05 | 7 Steps to Engage Your Donor: The Story Framework

Is your donor messaging accidentally turning supporters into outsiders? In this episode, I unpack the exact storytelling framework I use with ministries to help them clarify their message, engage their ideal donor, and grow support. You’ll discover how to position your donor as the hero of the story and why your ministry’s role is not to take center stage, but to guide the transformation. Bring a notebook—this one is full of actionable insight.

🔑 What You’ll Learn:

• Why your messaging might be making your donor feel unimportant (and how to fix it)
• How to shift from “boasting” to empowering
• The 7 plot points of a ministry brand story designed for donor-funded organizations
• How to connect your donor’s desire for purpose to the people you serve
• Why consistency across platforms matters—and how to apply your story everywhere

Ready to clarify your ministry’s message and engage donors? Schedule a free call: https://irisstorytelling.com/getstarted

👉 Grab your free Ministry Message Checklist to start refining your message today at https://irisstorytelling.com/checklist

Connect w/ me:
lisa@irisstorytelling.com
https://irisstorytelling.com

Transcript

messaging for your donors is not the time to boast about everything that you've done.

If I'm only the outsider that you want money from so that you can do your ministry your way,(...) then maybe, you know, I'll send you something or I'll give you a little something, but all of a sudden I'm an outsider and I don't matter. Only my money does.

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Your donor doesn't want to feel that way. Your donor wants to feel involved like they're the ones making the difference.

Today I have something, not one thing, I have so much to give you and you will definitely want something to take notes with. If this is something that you want to apply to your messaging, I'm going to be spilling quote unquote the secrets. It's not secret, but I

do want to share with you the framework that I use with clients to clarify their message so they can engage their donors and grow their support.(...) So I'm very excited to share this with you.

The reason that we want to do this in the first place is because you're struggling. You're working in your ministry, you're wearing the many hats, you're doing everything you know how to,

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but your donors aren't really engaging as well as you think they should or they're just not getting it or you're not seeing the donations come in or the growth that you expect. It's almost like you're putting lots and lots and lots of effort in for very little return.

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And really

the first thing that you want to do is look at your messaging.

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Look at the words that you're using to talk to your donors. Whether it's in person,

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whether it's through your website, through your emails, through your donor appeals, through your social media, whatever platform you're using or the many platforms that you're using to speak to your donors, you want to look at that and identify(...) a few things. So we're going to work through that.

you've been listening to the past episodes, we've talked a lot about how to get your donors attention and how to create an ideal donor, a target that you can speak to very specifically.

You definitely want to listen to that episode.

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It will help with this one. So the first thing that I do when I'm coaching clients on clarifying their ministry message is first is create the ideal donor. And very specifically, we talk through all the things that really hone in on this main ideal donor so that you can speak to them. They can listen up and hear you and it'll attract more of those ideal donors and that's what you want.

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So that's the first thing that I do with clients is go through that. So that might be an episode that you want to listen to first or after this one. Either way, you definitely want to listen to

That's episode four, just the one before this one.

The second step that I take with my coaching clients with ministries like yours is I walk them through the storyline to create their ministry message, their ministry brand story. There's eight plot points. And if you've heard of Donald Miller and his book, what's it called? Building a story brand. This is very similar to that. It's a wonderful book. If you haven't read it, I definitely recommend it. He just makes it very clear and he uses a very similar framework to walk people through it. But the difference is the story brand book, that's kind of talking about one main audience that your brand has a relationship with.

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Most brands out there have one main client or customer.

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brand will offer goods or services in exchange for money, usually,

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in exchange for money from the customer. It's this one relationship.

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But for your ministry, that's not as simple. You're a donor funded ministry, so you have two audiences.

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You have the people that you minister to, and you have your donors,

You're balancing two different groups of people.

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What I've done is I've adjusted the storyline to accommodate for those two different groups of people and the problems that they have and connected them into a storyline.

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And just as a quick reminder of the reason that we're using story to clarify your ministry message is because story is incredibly powerful. It is super engaging. Our brains are actually wired for it.(...) When your donor is the main character of that story where you put yourself in the position of a helper and you help the donor have this transformation experience through you,(...) then all of a sudden that donor is going to be engaged and it's going to attract people to you.

