--- title: "Monday Buzz: The Fundraising Potential of Social Storytelling" id: "29655" type: "post" slug: "monday-buzz-the-fundraising-potential-of-social-storytelling" published_at: "2015-08-03T21:01:23+00:00" modified_at: "2015-08-03T21:01:23+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/08/03/monday-buzz-the-fundraising-potential-of-social-storytelling/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/08/03/monday-buzz-the-fundraising-potential-of-social-storytelling.md" excerpt: "A nonprofit communications expert explains why fundraising provides another opportunity for storytelling. Plus: Why you should consider improving your handwriting." taxonomy_category: - "Fundraising" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Fundraising" - "Membership" - "Social Media" - "storytelling" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Monday Buzz: The Fundraising Potential of Social Storytelling There are many ways associations can tell compelling stories. [Sometimes stories are told through a rebranding initiative](http://associationsnow.com/2015/07/how-associations-are-telling-their-stories/) and [sometimes through data](http://associationsnow.com/2015/06/wednesday-buzz-data-storytelling/) . As Network for Good Communications and Content Vice President Caryn Stein [points out in a blog post (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com/site/what_your_social_fundraising_campaign_is_missing) , your organization’s social fundraising campaigns can also be turned into storytelling vehicles to convey your message directly to audiences. “A generic copy and paste doesn’t begin to realize the full potential of a social fundraising campaign powered by testimonials, personal experiences, and emotion of individual fundraisers,” Stein writes. And how can your organization harness the storytelling might of those individuals? Stein recommends looking within and extracting the narratives that are just waiting to be told. “To get the ball rolling, ask a few of your staff, volunteers, or beneficiaries to share their stories in writing, photos, or video to stoke the emotions that will draw out the passion in your donors-turned-fundraisers. Connect them to why they gave in the first place,” she says. ### Infographic of the Day When it comes to allocating your digital marketing dollars, should you turn to email or social media? [Reachmail (opens in a new tab)](http://www.reachmail.net/) has a handy new infographic that breaks down the state of both platforms, [which you can explore via SocialTimes (opens in a new tab)](http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/email-vs-social-media-marketing-which-is-better-infographic/624286) . ### Other Good Reads **14 million:** That’s the number of devices already running Windows 10, [according to Microsoft’s post-launch announcement (opens in a new tab)](http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/07/30/windows-10-the-first-24-hours/) . **Toss that keyboard aside and pick up a pen and paper!** [As Lifehacker contributor Andy Orin points out (opens in a new tab)](http://lifehacker.com/bring-back-handwriting-1721228393) , even a little bit of penmanship can spark creativity and help you retain information. **Congress may have a penchant for getting stuck in gridlock,** but [these six tips from CQ Roll Call‘s Connectivity contributor Diana Manos (opens in a new tab)](http://connectivity.cqrollcall.com/6-ways-effective-advocacy-when-congress-gridlock/) can help keep your organization’s advocacy efforts moving—even when Capitol Hill isn’t. (faithiecannoise/ThinkStock) [Morgan Little](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Morgan Little is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Tags: [#Fundraising](https://associationsnow.com/tag/fundraising/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#Social Media](https://associationsnow.com/tag/social-media/) [#storytelling](https://associationsnow.com/tag/storytelling/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [Video2025 Summit Award Recipient: Florida Association of Free and Charitable ClinicsOctober 3, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/10/03/2025-summit-award-recipient-florida-association-of-free-and-charitable-clinics/) - [Video2025 Summit Award Recipient: Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Los AngelesOctober 3, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/10/03/2025-summit-award-recipient-building-owners-and-managers-association-of-greater-los-angeles/) - [VideoA Donor First Look, “Unlocking Legacy: Estate Planning Essentials for Association ProfessionalsJanuary 7, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/01/07/a-donor-first-look-unlocking-legacy-estate-planning-essentials-for-association-professionals/) - [VideoWhy We Donate to ASAE Research FoundationNovember 30, 2023](https://associationsnow.com/2023/11/30/why-we-donate-to-asae-research-foundation/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2015%2F08%2F03%2Fmonday-buzz-the-fundraising-potential-of-social-storytelling%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !