Life and Mission

In this episode we explore the fifth part in our series on the building blocks of nonprofit storytelling—When. Learn why timing matters in your fundraising, from year-end campaigns to creating urgency with matching gifts, celebrating donor milestones, and telling powerful follow-up stories. Plus, practical steps to plan your storytelling calendar.

Mentioned in this episode:
Fully Funded Academy
The Bible Project: Looking Back at 2025 and Ahead to 2026
10 Years and 500 Episodes: The Story of BibleProject Podcast
Charity Water: Helen

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Mission Writers is a library of resources to help missionaries and nonprofits raise funds through storytelling. I've been re-organizing the content in response to some of your comments and suggestions, and I'll have some great resources for you soon. Sign up for my emails so you'll know when it's ready!

Clarifying and sharing your “Why” builds trust, connects with supporters, and sets your mission apart. 

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Mission Writers is a library of resources to help missionaries and nonprofits raise funds through storytelling. I've been re-organizing the content in response to some of your comments and suggestions, and I'll have some great resources for you soon. Sign up for my emails so you'll know when it's ready!

Part of the Building Blocks of Storytelling Series.

You've found Life and Mission in a series on the six building blocks of storytelling: Who, What, Where, Why, When, and How. So far, we’ve looked at WHO and WHAT.
Today, we’re looking at WHERE. Where are you? Where do you do what you do?

You can help donors feel the "atmosphere" of your location — bring them closer, let them see and hear and taste and smell. Let them feel the weight of the place, get some sense of the challenges (or joy) of working there.

Sharing about WHERE you work helps provide the context that gives the rest of your story meaning. It’s an essential element in helping your donors “see” your work more clearly. 

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Mission Writers is a library of resources to help missionaries and nonprofits raise funds through storytelling. I've been re-organizing the content in response to some of your comments and suggestions, and I'll have some great resources for you soon. Sign up for my emails so you'll know when it's ready!

Part of the Building Blocks of Storytelling Series 

We’re in the middle of our series on the six building blocks of storytelling: Who, What, Where, Why, When, and How. Today, we’re diving into WHAT. 

The “what” of your story can do so much more than just describe your work. In this episode, I’ll show you how your “whats” can help move people from surface-level giving to true, heart-level involvement with your cause. 

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Mission Writers is a library of resources to help missionaries and nonprofits raise funds through storytelling. I've been re-organizing the content in response to some of your comments and suggestions, and I'll have some great resources for you soon. Sign up for my emails so you'll know when it's ready!

Part of the Building Blocks of Storytelling series.

In this episode, we dig into the “Who” of nonprofit storytelling—who you are, who you serve, and who your donor is. I’ll share why getting clear on these three characters builds trust, honors the people in your stories, and helps donors see themselves as true partners in your mission. 

When you get the WHO right, your writing stops feeling like a sales pitch and starts feeling like an invitation to a shared mission. 

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Mission Writers is a library of resources to help missionaries and nonprofits raise funds through storytelling. I've been re-organizing the content in response to some of your comments and suggestions, and I'll have some great resources for you soon. Sign up for my emails so you'll know when it's ready!

Today, and in the next few episodes, we’re going all the way back to the most basic building blocks of storytelling: who, what, where, why, when and how.

Simply including these in your content isn’t enough. Over the next few episodes, we’ll discover how using these building blocks effectively can move you from just reporting dry facts to building a world your donor can step into.

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Mission Writers is a library of resources to help missionaries and nonprofits raise funds through storytelling. I've been re-organizing the content in response to some of your comments and suggestions, and I'll have some great resources for you soon. Sign up for my emails so you'll know when it's ready!

Whether you're a missionary, a nonprofit leader, a change maker of any kind, you know that a powerful story can open hearts for people to join you in your mission.

In season 4 of the Life and Mission Podcast, we're looking at the building blocks of every persuasive story: who, what, where, why, when, and how. Sounds basic, But I'll offer a few twists that you might not have heard before. 

Grab your notebook and get ready to tell stories that build relationships and raise more for your mission!

 

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Mission Writers is a library of resources to help missionaries and nonprofits raise funds through storytelling. I've been re-organizing the content in response to some of your comments and suggestions, and I'll have some great resources for you soon. Sign up for my emails so you'll know when it's ready!

In this episode, I'm answering questions about nonprofit newsletters.

• How many newsletters should you send?
• How fancy do they need to be?
• What else can you do with those stories?
• Why send a print newsletter by mail when you can send email instead? 
• One key thing you don't want to leave out.

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Mission Writers is a library of resources to help missionaries and nonprofits raise funds through storytelling. I've been re-organizing the content in response to some of your comments and suggestions, and I'll have some great resources for you soon. Sign up for my emails so you'll know when it's ready!

Storytelling is an essential skill for fundraisers.  

What do stories do?

• Stories help us connect. 
• Compelling stories increase empathy.
• Stories reflect our values. 
• Stories reveal truths. 
• Stories help us see others in a new way.
• Stories give us context.

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Mission Writers is a library of resources to help missionaries and nonprofits raise funds through storytelling. I've been re-organizing the content in response to some of your comments and suggestions, and I'll have some great resources for you soon. Sign up for my emails so you'll know when it's ready!

The time between Thanksgiving and December 31 is by far the biggest giving season of the year. People expect you to ask. If you don't, the assumption will likely be that you don't need their money.Here's what you need to do now.

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Support the show

Mission Writers is a library of resources to help missionaries and nonprofits raise funds through storytelling. I've been re-organizing the content in response to some of your comments and suggestions, and I'll have some great resources for you soon. Sign up for my emails so you'll know when it's ready!