Fundraising Insights

What is manic depression in a ministry? Well, some organizations are manic – they communicate with high emotion, but not much information – while other organizations are depressive, communicating loads of informative data but without much emotion.

Using a testimony – or telling the “story of the one” – has the natural effect of leveling out either extreme.

Say you’re one of those ministry marketers more inclined to raise money via emotion than information. We see this often in ministries which have sprung from the Pentecostal and charismatic traditions, and in quite a few ministries dedicated to helping children with various needs.

Tell the “story of the one” in an appeal, and you’ve provided some substance – some hard evidence indicating that your ministry is actually accomplishing something with the donor’s dollars. Not that you can use a story and abandon the use of hard facts altogether – but a testimony helps.

Or say you’re one of those ministry marketers more inclined to raise money via information than emotion. You’re just not comfortable expressing a lot of passion on paper; it’s not natural for you.

Tell the “story of the one” in an appeal, and you almost automatically heighten the emotional quotient of your package. Not that you can use a story and abandon the use of emotional language altogether – but a testimony helps.