Connecting to emotions leaves a lasting impression, and stories are the easiest way to do that. Fundraising stories are more than a quick “hello, I need money and this is why, thanks bye”. They have a narrative. They draw people in and give them a reason to learn about you and your travel goals.
Stories live beyond your initial fundraiser. They are an opportunity to extend your journey beyond reaching the monetary goal. Crowdsourcing is cool because it turns an individual’s goal into the goal of an entire community.
Every person who chips in becomes more than an investor—they become part of your story. They want to know what happens next on your journey. This is the perfect opportunity for you to incentivize donors with special newsletter updates, blog posts, or even a snapchat story feed.
TIPS FOR HOW TO WRITE A FUNDRAISING STORY
1. BE AUTHENTIC (AKA…BE YOURSELF!)
We know you’re already pumped about your next meaningful travel experience, but how are you going to get others on board? Your story is the ticket to ride into the beautiful sunset of travel bliss. The best fundraising stories tap into raw emotion and authenticity. We’re only human, after all; we adore a good story.
Make a list of your goals and dreams for this trip and sprinkle that magic fundraising dust all over your story. Share your history! How did you learn about this project? Why does it resonate with you? Don’t just copy + paste why X organization is good for the world; why does their mission drive your travel?
Connect to your reader’s humanity by sharing personal details and experiences, but don’t turn it into a sob story. You want to travel to do some good somehow, right? Lean into that aspect. You may want to volunteer with orphans or sick elephants, which is devastating, but talk about the great work you’ll be doing in that arena rather than dwell on the sad parts. Positivity will get you places. You need a plane ticket, not a sympathy card.
You don’t need to look far to know how to write a fundraising story, because the story is inside you. Yes, we know how cheesy that sounds, but it doesn’t make it less true. It’s easier to read a book that’s already open.
2. BE HONEST ABOUT WHY YOU’RE FUNDRAISING
Don’t be slim shady; let people know why you’re asking (nicely) for money. State the obvious, then elaborate on the details. Obviously, you need a little help with the cash situation. But what else? Maybe you’re a student who is trying to keep on top of loans, but has a dream to do medical research abroad. Maybe you just quit your job to find yourself, and you are drawn to humanitarian work abroad. Or maybe you just don’t have enough saved to cover the cost of your ticket to Thailand, but you’ve been planning on studying abroad for a semester and just need help to go the extra step.
Fundraising stories that outline specifics of what the money will cover are going to be more successful. Why? It feels good to help others. If people see that their $30 donation paid for your visa, they get a tangible, warm, fuzzy feeling that they made a difference. Be straight about why you need the cash, and what the money is going towards. Transparency is key.
3. BE SHORT AND SWEET
Writing a fundraising letter doesn’t have to be a full time job. Yes, you should take time and be intentional, but please don’t send out a novel. Fundraising stories should be short and sweet. Like Lil’ Sebastian. Or a corgi. You’re writing for the internet now, and believe us when we say your audience is a sea of skimmers.
Get to the point (#minimalism, yo). Yes, you need to include your beautiful soul-story and dirty details, but don’t bury the lead. State the facts early!
Use simple yet powerful language. Keeping it approachable and skimmable will draw a wider audience, so don’t use ridiculously big words that make people stop reading and pull out a dictionary.
Some formatting tips:
- Call attention to details with bold words
- Try a bulleted list to break up text
- Keep paragraphs under 7 sentences
- Pad your key info with white space
4. BE ASSERTIVE WITH YOUR ASK
This is one of the hardest parts of writing a fundraising letter, but one of the most important. You need to actually ask for money. It’s important to be assertive with your ask, but that doesn’t mean aggressive. You need to be clear in your fundraising letter that you’re asking for money so people know how to help out. Right off the bat, the reader should know you’re asking for money. Then, weave in your story and goals. Finally, tell them how to contribute:
“By donating $25 dollars you can help me reach my goal of planting 300 trees in Tanzania. Follow the link to my profile on FundMyTravel and click donate”.
This fundraising writing sample makes it clear that you’re asking for money, and explains exactly how to do it.
We get it, it’s awkward. But if you go about it graciously, stay humble, and be honest about why, people won’t judge you for it. Trust us…we’re in the business of asking people (nicely) for money. ?
5. BE GRACIOUS
Saying thank you goes a long way. Fundraising stories that end with gratitude are more likely to win people over because it shows that you really appreciate the extra help. You get to prove that you’re not a greedy little goblin just trying to cash in on a sweet vacay.
We already know you’re a good person since you crave meaningful travel experiences, so your heart is already in the right place! We bet saying “thanks” will come very naturally to you, so this should be easy peasy.