So let's get into it. Let's get started with that storyline.(...) Now I'm going to do my very best to try to summarize it and simplify it so you can understand it.

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A couple of disclaimers. The first is that when I work through this one-on-one with my clients, we actually take three, two-hour sessions to work through the brand story, including creating your ideal donor. So it is a lot that I'm going to try to pack into this short episode.

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The second disclaimer is that if you are a visual learner, I am a visual learner and it's very hard for me to absorb knowledge without some sort of visual.

would definitely, if you're like that, I would highly recommend to have something to write down on, create some, like a little chart or some sort of doodle that kind of helps you retain the information of this storyline.

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right. So let's start.

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Plot point one is your main character.

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The main character is the donor. This is the donor's story. This is not

your story on how you guys started or how you have ministered to so many people. This is not the story of someone that you've impacted and their story of transformation. This is the story of the donor.(...) And the reason we put the donor as the main character is because that's who you're trying to move. That's who you are trying to attract and get them activated and to join you, to support you.

your target. They're the ones that need the spotlight on them. And so when you put them as the main character, you connect with them in their story instead of trying to get them out of their own life and their own problems and what they're going through and join and watch you in your story, you're actually joining their story and coming into their life.

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So plot point number one is the main character, your donor. And we talked about this in the last episode. You want to identify them really well. You want to get to know your donor so well, you know exactly what they like, what they don't like, the words that they will use, the words that they will be attracted to, things you shouldn't say,

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everything, everything that you can, you will know about them.

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Now plot point number two is conflict.

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This is the key to any story.

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Even outside of this framework, conflict is the key to every single story framework out there.(...) It's the reason there is a story to begin with. If there's no conflict, there is no story.

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Now the conflict is the problem that your donor has and you want to expose the problem that they have.

When you expose the problem that they have,

Their ears will perk up. All of a sudden they're like, "Oh yes, I do feel that. I do need to solve this problem.

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You're right. Let me hear what you have to say."

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Okay? And a lot of times the conflict for your donor will be along the lines of they just want to make a bigger difference. They want to feel purposeful. They want to help other people and feel like they're doing something worthwhile.(...) Something along those lines and you can get much more specific on that, but we got to move on.

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Okay? So you have your main character, your donor, and they have a problem. That's the main conflict.

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The next plot point is your secondary character. Now this is unique to you because you're a donor-funded ministry.(...) The secondary character is the audience that you serve, the people that you're ministering to. That is your secondary audience. So you want to introduce your donor to the secondary audience that you serve.

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Next is their conflict. What is the people that you serve, your secondary character, the people that you serve? What is their problem?

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What is the main challenge that you are helping them overcome?

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If you are providing foster families with support. So your foster family is your secondary character and their conflict is they have a need.

They don't have enough support emotionally or in the physical need.

Let's say your ministry is for women and children in sexual exploitation or trafficking.(...) That's your secondary character. The people that you ministered to are those women and children that have been, that are at risk for exploitation and that's their problem, right? They're at risk for exploitation or they've been trafficked.

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Next plot point is the helper.

This is you. This is your ministry.(...) You are now the guide and the helper

the one that helps the donor, your main character and your secondary character, the people that you ministered to, you're going to help both of them overcome their conflict.

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going to be showing the plan that you have to how you overcome that conflict and how that can solve the donor's problem.

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both of the audiences come together in their story because you have your donor in one hand and you have the people that you ministered to in the other hand and their stories connect through you, the helper, the guide.(...) You can show them how they can overcome the problem.

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Now in this story, your main character is the donor, so you are talking to the donor

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and you're going to be talking to the donor about the people that you serve, but you're not talking to the people you serve.(...) This conversation, this message is specifically to your donor because you want to move them.

You're talking to them specifically about how they can overcome the problem they have. So your donor, they want to make a difference. They want to feel purposeful in their life and you show them how can you do this? Well, listen, we have this other people group and their problem is this.

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And now you show your donor how they can solve that problem through you.

We have foster families and they often say yes before they're prepared with materials. You can make sure that they are never unprepared.

or these children in Asia are at risk for sexual exploitation.

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You can make sure that they have

safe place to live and to find healing.

