Nonprofit storytelling: A complete guide to get donors to act

Nonprofits are, at their core, storytellers. Through compelling narratives, they bring their missions to life, rally communities around shared causes, and build emotional connections with people ready and willing to make a difference.

Building that community starts with capturing attention. With so many messages competing for people’s time, your story needs to be clear, compelling, and authentic to help you move people and advance your mission.

In this guide, you’ll learn what successful storytelling is (and isn’t), how to inspire donor action, how to structure your story, and which common mistakes to avoid.

What nonprofit storytelling is (and isn’t)

Nonprofit storytelling is emotionally charged and uses authentic, personal stories about real people or events to inspire potential donors to support your cause. You can share your story through posts on social media, email newsletters, fundraising appeals, donation pages, or any other medium your organization prefers.

However, nonprofit storytelling isn’t manipulative or dishonest. Anyone can tell a good story, but if it isn’t true or takes advantage of people to garner support, it’s deceitful and unethical—and not true nonprofit storytelling.

The goal of effective storytelling: Help donors feel connected and ready to act

Think about the overall goal of sharing your story. What outcome do you want to achieve?

If you’re starting out, you may be looking to build trust among potential supporters, improve response rates, and support retention. However, if you’re established, you may now be looking to resonate with younger audiences or grow your recurring donor base.

When done well, nonprofit storytelling can help you expand your reach, motivate new supporters, and fuel long-term stewardship. The good news is storytelling is a skill you can build, especially when you learn to see it through three key lenses.

Clarity

Lead with a clear problem. When supporters understand exactly what their contribution will do, they’re more likely to act. Stay specific and concise, and remove anything that muddies the message.

Connection

Identify who’s at the center of the problem and why it matters. These individuals are the heart of your story and the key to building meaningful connections with donors. Focusing on their experiences creates personal bonds and adds a sense of urgency that moves people to act.

Action

Communicate the next step to your audience. Offer them a specific way they can help, along with an ideal timeline for doing so. This is where you convert your story into real-life support.

A nonprofit storytelling template

No one knows your mission like you do. The key is delivery. Impactful stories flex across channels, working equally as effectively in an email as they do on your website or social media.

However, the trick is to set your story up in a way that resonates. Here’s a simple, reusable nonprofit storytelling template you can use across platforms and campaigns.

Choose one main character and one moment

In nonprofit storytelling, specificity is everything. Center your narrative on a single person in a single vivid scene. Introduce them early, then carry your audience through their experience, creating the emotional connection that turns awareness into action.

Always get consent from the person you want to feature in your story to protect their privacy.

Start with a specific problem and describe it in human terms

Open with an emotional hook. Your first sentences should draw the audience into a personal, human experience and create an immediate connection. Introduce your central character and describe the problem they face in relatable terms.

With your character and challenge established, highlight the obstacles they’ve encountered along the way toward a solution or goal. This is where you can plug in statistics or other facts that are relevant to your story.

Show the turning point

Include a clear turning point at the midpoint of your story. This should occur after your character confronts their challenges. Show what shifts as a result of their actions and explain why this change matters for their journey.

The turning point should naturally incorporate your nonprofit’s program or service without taking the focus off the main character. Your organization plays a supporting role in their journey, not the lead.

Show the impact in plain language

Explain the outcome for the main character in understandable terms. This resolution or change in the character’s life should appeal to the reader’s emotions, evoking a sense of triumph and empathy.

To define the scale of the impact, use at least one concrete detail. These could be the barriers removed, time saved, or new opportunities created for the main character.

Invite the donor into what happens next

Create a clear and concise call to action (CTA) at the end of the story. With supporters now emotionally invested, use confident, community-based language to let them know they can help. However, be sure to avoid pressure tactics and manipulative language.

Make them feel they can contribute to this impact in a meaningful way, and be specific about how they can do so.

Common storytelling mistakes to avoid

Avoid these nonprofit storytelling mistakes when crafting your next narrative.

Making your organization the hero

Your organization is essential to the story, but it isn’t the hero. Keep the focus on the individual.

The main character you selected is the protagonist, and the donor is their partner. Your organization serves as the guide, connecting the protagonist with the partner so they can receive the support they need.

Being too vague

Nonprofit storytelling should sound professional, without being too polished or vague. Otherwise, you can distance potential supporters. When a story lacks specificity, it often loses its emotional impact.

