Questions to ask to advance the donor’s hero story
Socratic fundraising Socratic inquiry uses questions. But just asking questions isn’t enough. To be Socratic, the questions must guide toward…
More
Why Questions are Important to Advance the Donor’s Hero Story
“It’s very important not to know all the answers. Often we don’t know, and if we did it would be…
More
Why answering “no” to these four questions guarantees failure in your fundraising efforts
The right metrics Fundraising metrics can’t do everything. But they can answer four key questions:[1] Are we focused on the…
More
Dr. James explains what happens when fundraising metrics go bad
Fightin’ words Want to start a fight in a fundraising comment section? That’s easy. Start talking metrics. Opinions are often…
More
What Dr. James means when he recommends you harness the power of storytelling in major gifts fundraising
Monomyth steps The “one big thing” in fundraising is always the same: Advance the donor’s hero story. The universal hero…
More
Why public gratitude and admiration are key to the donor’s hero story
Monomyth ending The universal hero story (monomyth) ends with the hero’s return. The hero returns to his original world. The…
More
How gratitude completes the donor hero story
“In myths the hero is the one who conquers the dragon, not the one who is devoured by it.” –…
More
How blockbuster movies can help you make the perfect fundraising ask
Universal challenge Let’s go to the movies! And when we go, what will we see? If it’s a blockbuster, we’ll…
More
How Fundraisers Can Reconcile the Competition that Exists Between Your Donors’ & Administrators’ Hero Stories
Story conflict Advance the donor’s hero story. In major gifts fundraising, this works. It works for the donor. The donor…
More
Why fundraisers feel stuck in the middle between Administrators and Donors
Hero story In the universal hero story, a guiding sage helps the hero. The sage Challenges the hero to begin…
More
How to be an authentic guiding sage for your donors
The guiding sage The hero’s journey is a universal story. In that universal story, the guiding sage plays a powerful…
More
How major gifts fundraisers should introduce themselves to donors
The universal hero story is attractive. This “monomyth” is “hard-wired into our psyches.”[1] In the donor’s hero story, the donor’s…
More
Why fundraisers who position themselves as a counselor and guiding sage for donors raise more money
Things look bleak. Fundraisers don’t stay. They don’t stay at the nonprofit. They don’t stay in the industry. They are…
More
This is the #1 driver of fundraiser turnover
Good and bad stories Stories are powerful. They can provide meaning and motivation. They can be a source of personal…
More
Always Remember – What Matters Most Is the DONOR’s Hero Story, Not Yours
Philanthropy is powerful. It can do more for the donor than just consuming more stuff would do. It can provide…
More
Why you may need to reframe the donor’s hero story
Reframing the hero story The Hero is a high-ego character. It is at one extreme of the ego-social axis. For…
More
How to be the Obi-Wan Kenobi of Fundraisers to Guide Your Donor’s Hero Journey
The monomyth The hero is a fundamental human archetype. Jung describes an archetype as, “a spiritual goal toward which the…
More
Why fundraisers must understand the 6 common elements of every donor’s hero story
As fundraisers, what exactly do we have to offer donors? Their gift goes away. Even if we call it an…
More
How to make your fundraising ask more effective — according to research, not hearsay
Story review A story progresses through Backstory and setting These establish motivation from the main character’s original identity. The inciting…
More
How to help your donors score a victory and make an impact
What’s it about? An effective fundraising story isn’t just a good story. It must do something. It must lead to…
More
3 Big Reasons Why An ‘Ask’ Is Mostly About Your Donor’s Hero Story (Not Your Organization’s)
The narrative arc Story moves through a narrative arc. This includes: Backstory and setting These establish motivation from the main…
More
The 3 Key Elements of a Good Fundraising Story
What’s it about? Many stories can be good stories. But a good fundraising story must do something specific. It must…
More
How Restricted Gifts Can Actually Be a GOOD Thing — And Why You Should Embrace Them
Fundraising is story world Lab experiments, field experiments, and academic theory agree: Fundraising lives in “story world,” not “commerce world.”…
More
Why people who say your non-profit should operate like a for-profit are wrong
Giving is different from buying Charitable giving comes from “story world.” Effective fundraising story triggers visualization producing social emotion. This…
More