Real quick, if you're listening to this and thinking, "Our donors aren't engaging well, how can I actually check if our messaging is clear?" I want to invite you to download my free ministry message checklist. It's

a simple tool to help you identify what's working, what's not, and where your message might be losing people, especially when it comes to donor engagement or supporter growth. You can grab it now at irisstorytelling.com slash checklist.

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So even though your ministry is the one who is helping those foster families or helping those kids and sexual exploitation,(...) you're actually wording it so that the donor feels like it's that and it is that right. It's they are empowering you to solve that problem, but you want your messaging to be worded in a way where you're directly telling the donor you are the one who's making a difference in this life.(...) And you almost like skip yourself

if it's not about you? What if the donor really doesn't care that much about you and your ministry, but he cares about the people that you're ministering to and that that's the the the connection, right? I was listening to a podcast with a philanthropor and he was, you know, some wealthy person that gave a lot of money. And he said, you know, I don't really care that much about the nonprofit or the people,

the the staff and stuff like that. I don't really care that much about them. I care more about,

helping the people that they help.

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I think that's a really interesting takeaway.

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I think we might be forgetting who the donor cares about most.

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And there are exceptions.(...) You might be a missionary and a lot of your donors actually are really just empowering you because they know you and they love you and they care for you and they trust you.(...) And maybe they don't know that much or maybe they don't care as much what the ministry and the people that you're ministering to, they don't care that much. They're not leaning into that as much. They are really trying to empower you.

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So there are exceptions.

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However,

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just just like the times that you've wondered, why doesn't my donor care? Why don't they get it? If they could only understand if they only saw the impact that I saw and the need that I saw, then they would care. I think you're absolutely right.

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The donor does care about the people that you're ministering to and their need.

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And whether it hurts your ego or not, that means that you kind of have to go into the background.

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You're now in their mind, you're the one connecting them to the people within need. And you're just kind of the messenger. You're just the one making it happen. And side note, you are the one doing all the work and you're the one spending countless hours and sleepless nights and thinking on how you're going to solve problems.(...) And you're the one whose heart is breaking over people that heart is bringing over the need that you wish you could meet, but you can't. You're the one doing all the work and you have blood, sweat and tears into this ministry.

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You do.

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And I'm not discounting that, but your messaging is not the time to help you feel better about that.

The messaging for your donors is not the time to boast about everything that you've done.

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The Lord sees you and I think that there's spaces and places for you to do that. But your donor wants to feel like they're the one making the impact to the people that you're ministering to.

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And that's how you get them engaged.(...) And that's how you get them in.

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when I feel like I'm the one that really making an impact on this person or this group of people, yes, that's amazing. Yes, I want to be part of that.

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If I'm only the outsider that you want money from so that you can do your ministry your way,(...) then maybe, you know, I'll send you something or I'll give you a little something, but all of a sudden I'm an outsider and I don't matter. Only my money does.

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Your donor doesn't want to feel that way. Your donor wants to feel involved like they're the ones making the difference.

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So think through that. Think about that. And this episode is already getting longer than I expected it to. And then I planned,(...) but this is so key and so important. Okay.

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You are the guide. You are the helper.

connecting the donor with the people that you minister to.

I don't mean this in the way that they're going to actually meet, right? Or you have to like change how you do ministry. I'm talking about just in the wording that you're using, you're giving this impression(...) that your donor is directly connected with the people that you minister to. Just the power of words. This is not meaning that you are misleading anything,(...) but you're just almost giving this responsibility to the donor that makes them feel like they're much more a part of something greater instead of being the outsider that just gives money.

Plot point number six, you give them a clear call to action.

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You've shown the donor how they can solve the problem that the people that you minister to have through you and you show them how you do it. These are the ways that your ministry solves that problem and the donor can do it through you. So you give them that clear call to action. They need to be asked,(...) will you join us? Will you donate today? Will you make sure that foster families are never unprepared?

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Give them a clear call to action

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they are challenged to make a decision. So be a child champion or donate today.

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Join us.

They need to be asked.

and I think people need to be asked because it also goes into that feeling of I want to be needed.(...) Your donor wants to be needed. They want to feel valued.

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So ask them and don't be afraid of asking.

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Matthew 7, 7, Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you.(...) For everyone who asks receives and the one who seeks finds and to the one who knocks, it will be opened.(...) You must ask.(...) You have to take the action. You can't wait around for people to just come and drop money in your lap. You have to ask.

