experiences to forge ahead from a more open, patient, positive mindset.<\/p>\n

You might think the first logical step in preparing for a painless fundraising conversation is to create a script.<\/p>\n

I want to challenge you to think differently: In the spirit of reimagining how to fundraise, let me invite you to move away from scripted conversations.<\/span>
Why? Without a script, you’ll have more organic, authentic conversations with each potential donor.<\/p>\n

In order to get comfortable with the idea of working without a script, you\u2019ll need to understand the arc of a telefundraising phone call. I\u2019m a visual thinker, so I like to imagine four ‘poles’ holding up the ‘tent’ of the conversation. In this blog post, I\u2019ll explore these four Tent Poles and how you can use them as markers within your fundraising conversation:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    The Opening<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    The Main Event<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    The Ask<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    The Wrap-Up<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    My hope is that by having these four Tent Poles established as markers, you\u2019ll experience newfound freedom in your fundraising conversations. Around the Tent Poles, feel free to go with the natural flow of the conversation. Ideally, because you know that you can always return to your Tent Poles, you\u2019ll be more comfortable and more authentic in your fundraising conversations. If you and a potential donor end up on an unexpected tangent, that\u2019s something to be embraced – you\u2019re likely to learn something interesting about each other, feel more comfortable with the conversation, and genuinely enjoy the interaction!<\/p>\n

    You can always get back on track with the next Tent Pole whenever the conversation has a natural lull or segue.<\/p>\n

     <\/h3>\n

    The Opening – Establish rapport with your potential donor<\/h3>\n

    This is the most important part of conversation, in which you will establish rapport with the potential donor. In person or via a video call, I suggest taking approximately 20% of your allotted time together (around 7 minutes for a 30 minute Zoom call or 20 minutes of a 90 minute lunch date) just to ease into the conversation. The goal is to connect with your potential donor from an authentic, genuine place and for you BOTH to get more comfortable with one another.<\/p>\n

    If you and this potential donor are new to each other, do some research to give the relationship the strongest start possible. When doing this research, I like to find a few things that aren\u2019t directly connected with the non-profit we\u2019re going to be discussing. Some curated \u2018ice breaker\u2019 topics are a great way for you to build rapport and trust with your potential donor, in addition to helping you assess how to enter into the fundraising conversation with them.<\/p>\n

    Do you have any colleagues or friends in common with this person? If you feel that your relationship with your shared friend\/colleague is strong enough, reach out to them: ask if they can think of anything you and the potential donor have in common, share any background that feels applicable, or give you a heads-up about the potential donor (knowing something simple such as whether they are more introverted or extroverted may affect how you go into the conversation). If you don\u2019t immediately know of a mutual acquaintance, explore social media and see if that avenue uncovers anyone you both know.<\/p>\n

    Even if you do have a shared connection with the potential donor, taking some time to research them on the internet is still a great idea: if they happen to have a strong social media presence, you are in luck! Explore any shared connections (you both have rescue dogs or you both love to cook), or interests that you\u2019re curious to learn more about (they like to hike in nature and you\u2019ve been thinking about picking up that hobby, too).<\/p>\n

    When researching a potential donor, I also suggest that you stay on the look-out for something they\u2019ve accomplished that lets you ‘be a fan’ of them or their work. I always love being able to lead with sincere enthusiasm. For instance, the potential donor may have been a guest on a podcast and you really resonated with how candidly they spoke about their recent career shift. Remember, we always want to lead with authenticity, so only mention something you admire about the potential donor if it\u2019s truly how you feel.<\/p>\n

    If you are engaging with the potential donor via a phone call<\/span> (especially if the call is out of the blue): I encourage you to immediately establish who you are, your connection to the charity, the potential donor\u2019s connection to the charity, and the reason for the call. Maybe that reason is to provide an update on the organisation’s progress with a campaign or to encourage the potential donor to attend an upcoming event. Although I don\u2019t recommend fully scripting conversations, I do find it helpful to plan out your opening to encourage a strong start. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n

    \u201cHi Angela! This is Cheryl Jones, and I\u2019m on staff at Steadfast Theatre Company. I\u2019m touching base because I think you saw our production of ‘Into the Woods’. We\u2019re conducting a fundraising campaign right now and I know you\u2019ve been involved with our work in the past (thank you for that donation back in December – your support means a lot to us). We wanted to give you an update on what\u2019s going on right now and hopefully get your more involved. But, first and foremost, I\u2019m so curious to know how you heard about Steadfast Theatre Company in the first place?”<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The Main Event – Strengthen your donor’s connection to your organisation<\/h3>\n

    This Tent Pole strengthens the potential donor’s connection to your charity by inviting them \u2018in\u2019 to what\u2019s happening at the organisation. Share a few talking points connected to your organisation\u2019s current goings-on, and see which particular updates are resonating most with the potential donor. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n