By June Bradham

Q. This year, we are overhauling all of our foundation’s marketing and communications pieces. We have a great cause, some compelling pictures and a sound organization, but our materials lack impact. Any ideas on giving them some punch?

A. The short answer to this question is: tell a story. While ultimately all of these pieces are “asking” documents — asking for a check, asking for volunteers — you must begin by drawing the reader in with a compelling story. As I’ve observed before, every exchange you have with a prospective donor must revolve around the donor, not around the organization, which means making the donor the protagonist of the story.

So, how do you turn a simple ask into a story with meaning and impact?

Use stats and data sparingly and with purpose. A document laden with numbers and percentages will leave a donor feeling overloaded and uninspired. Consider using stats in breakouts rather than trying to integrate them into the text.

People, not buildings, make great characters. Even if you’re raising money for a building, your materials can’t just express the need for a building. Instead, uncover how this building will help real people.

Give your characters strong voices. People respond to people, not to  annual reports. When crafting new materials, use the active voice, be dynamic and choose words and a tone that will resonate with your audience.

Be positive, but demonstrate adversity. This one is tricky. Telling your donor, “Everything is great and there isn’t a thing we need” is a bit like telling a story in which your character faces no challenges and is just as happy on the first page as he is on the last. However, no one wants to read a book about the lowliest character who has nothing, no hope and no means for rising to greatness either. Be forthright about the challenges faced every day by those people you help, and then describe how your donor, the hero, can alleviate pain and break down barriers.

Q. In preparing for a capital campaign, how can we gain organization-wide consensus on what to raise money for without ending up with a mile-long laundry list of must haves?

A. This is a common concern, especially among large organizations with an executive director and a CEO and development officers and employees whose opinions are often collected in preparation for a campaign. The challenge is investing everyone in the success of the campaign without guaranteeing that everyone’s pet project gets equal support.

My first suggestion would be to revisit your strategic plan. In it, you will find your vision and the plan put together to bring that vision to fruition. A strategic plan should serve as the foundation for everything your organization does. If a fundraising element doesn’t specifically address some goal laid out in the strategic plan, you should cut it from your list.

Another thing to remember is that “consensus” does not mean “democracy.” As the leader of a nonprofit organization, you are obligated to be objective when choosing which projects to support. You know the organization’s vision for the future and you must objectively decide which projects best serve the plan for the institution’s future.

One final note: Although foundations and development offices generally do the vast majority of work involved in campaigns, the head of an organization must never be cut out of the process. Particularly at universities or nonprofit hospitals where administration and foundation leadership keep to their respective sides of the campus, the tendency exists to craft all campaign materials in the foundation office and then, as an afterthought, send them to the president/CEO for approval.

This not only wastes time but has the potential to drive a permanent wedge between the two groups. Instead, involve administration in the process as early as possible. Offer your suggestions, listen hard and develop a campaign plan which embodies both your points of view.

June Bradham is the president of Corporate DevelopMint, a fundraising consulting firm with offices in Charleston, Greenville, Blowing Rock, N.C. and Memphis, Tenn. E-mail her at cdm@corporatedevelopmint.com.

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