Nothing plays a more effective role in your nonprofit fundraising quite like emotionally compelling storytelling.
Especially now.
Your nonprofit’s storytelling does it all. It delights, it inspires, it captures the imagination and, most importantly, great storytelling compels people to give.
Your storytelling — and nothing less — is behind donor engagement and donor loyalty. And it’s one of the primary focuses of Simple Development Systems.
Are your organization’s storytelling systems in place?
Or do you get hopelessly bogged down in the details…
- Not sure how to share your organization’s stories ethically…
- Wondering how often you need new stories and where the best place to find them is…
- Knowing that your stories lack emotion, but you feel funny writing “that way” or you don’t know where to start…
- Wondering if you can or should share stories of a confidential nature…
- Confused about how to bring your donor into the picture… Wondering how to get your board members, staff, and volunteers involved in the storytelling process… Stuck in the interviewing process, wondering what sorts of questions to ask…
- When you’re ready to take your storytelling to the next level, Nonprofit Storytelling Systems, from Basics & More fundraising is your answer.
In this online class you’ll discover:
- The brain science behind why storytelling works Fun, easy ways to get everyone, from your board to volunteers to program staff on board — and sharing effective stories Where to find your organization’s stories — and how to guarantee that your nonprofit always has a ready supply of available stories
- Who you should interview for your stories — and how to get them talking
- How to hook your reader right from the start
- How to repurpose your stories for everything from your grant proposals to social media to newsletters to events!
- How to use storytelling in social media and the role of pictures and video
- How to use storytelling in grantseeking
- How to keep your reader on the edge of their seat …and much, much more!
Benefits:
- Skill Enhancement: Elevate your storytelling skills, ensuring you’ll always stand out in a crowded digital space.
- Endless Inspiration: With tools to generate countless story ideas, you’ll always have fresh content to share.
- Donor Connection: Forge deeper bonds with your supporters by understanding what they need from you.
- Versatility: Whether it’s threads, digital narratives, or traditional tales, you’ll become a versatile storyteller ready for any platform.
With the Basics & More™ tested model of delivering your training in short chunks over a period of weeks, rather than a conference or one-off webinar, you’ll be able to focus on one module at a time. And, if you’ve ever felt overwhelmed at a conference, torn between two great sessions (or even three!) happening simultaneously, Basics & More’s learning system is for you. Everything in Basics & More™ is foundational and the lessons build upon one another. Plus, you’ll have lifetime access to everything you need, right when you need it.
Often imitated but never duplicated, our original four-week storytelling go-to, Nonprofit Storytelling Systems, has graduated successful alums such as Teach for America, Save the Children, The Salvation Army, Camp Boggy Creek, The American Red Cross, and thousands more.
Have you been stuck before, wondering what to do next? Never again.
Register now.
Never before offered…
Your Spring Campaign
$249
Your Spring Campaign Bundle! Your organization’s storytelling systems and spring campaign work hand in hand to give your nonprofit fundraising the power you need to pull through any crisis. Register for Nonprofit Storytelling and our comprehensive Direct Mail Masterclass | Basics & More at one low price.
Storytelling Class Only
$179
All participants in this course will have direct email access for questions about the course materials and how they apply to your nonprofit. Ask one question or one hundred questions… we’re here to help your organization succeed.
Once you register for Nonprofit Storytelling | Basics & More™ the materials are yours to keep, to reuse when you need a refresher, or to share with a new volunteer or staff member.
Syllabus
Here are the course modules you’ll be receiving for Nonprofit Storytelling | Basics & More:
Week One: A Recipe for Storytelling – March 4th
- The science behind storytelling and why it works
- How to get everyone, from your board to volunteers to program staff on board — and sharing effective stories
- Where to find your organization’s stories
Week Two: Making Your Case – March 11
- How to hook your reader from the first sentence
- It’s in the details: knowing which ones you need — and which ones you need to cut
- Knowing who your hero is (it’s not who you think)
- Worksheets & bonuses: Your Story Template
Week Three: Taking Your Stories Multichannel – March 18
- How to use storytelling in social media and the role of pictures and video
- Learn the importance of storytelling for grantseeking
- Storytelling for board members
- Storytelling for staff
- Capturing your donors stories
- Bonus: Storytelling for Board Members recorded webinar
Week Four: Advanced Storytelling Techniques – March 25
- How to keep your reader on the edge of their seat
- Handling stories of a sensitive nature
- Creating a story portfolio and repurposing your stories for different media
- Even better? You can register as many individuals from your organization as you’d like. That way everyone, from your ED to your board members to program staff will be “on board,” learning about the importance of storytelling and how they can help make it happen!
Frequently Asked Questions
Basics & More™ fundraising fundamentals self-guided courses were created with your busy schedule (and budget!) in mind.
Basics & More™ classes were founded on the educational theory of “chunking,” which is the strategy of breaking down information into bite-sized pieces so the brain can more easily digest new information.
You’ll find that receiving your training in these short chunks helps you focus on each module–one at a time–and encourages you to take action. Result: you never get overwhelmed.
Additionally, these courses are designed to be followed in the order in which you receive them. Everything in Basics & More™ is foundational. The lessons build upon one another, and are FAR more powerful when executed in order.
I’ve been meticulous in structuring all my courses in such a way that everything is streamlined and sequential.
That means that you never get stuck wondering what to do next.
Your ONLY job is to begin with the end in mind, and then let ME guide you through the systematic workflow that gets you there. If you’re going to be on vacation, or you’ll be missing a week, you may want to set the course aside to tackle it at a later date.
When a bonus expert recorded webinar or podcast is included with your course materials, it’s meant to complement the class and be viewed with the module it was included with. Remember, too: you’ll always have lifetime access to your course materials. So if you’re unable to implement everything during the period of the course, you can always return to the modules (some of my students come up with questions months after a course has ended). And, of course, always feel free to reach out directly to me with any questions you might have.
Additionally, we do encourage you to self-register additional staff, volunteers, and board members — at no extra charge. It helps bring everyone together on the same page, learning how to fundraise the right way (smart, no?). Many of our organizations apply the courses as a group project: for instance, one individual is tasked with reading the module, another is assigned a webinar to view, and another is given a writing assignment. Any additions to this course should be in by the Friday before we start Week Two.
We keep your training costs down. Basics & More™ courses are delivered exclusively via email rather than via an expensive proprietary *e-learning* system. There is no website to access or login to. But you can’t receive what you’ve paid for if your IT department has set up firewalls that are preventing delivery of your course materials. Course materials are automatically generated. If you don’t see yours, check your spam filters. In some instances we will request an additional or personal email address to ensure that you receive your lessons.
It is recommended that, at the start of every Basics & More™ class, you create a folder on your desktop and save the PDF manuals to it. Emails are easy to delete and that way you’ll always have a copy of your course materials. Some B&M students like to print out the modules and save them in binders for later referencing.
Q. Who is this for?
This class is for anyone working in the nonprofit sector looking to ramp up their storytelling skills. Fundraising staff, executive directors, board members, and consultants to nonprofits will all benefit from Nonprofit Storytelling Systems.
Q. When will you receive your class materials?
Typically you’ll receive course materials on Monday morning at 10 am EST. When an American federal holiday falls on a Monday, your materials will be delivered on Tuesday morning. During a particularly heavy content week, we may send out an additional training mid-week. Materials are nearly always delivered by 10:15 am EST.
Q. How long will I have access to the material?
You have access to the recordings for life.
Q. Is there a guarantee?
Yes there is. Every Basics & More class comes with a 100% money back guarantee.