Instead, stay focused and personal by centering your story on one person, one place, one challenge, and one meaningful change.

Avoiding emotion

For your story to make that essential connection, approach emotion delicately and compassionately. Use personal details that will resonate with your audience while keeping your main character’s dignity intact. The goal isn’t to shy away from emotion, but don’t write for shock value either.

Ending the story without a clear next step

With your audience now inspired, state the single action you want them to take and connect it directly to a meaningful result.

Make your story work harder with visual storytelling

When it comes to nonprofit storytelling best practices, words are just the start. If your audience can put a face to the name of your main character, the emotional connection will be that much stronger. Whether it’s photos or nonprofit video storytelling​, visuals matter.

Choose one strong image that matches the moment

Start by choosing a strong image with a clear subject and real context that captures what you want to say.

Write meaningful captions

Go beyond labeling what’s in the image. Use them to add meaning and context. In one or two sentences, explain what the problem is and why it matters.

Reuse your story across multiple channels

Don’t reinvent your story for every platform. You can reuse the same core elements—including images—to reach your audience in multiple ways.

For example, a longer version might live on your website or in an email newsletter, whereas a shortened and adapted version might live on your social media. After publishing your story, share bite-sized updates across channels to keep supporters engaged and connected.

Transform your stories into branded campaign experiences

Your story shouldn’t stand alone: It should be part of a cohesive campaign experience that creates consistency across your organization, strengthens loyalty, and attracts new supporters.

GoFundMe Pro can help you with that. Bring your story to life with Campaign Studio, our customizable campaign builder. Consistent, personalized campaign design builds donor confidence and removes friction between your narrative and the moment a supporter decides to give.

Looking for examples? Explore our inspiration hub to see how Campaign Studio can help turn your story into impact.

A pre-publishing checklist

Once you have your story drafted and ready to go, double-check each of the following before publishing:

1. Consent, dignity, and privacy: Confirm you have the consent of the characters in your story. Take steps to protect their privacy when needed.
2. Specificity and transparency: Ensure you’re specific and descriptive. Use positive language to uplift readers rather than hyperfocus on the character’s struggle.
3. Clarity checks: Verify the accuracy of any numbers you include and avoid vague language. Clarity builds trust, whereas confusion can prevent donors from acting.
4. Donor impact framing: Don’t make your organization the hero. Your story should focus on how supporters can make an impact.
5. Clear CTA: Provide a clear next step supporters can act on at the end of your story.
6. Active voice: Use active verbs to keep the reader engaged.
7. Readability: Don’t use overly complicated wording and avoid long sentences where possible. Use bold formatting for crucial information and make your story skimmable.
8. Community-based language: Emphasize the impact your community can have when they work together and the positive change they’ve already made through their support. Remember, the goal of your campaign is to build trust.
9. Make it shareable: Inspire your community to share your story. Make sure your settings allow viewers to re-share your social media posts with their networks and send links to their friends and family. GoFundMe research shows that every time an organizer shares their fundraiser, it can help drive an additional $100 toward their goal, on average.

Tell your story to advance your mission

Keep your storytelling goal front and center: You and your supporters are advancing the mission together.

GoFundMe Pro helps you scale that story with customized donation pages, built-in social sharing, community fundraising tools, and access to a network of more than 200 million. Together, these features make it easier to turn inspiration into meaningful action.

Request a demo today to see how our tools can help you expand your reach and mobilize your community.

FAQs

What are the 5 P’s of storytelling?

The five P’s are people, place, plot or problem, purpose, and personalization. In other words, focus on your characters, the setting, the issue your character tries to solve, why it matters, and personal elements such as pictures.

How can I train my team to collect and tell better stories?

It starts with curation. The prompts above are a great start. You can also create a shared document where team members can add anecdotes or experiences as they happen.

How do I avoid making my nonprofit’s stories too sad or overwhelming?

You can avoid overwhelming your audience by balancing honesty with hope. Instead of dwelling on how dire the problem is, focus on progress, possibility, and change. Use active verbs and positive, people-first language to keep the story moving forward.

Most importantly, spend more time on the turning point—how support makes a difference—than on the hardship itself. When donors can see a clear path to impact, they’re more likely to feel motivated rather than discouraged.

Copy editor: Ayanna Julien