How to tell your fundraising story well

Every nonprofit has a story. But to make it memorable, you need more than facts and dates.

What feels powerful to you may not strike the same chord with your audience. A great fundraising story has to connect with people where they are, not just where you are.

Without good storytelling, your mission can sound like just another voice in the crowd—something you don’t want.

In this article, we’ll break down how to tell your fundraising story in a way that inspires trust, stirs emotion, and moves people to act.

Start with honesty

The first step is simple: be honest. Donors can spot a made-up or exaggerated story from a mile away. If your story doesn’t feel real, they won’t trust you—and trust is the foundation of giving.

You might be wondering: What if my story isn’t interesting enough? What if it doesn’t sound dramatic? What if I don’t even have a story? The truth is, you do. Every nonprofit started somewhere.

Think about:

• How you began
• What motivated you about this cause
• What your plan is to make an impact
• Why it matters to your audience
• How your audience support can make a difference

It doesn’t have to be flashy. Simple, honest stories often connect the most. Donors want to see the real you.

For example, GiveDirectly is a nonprofit that gives cash directly to people in poverty.

They don’t pretend they know everything. They publish evaluations that sometimes show mixed or weak results, and they share openly when outcomes aren’t as strong as hoped.

By doing that, they show donors: “We’re trying. We don’t have perfect answers. But we will learn, adjust, and keep working hard.”

Make your donor the hero

Every story has a hero. In fundraising, that hero isn’t your nonprofit, it’s your donor. Your role is to step back and shine the light on them.

Show them that they’re not just supporting the work, they’re driving it. They’re the reason a child gets fed, a family finds housing, or a patient receives care. Without them, the story is incomplete and doesn’t move forward.

When donors feel like the main character (the one who makes change possible), they also feel important, worthy, and irreplaceable. And once they see themselves as the true driver of impact, they’ll want to keep showing up, again and again.

Create tension in your story

A good fundraising campaign shows what’s at stake. In other words, it describes what happens if the goal isn’t met. When donors feel the urgency, they act. For example, on a donation form, you could frame the choice like this:

• “Without your help, 20 families may go without shelter this winter.”
• “We’re only $10,000 away from keeping our after-school program open—without it, dozens of kids lose a safe place to learn.”

Make sure it doesn’t cross into guilt. Donors shut down when messages feel pushy or manipulative. Instead, invite them to be part of the solution.

Here are some tips for creating healthy tension in your year-end campaigns:

• Balance the problem with hope by giving donors a clear solution they can provide.
• Use numbers to make the urgency concrete, like “$5,000 short of funding 100 meals.”
• Connect the ask directly to impact, showing how lives or outcomes will change.
• Add time-bound urgency, such as reminding supporters of the December 31 deadline.

Don’t be salesy, but don’t forget to ask

One of the hardest parts of storytelling is knowing when (and how) to ask. Go too heavy, and your story feels like a sales pitch. Hold back too much, and people may never take action.

The key is balance. Share your story with heart, then invite your audience to be part of the solution. Donors expect you to ask, but they don’t want to feel pressured.

Watch for signs:

• Donation fatigue happens when you ask too often without showing results.
• Donor fatigue happens when people stop feeling connected or valued.

You can avoid both by keeping your asks genuine and showing impact clearly.

Share your story confidently with BetterWorld

Every nonprofit has a story worth telling. The key is to share it honestly, with heart, and in a way that connects to your audience’s hopes.

At BetterWorld, we make it easier for you to tell that story, reach the right people, and raise more for your cause. We have beautiful fundraising pages, built-in storytelling tools for videos and photos, donor engagement features like thank-you notes and progress tracking, and much more. Your mission deserves to be heard and supported.

Ready to take the next step? Request a demo today!