The Power of Storytelling in NGO Fundraising
Fundraising is an essential part of any NGO’s work towards a social cause, for that in this utilitarian world money is what pays for the efforts and materials needed to get work done. A fundraising campaign will not gain traction unless people are made aware of its cause and impact. A narrative discourse is needed to be disseminated to not only make the masses aware about a movement but to also convince them to take part in it.
Targetting the Right Audience
One of the ways storytelling is utilised is by making a fictitious narrative that features a “call-to-action” towards a cause, a narrative which would resonate with an audience’s morals and emotions to compel them towards monetary donation. The animal welfare organisation PETA is famous for this creative and captivating campaigns that especially cater towards the morals of vegans and pacifists, and feature witty and persuasive metaphors in their media. Establishing a niche may help garner a loyal, supportive audience; otherwise catering to the humour of a wide, general audience will help gain mass popularity (higher the reception, higher the chance of donation). Closer to home is Resq Charitable Trust in Pune who publish a monthly newsletter that tells about the struggles of injured, trapped, or lost animals who have been rescued and rehabilitated by the trust’s efforts and how these innocent animals have benefitted from the trust’s donors.
Utilizing Anecdotes for Impact
From Nepal, social activist Charimaya Tamang’s NGO Shakti Samuha has been popularised due an investigative uncovering of how she was rescued by actor Sunil Shetty ten years ago. Such anecdotes serve as great storytelling opportunities to attract the sentiments of the masses which in turn leads to more potential in monetary aid.
Actively Leveraging Storytelling and Media
Social media is a fertile space to show your mission in a booming narrative voice that garners attention. Other methods may include tying up with film studios to create movies or showreels about your cause. A direct approach for monetary aid is likely to be met with a negative response and an accusation of “begging”. Therefore, it is best to leverage storytelling methods to let the public know about the good work you are doing. An NGO needs to actively work towards telling a story that connects peoples and messages otherwise the efforts of the organisation are lost on deaf ears. Stories make things interesting, it makes things personal and intimate. It makes people feel that there is something to lose if they do not participate in change.
Keywords: Fundraising, NGO, social cause, storytelling, monetary donation, audience engagement, social media, Resq Charitable Trust, Shakti Samuha, PETA.
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