The truth is sharing your stories doesn’t have to be hard or take a long time. BUT you DO have to keep in mind what makes stories truly connect with people.
The most important thing stories can do is to create a feeling of EMPATHY.
The definition of empathy from Merriam-Webster is:
the feeling that you understand and share another person’s experiences and emotions : the ability to share someone else’s
Unfortunately, most often I watch people write or tell stories about their clients or donors or their volunteers and what I end up feeling is sympathy; a little sorry for them.
That is NOT the kind of storytelling I teach. In fact, that is not the kind of storytelling that works.
As you create your story library, draft your fall appeals or fundraising email campaign remember this:
Sympathy creates distance.
Empathy creates connections and feelings of understanding.
Here’s a simple example:
Sympathy:
It was a horrific loss for Anna when her house completely burned in the fires in California.
Empathy:
When Anna’s 6 year-old son Adam asked for a baby picture for a school project she teared up and had to say with a painful heart, “I’m sorry honey, all of our pictures burned in the fire last year.”
____________
I’d love to see YOUR examples of shifting the language from sympathy to empathy! Share in the comments below.
His alarm began buzzing. I think you know how that feels. He put his fists to his eyes and began rubbing them. Then he popped up from his sleep, did his bathroom duties, dressed and ran out his door to wait for the school bus. Hunger pains vibrated in five year old Billy’s stomach. His mother had gone to work a half hour before Billy’s alarm was set to ring. When he reached school, Jenny Williams, a retired mining executive, now a VinE volunteer greeted Billy with a hug and brought him to the lunch room for breakfast. There is such satisfaction in helping Billy satisfy his hunger for a hug and for breakfast and then help him do his homework before school begins. Those twenty minutes light up her life. They also save Billy’s.
Art,
I LOVE IT!! you are a storytelling superstar! I hope you are doing well.
warmly, Lori