Bloomerang’s Mission Retainable Report reveals that 24% of donors surveyed cite a lack of transparency as a reason for stopping their support. One donor in particular encourages nonprofits to “Keep communicating, even if it’s only a little at a time. I like to hear stories and updates.” Another explains that “When I see the faces of people impacted, it reinforces my decision to stay engaged.”

These nonprofit supporters aren’t outliers. Studies show that people remember stories up to 22 times more than facts alone, reinforcing the idea that storytelling keeps your cause top of mind. Additionally, it humanizes your nonprofit’s work and helps supporters form emotional connections to your mission, inspiring them to continue giving.

Stories make your cause tangible and memorable, but how do you find compelling stories in the first place? This guide will help you create a story mining strategy, enabling you to leverage this marketing and fundraising tactic to effectively showcase your mission and rally more support.

1. Identify potential storytellers.

Pinpoint different stakeholders who could bring their unique perspectives on your organization to light. Potential storytellers may include a mix of: 

• Beneficiaries. Traditionally, most nonprofit stories focus on beneficiaries to show how charitable organizations have helped them. Beneficiary stories are the most direct way to demonstrate how you’ve made a real impact on your community.
• Frontline staff. Program staff members see your beneficiaries transform little by little and work with them to make this change possible. They can speak to those small, daily moments of serving your community and interacting with beneficiaries that few people get to experience.
• Donors. Many donors have deeply personal reasons for supporting your mission. Whether they give in honor of a loved one, to support a core value, or because of a specific moment that inspired them, sharing these stories can reinforce the importance of contributing to your cause.
• Volunteers. Like staff members, volunteers often work hands-on with beneficiaries and get a behind-the-scenes look at your mission. Unlike staff, though, they don’t receive pay for their efforts. Find out what motivates them to devote some of their most valuable resources—their time and energy—to your nonprofit.
• Board members. Similarly, board members are often highly successful and busy individuals. Why do they use their time and resources to fuel your cause? The answer can inspire others to do the same.

The more perspectives you can incorporate, the better. You’ll not only get a well-rounded collection of stories, but you’ll also have narratives you can use to support different goals. For example, if you’re trying to secure new donors, you may use beneficiary stories to help them form an emotional connection to your cause, while it likely makes more sense to use a volunteer story in your volunteer recruitment materials.

2. Set up systems for story collection.

Instead of passively waiting for stakeholders to share their stories, you need to actively collect them. Implement systems that allow you to continuously gather stories from your community. Consider adding a story collection tool, like MemoryFox, to your tech stack to make this process seamless. Or, for a more DIY process, you may:

• Create an internal story channel. Allow staff, volunteers, and board members to easily share their own stories or story leads from beneficiaries they’ve interacted with. Depending on the tools your nonprofit uses, consider setting up a dedicated Slack channel, email address, or Google Form for collecting stories as they arise.
  
• Add story prompts to existing touchpoints. Encourage stakeholders to share their stories while you already have their attention. For example, within your volunteer shift sign-up form, you may include a field that asks volunteers what connects them to your mission. Then, you can store this information in your volunteer management software and reach out to them to learn more. Other touchpoints may include your donation thank you page, event follow-up surveys, and your newsletter.
  
• Schedule story-mining meetings. Hold monthly meetings with staff, volunteers, and board members in which your main objective is to probe for stories. Ask these internal stakeholders about people they’ve helped throughout the month.

You can also position story collection as a non-monetary ask that allows supporters to still contribute to your organization even if they can’t donate at this time. For example, Bloomerang Fundraising’s text-to-give platform guide explains that text-to-give tools provide a “direct and immediate channel for donor engagement,” so why not use them to collect stories as well? Try including the following in your next text-to-give campaign:

Not in a position to give, but still want to help us make an impact? Tell us the story of how you came to support our organization! Fill out the form linked below.

3. Train your team on elements of a narrative arc.

Once you start receiving stories, you’ll need to know how to identify the most compelling narratives that will stir emotion and drive action. Inform your team to look for the following elements in the stories they collect:

• Challenge. What was life like for this person before they engaged with your nonprofit? What challenge did they face that drove them to seek help or lend their support?
  
• Intervention. What happened during the time they engaged with your organization? What specific program, person, or resource did they connect with that made all the difference for them? What actions did they take to improve their own outcomes?
  
• Transformation. What’s different now after they engaged with your nonprofit? How has your organization changed them for the better? Is there anything they’re doing to make this transformation last?

Here’s what this might look like in practice:

• Challenge: Megan, a mother of two, had lost her job just ahead of the new school year, which prevented her from affording the new school supplies her kids needed.
  
• Intervention: Megan saw one of her friends’ posts online about her participation in a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign for Project Back to School, a nonprofit that collects funds to equip local students in need with supplies. From there, Megan researched the organization and found a form she could fill out to obtain the supplies her kids needed. Our staff member Linda contacted Megan and arranged a time for her to pick up the supplies.
  
• Transformation: During a stressful time, Megan was able to set her kids up for success with the help of Project Back to School. She has since found a new job and now volunteers for Project Back to School in her spare time to help other families get ready for the school year.

4. Structure interviews accordingly.

Sometimes, it can be challenging for people to revisit a difficult time or tap into their emotions on the spot. Ask respectful, open-ended questions to empower storytellers to tell their stories on their own terms. Avoid simple yes or no questions and instead opt for questions like:

• How has [nonprofit’s name] impacted your life?
• What have you learned by volunteering with [nonprofit’s name]?
• What inspired you to donate to [nonprofit’s name] in the first place?
• What’s the most rewarding part of working with [nonprofit’s name]?
• What makes [nonprofit’s name] stand out from other organizations?
• What kind of relationships have you built through [nonprofit’s name]?
• What advice would you give to someone interested in seeking help through [nonprofit’s name]?

In these interviews, active listening is key. With the interviewee’s consent, record the interview so you don’t have to worry about jotting everything down and can instead listen wholeheartedly. Listen for emotion, sensory details, and quotes you can use to build impactful stories.

5. Obtain explicit consent.

Ethical story collection requires obtaining explicit consent from your storytellers. Use a release form that explains how and where you’ll use participants’ stories to fully inform them about what they’re signing up for. For example, you may note that you’ll use their photo and quotes in social media posts, email appeals, and your annual report.

Additionally, allow storytellers to review their stories before you publish them to ensure you’re representing them accurately and sensitively. Instead of invoking pity, these stories should focus on strength and resilience and give beneficiaries agency as the heroes of their own stories.

6. Develop a story bank.

After collecting your stories, create a centralized story bank to easily retrieve them. This could be within MemoryFox, a virtual folder, spreadsheet, or feature within your CRM. Organize your story bank by tagging each story with the following elements:

• Source: beneficiary, staff member, donor, volunteer, board member
• Program: soup kitchen, mentoring program, professional development courses, etc.
• Theme: hope, resilience, community, etc.
• Media: full story, quotes only, video, photos
• Consent: full consent on file, internal use only, anonymous only

Once you create your story bank, standardize these tags across your team so everyone’s on the same page. For example, you may show examples of stories that align with different themes so everyone understands how to apply those tags appropriately.

Final Thoughts

To keep your storytelling fresh, make story mining an iterative process. That way, you can continuously collect new stories that fully represent your community and the positive impact you’ve made. Additionally, include an opt-out form on your website that allows storytellers to revoke their consent and update their status in your story bank as needed.