Think of your favorite movie scene. Not the whole movie, just a short scene.
Got it? Now ask yourself, “Why that scene? Out of the entire two-hour run time, why this one scene?”
Maybe it was the epic action shot or a perfectly timed joke. But more likely, it was the moment when you forgot you were watching actors. The emotion touched something familiar in your heart.
When a filmmaker helps you connect with a character’s humanity, you don’t just watch. You remember. And you keep coming back.
That’s what’s missing from your marketing.
To your audience, the need can feel overwhelming.
As a nonprofit leader, you want your audience to know that a big problem needs a big response.
- 10,000 children in the state are going to bed hungry.
- 10% of single moms are facing housing insecurity.
- 40% of cancer patient families struggle to find affordable housing during their loved one’s treatment.
But your fundraising is stagnant. That’s because your donors are probably lost, overwhelmed or untouched by the statistics.
They’re wondering if their $20 monthly gift will make a dent. They can’t imagine a one-time gift of $500 actually making a lasting difference. So they do nothing.
Because they’ve can’t see the story.
Focus on moments, instead of statistics.
Sara is 12. Her mom works double shifts as a waitress, but money is still tight. You could tell donors Sara is food insecure. Or you could show them Monday morning.
Sara is walking into her school with an empty stomach and an empty lunch bag. Her mother was sick over the weekend and couldn’t go to work, so the fridge was almost empty. Sara left the rest for her mother.
Sara carries her lunch bag anyway. She’s in middle school; she’d rather be hungry than have the other kids see her as the “poor kid.”
She enters her classroom, eyes down. When a classmate backs into her, she drops her lunch bag. Her teacher picks it up and notices Sara’s bag is weightless.
Sara snatches it away and sinks into her seat.
In that moment, Sara isn’t a number. She’s a child carrying the weight of her mother’s illness and of the family’s financial trouble instead of the weight of a healthy meal in her bag.
Now imagine if her mother had the support of your nonprofit. Sara would have a full lunch bag. She can listen and learn. She has the energy to study and play.
How to Share Your Moments:
Sharing these moments is simpler than you might think!
Social media: Create graphic carousels where each slide tells a bite-sized part of the story. Share a photo of someone you’re serving and tell their story in the caption. Write a hook and add text to a reel; then finish the story in the caption.
Newsletters: Replace your impact data with one specific moment that captures why you do what you do — and why you need help to do it!
Calls to Action: Whenever you’re asking, connect your ask to a moment: “Your $50 ensures kids like Sara have a full pantry, and their lunch bag is never empty.”
Take the platforms you’re already using, then fill them with humanity!