Marketing

What Would it Mean for You to Win?

In the Food Network show Chopped, chefs compete to cook the best dish based on a basket of mystery ingredients. Just before contestants present their first dish to the judges, they must answer the question:
What would it mean for you to win?
The winner gets $10,000, but winning Chopped means so much more than money. This is the story element of the show.
Each chef is playing for something personal to them. Some play in hopes of winning seed money for a new venture. Some play to prove…

two woman sitting near table using Samsung laptop

Asking for Advice (and why you should do it)

Do you feel alone in your fundraising work?
A lot of us do.
And, in our isolation, we somehow convince ourselves that people will think less of us if we ask for help. Or we don’t want to “bother” anyone. Or, we think people are too busy.
As you craft your essential stories, case document, and…

yellow and black f 1 car on road during daytime

A Storytelling Lesson from Formula 1 🏎️

You may have noticed that sport is not the only business of sports. There is always inherent drama in a good sports matchup, but not everybody is into the game itself.
Who are these people? What in the world are they doing? And why? Why would I watch something I don’t understand?
Formula 1…

woman sitting, thinking, looking at her journal

Dare to make a sound

There’s an old philosophical question, ”When a tree falls in the forest, and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
Last week, I received an email from a longtime friend, asking for help with a medical issue for a young man halfway around the world. A small group banded together…

Cadillac Ranch on Route 66

Two things you need to spark creativity

There was a kid in my fifth-grade class who could draw anything. He made a business of it, too. You could ask him to draw something (usually one of our favorite cartoon or comic characters) and a couple of days later, you’d have a perfect (if not original) work of art handed to you at recess.
I…

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What to do when the stories aren’t pretty…

Ah, the transformation story! Someone was hurting. Things were all wrong. Then your donors stepped up and your organization was able to do life-changing work. Those stories are powerful and effective, and we love to tell them!
But you and I know it’s not always that clear.
What if you don’t know…

a person writing on a piece of paper with a pen

How to create a simple story about anything.

People are often surprised when I tell them storytelling is a skill they can learn.
I’ve been writing and telling stories for years, but I’m still spending this week at a retreat, learning more about this craft of writing and telling stories. There is always more to learn. Thankfully, it doesn’t…

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