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 and sometimes through data. As Network for Good Communications and Content Vice President Caryn Stein points out in a blog post  (opens in a new tab), 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) has a handy new infographic that breaks down the state of both platforms, which you can explore via SocialTimes  (opens in a new tab).

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).

Toss that keyboard aside and pick up a pen and paper! As Lifehacker contributor Andy Orin points out  (opens in a new tab), 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) can help keep your organization’s advocacy efforts moving—even when Capitol Hill isn’t.

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