I help missionaries, leaders, and organizations tell powerful and effective stories that inspire action.
Adjust Your Flaps 🛫Â
I have this great memory of my dad, sitting next to me on my first-ever flight, pointing out the window and explaining what the flaps on airplanes do.
Flaps down creates lift, reducing distance and speed needed for takeoff. Flaps flat let air flow over and under the wing for efficient flight. Flaps up create drag, reducing the distance needed to stop after landing.
Watching the flaps on airplanes still fascinates me. I took these (and many more) pictures earlier this week.
Watching the flaps this week got me thinking about our nonprofit storytelling. Too often, stories are told without regard to where potential donors are in their journey, or specific ways the story might serve our mission.
“Aren’t we simply trying to get donations?”
That’s only part of it.
Our stories have the power to move supporters along on a journey: introducing them to a problem, dispelling myths, offering hope, introducing them to our organization, showing them how we solve the problem, building trust, and inviting them to take action.
At any point in time, you'll have people at different stages along these five levels of awareness:
- Unaware - They don't even know there is a problem.
- Problem Aware - They know about the problem, but not about solutions.
- Solution Aware - They know about solutions, but not so much about your organization or the work you do.
- Brand Aware - They know about you! But they aren't convinced you are the right fit for them.
- Most Aware - They get it! They know about the problem, what you do to solve the problem, they know, like, and trust you, and they're ready to join you (just waiting for you to ask).
It’s important to think about the donor’s journey, and where they are in it, when crafting our stories. We must also consider our organization's goals (increase monthly donations, bust a myth around the problem we solve, attract volunteers, etc.) and position ourselves and the story accordingly.
Adjust your flaps–address potential donors according to the stage of awareness they're in.
Do this, and donors will be more informed, engaged, and ready to respond when it’s time to ask for their support.
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Kay Helm
I help missionaries and organizations tell powerful and effective stories that inspire action.
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​KayHelm.com​
​Mission Writers​
​Life and Mission Podcast​
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P.S. Hear more on the podcast: Life & Mission Episode 74 - Adjust Your Messaging to Fit Your Donor's Journey​
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Kay Helm
I help missionaries, leaders, and organizations tell powerful and effective stories that inspire action.
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