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Okay, paw point number seven. This is the resolution to the story.

The resolution. This is the win. If your donor follows your plan and they say yes to your call to action.(...) Now this is the win. This is what success will look like.

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This is what it looks like if the people that you administer to their problem is solved. What does that look like?

foster families are now always prepared to say yes to kids and they don't go without what they need.

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This is saying success. What success looks like to the children who are sexually exploited.(...) Saying yes to that call to action means that they will now have a safe place to sleep and a place where they can find full healing and restoration.

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Now that's the only part of the win because once you're the people that you minister to once they win and their problem is solved. Now your donor's problem is also solved because they have said yes because they have said yes and now the people that you minister to their problem is solved. Now your donor feels like they actually have made a difference. They feel empowered. They feel purposeful. They feel like they are more alive.

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They feel like they're making a difference.

Those wins are connected.(...) The success of the people that you minister to is now the success of your donor.

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And lastly,

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remind them of the stakes if they don't because a resolution isn't always a win. It's only a win if they say yes to that call to action, but if they don't, you have to remind them what losing looks like.

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If they don't say yes, then children continue to be in sexual exploitation. You can't reach as many kids.(...) If they say no,(...) then foster families are going to struggle to say yes to kids or struggle to provide the needs of their foster kids.

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And the donor will continue to feel like they haven't made a difference. Like their life maybe is monotonous and doesn't have enough purpose to it. You must remind them of the stakes if they don't say yes to that call to action.

So that is the whole narrative of your donor's transformation story.(...) From the beginning where they have the problem to the end when they say yes to that call to action and they see the resolution to their problem.

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Now once you have built out your ministry brand story and it is you've worked through each plot point, refined it,(...) really sweat over it so that you're very clear on what it is. You do it with a lot of intentionality.(...) Now you have the narrative that you can apply to all of your messaging.

Once you have this story, you will be using it in every single platform and every single thing that you produce that has content that you're aiming at your donor, you're going to be using your ministry brand story.

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you finalize that brand story, you're now going to apply it to your website.

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And I can show you how to do this, how to apply that narrative to your website. You're now going to apply it to your emails,(...) your updates or your donor appeals. You're going to apply the story to those things so that the donor, as they're reading this content, they're seeing themselves through that narrative and they want the transformation that you're explaining.(...) They want that transformation that they envision through the story you're telling.

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They want to be a part. They want to feel that same success.

You're going to be applying your story to everything, even if it's little, even if it's the signature in your email, even if it's a subject line, a caption to your social media, you can use your brand story to apply it to every type of message that is going out to your donor.

Now granted, this is a very intense process.(...) It takes a lot of brainpower. It takes a lot of work to really refine your ministry brand story, but

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I'm here to help you with it step by step. You don't have to try to figure this out on your own because it is hard.

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It's hard. It's easier if you have a guide that can walk you through it. So through one-on-one coaching sessions, we will go step by step. I'm going to walk you through and guide you to first, we're going to identify your ideal donor.(...) And next we're going to go through every single plot point of the story brand narrative and work through every single plot point. So you know very specifically what those plot points are, how it fits into that whole narrative and

then you will have a very firm ministry brand story.

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And then I'll walk you through how to apply it to

your marketing collateral. I'm going to help you apply it to your emails, to your website, to your social media.

teach your team so everyone has this. This is our brand story and everyone knows how they can use it in their role and whatever position they're in, how they can use that brand story. So everything is consistent in your team. Everyone is going the same direction. Everyone has that same vision and everything is consistent in your messaging.

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Now the story is there. Whether your donor finds you through an email, through your website, through social media,

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listening to you at church, no matter where they find you, they're hearing the same story.

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That's powerful.

So if you're thinking, man, I do need help with my messaging, it's not working, donors aren't engaging, it's not clear, it's not consistent.

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Let's start working together.

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Go to irastorytelling.com slash get started.

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We will do this step by step. I will help you. There won't be any question in your mind. I will answer all of your questions. I will help you do the work.

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Now I'm not going to just hand it to you and hope for the best. I am going to walk through it with you so that you can really absorb it and learn it(...) so well that you can apply it quickly.

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You can be talking to someone one on one and you can know how to talk to them using your ministry brand story.

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So again, to get started, go to irastorytelling.com slash get started.(...) See you