I’m your go-to gal for professional and persuasive story-telling skills to boost your nonprofit’s fundraising strategy. I want you to fall in love with the way I write your story, and I want your donors to fall head over heels with your organization. I put my heart and soul into every word I write, just like you put your heart and soul into your charitable work on a daily basis.
Why use Story-Telling?
Whether trying to promote a cause, engage board members and volunteers or generate donations from new and recurring supporters, organizations are always in need of compelling copy that connects with readers, helping individuals make decisions to support an organization. A picture is worth a thousand words — which sounds great, unless those thousand words are lackluster.
Our project together can help you increase awareness about your cause, recruit volunteers, boost fundraising efforts and attract and retain large donors. Real stories about the people you impact need to be captured in writing. I’ll help you discover these emotional appeals and position the writing in a way to speak directly to the audience that makes up your loyal donor pool.
Story-Telling Leads to Fund Development
A strong story that accurately captures your nonprofit’s work also shines light on strategic opportunities for fundraising, which can drive your fund development portfolio. I work with nonprofits on both story and strategy in this way. Check out my services through my fund development agency, Presence&Company.
My Process
I am a trained journalist with more than a decade of experience as a professional writer. Building off my experiences in the news industry, capturing interviews and re-telling details in impactful ways, I create content that propels nonprofits’ connections with donors and users.
My process starts with a session with you to understand the goals of the content. Then, I brainstorm relevant content ideas and together we identify a list of individuals that would fit for me to interview. Then, you get back to work creating change through your nonprofit while I run off and start capturing stories.
I’ll interview individuals in-person, via phone or e-mail (especially those overseas!). I record notes from each conversation, and these are available to nonprofits to uncover valuable quotes and testimonials or useful tidbits of info.
Then, I write! We edit. I finalize. You publish & distribute.
When it comes to grants, I typically like to start with a Case for Support or story-telling project in order to understand your organization and the programs that need funding. Then, I can dive into research and create a grants plan. That said, I also work on specific grants or can jump in if you’ve already found the grant but just need a writer.
Why nonprofit work?
Here’s the deal: I think it’s important for you to know a little bit about my story. I aim to be a trustworthy, effective and valuable support system for your nonprofit – and here’s why.
I remember as a little girl writing novels, etching adventures page after page into piles of notebooks. I still have a few. As I grew up, this hobby lead me to pursue a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. After college, I worked at a variety of newspapers – freelance and full-time, traditional print and website-only publications. I also got involved in marketing, started an inbound marketing firm and earned an MBA in Internet Marketing. Phew!
Those years, though, were the easy ones. In 2014, I became a mom! Two days later, my 3-year-old nephew was diagnosed with cancer. Life changes.
You probably got into nonprofit work for a reason. Mine is this very personal one. If I can inspire individuals to give to a worthy cause that saves a life or makes a difference in the world one way or another, then I’ve made an impact that in my soul connects back to supporting my nephew and family through that very difficult chapter of our lives.
I truly want to make a difference for your nonprofit, and my writing talents are the best way to influence that success. I am very appreciative of the opportunity to learn more about your story, and look forward to sharing your purpose.
