In my previous article, I described the relationship between NGO pitches and stories. In this article, I will show why exactly storytelling so important and how it can drastically improve your pitching skills.
There is no intuitive format or way to organize a pitch. This is not only confusing to those trying to write a pitch but also confusing to those listening as they try to follow each pitch’s eclectic pattern and flow. However, changing your pitch into a story completely changes all of this. Stories have a clear beginning, middle, and end which helps you writing the pitch and also helps your audience follow along.
All humans from all cultures listen to and tell stories. It is something we all have in common. Because we see, hear, and tell stories so often, stories are easily recognizable and familiar to us. Teachers and writers for a long time have employed anecdotes, allegories, analogies, and other storytelling techniques to make complex topics or themes easy to understand. While pitching is more common these days, it is still nowhere near as common as storytelling. So, by including storytelling in your pitch, you will help your listeners better understand and recognize your works.
Stories are automatically more relatable and thus more personal that pitches. We all know a story when we see one, and so we can more easily put ourselves it the position of the characters. Additionally, storytelling is something people across the world have in common, making stories an effective way to connect people from different cultures and backgrounds. Stories are powerful tools to share ideas, make connections and bring people together. Making that personal connection is very important in making a convincing appeal.
Stories are inherently interesting. Effective storytelling moves your audience from passive listeners to active participants. While listening to lists of facts can get boring quickly, facts wrapped into a story can capture your audience’s imagination. Your audience will pay more attention to your words because they want to know how your story ends.
Finally, stories are easy to remember. Many people (myself included!) struggle to remember the name of the person we met five minutes ago, but have no problem reciting a tale our parents told us once decades ago. Having a memorable pitch is important for having a donor remember you, but a memorable pitch is also important for yourself. You don’t want to be the person who, half-way into their pitch, completely forgets what they were supposed to say next!
As you can see, there are many clear benefits to storytelling in quickly convincing people to support your cause.
Alta Alonzi is a writer and researcher focusing on international development funding and grassroots NGOs. She works with the fundraising consulting company Philantropia conducting research for clients ranging from small NGOs to UN organizations. She also works closely with FundsforNGOs running training webinars, contributing resource guides, and updating the Premium donor database.
