Story‑Driven Fundraising | Missionary, Fundraising Ideas, Donations, Marketing Plan, NonProfit Groups

Are you pouring countless hours into websites, social media, and updates—yet still not seeing donor engagement or ministry growth? You’re not alone. Many women ministry leaders feel spread thin, juggling every role and wondering if their efforts are really making a difference.

In this episode I share a clear starting point for leaders who feel frustrated, overlooked, or ready to give up on communication strategies that aren’t working.

You’ll discover:

• Why trying to do “all the things” is keeping you stuck
• The first steps toward clarity in your ministry communication
• How to simplify your message so donors actually listen and respond

If you’ve been searching for a way to connect with donors without burning out, this episode will point you in the right direction and give you a framework for moving forward.

👉 Learn more about 1:1 coaching with Lisa: irisstorytelling.com/workshop

Similar Episodes: 

05 | 7 steps to engage Your donor: The Story Structure

04 | Get Your Donors to Pay Attention Amidst the Noise

👉 Work with me one-on-one to clarify your fundraising message, remove the guilt around asking, and create consistent donor communication that actually works.

https://irisstorytelling.com/coaching

👉 Grab your free Ministry Newsletter Guide to easily write updates your donors want to read.

https://irisstorytelling.com/guide

👉 Join the free community for women ministry leaders who fundraise — a place for encouragement, prayer, and learning how to use storytelling to connect with donors.

https://irisstorytelling.com/community

Connect with me:

[email protected]

https://irisstorytelling.com

You know stories are impactful, but you don't really know how to tell a story well. Or maybe you’re given just a few minutes to share an update and felt unsure how to tell a story that's short but engaging and effective.

In this episode, I share another simple story framework—a tool you can use to tell ministry stories with confidence, even when time is short. Storytelling doesn’t have to feel overwhelming or complicated. With the right structure, you can share what God is doing in a way that engages hearts, builds trust, and draws donors closer to the mission.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How to follow the main character of your story so listeners connect immediately
• The anchors of a strong story that keep it clear and compelling
• The plot points many ministries skip—and why they’re essential for impact
• A simple framework you can apply to every testimony or ministry update

Similar Episodes: 

05 | 7 steps to engage Your donor: The Story Structure

08 | 3 Steps to Build a Ministry Story Bank that Engages Donors

👉 Work with me one-on-one to clarify your fundraising message, remove the guilt around asking, and create consistent donor communication that actually works.

https://irisstorytelling.com/coaching

👉 Grab your free Ministry Newsletter Guide to easily write updates your donors want to read.

https://irisstorytelling.com/guide

👉 Join the free community for women ministry leaders who fundraise — a place for encouragement, prayer, and learning how to use storytelling to connect with donors.

https://irisstorytelling.com/community

Connect with me:

[email protected]

https://irisstorytelling.com

Margo and Joe Carl were told their daughter had a very low chance of survival, after being born at 24 weeks. What followed was nearly 30 years of a deep, ongoing battle—walking through hardship, uncertainty, and countless moments of perseverance as parents.

But in the middle of that long season, God was there. He brought goodness out of the struggle in ways only He can. Their journey is one of holding tightly to Jesus when nothing made sense and seeing His faithfulness show up again and again.

I hope this conversation encourages you in whatever you’re walking through today. And as you listen, I also want you to notice how their testimony naturally unfolds as a story—one that builds faith and points back to God’s care. These are the kinds of stories we need to be sharing in our ministries, because they show the world who He is.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• What it was like for Margo and Joe to face their daughter’s low chance of survival
• How they persevered through nearly three decades of struggle
• Where they saw God bring unexpected goodness in the middle of hardship
• Why stories like this matter for building faith and strengthening ministry

Their testimony is both an encouragement for your heart and an example of how powerful it can be to share stories of endurance and God’s faithfulness.

Similar Episodes: 

07 | Forgotten by God: Grief, Doubt, and Hope w/ Ben & Jessi Bock

03 | Pouring Out & Still Failing w/ Jackie Prevost

👉 Work with me one-on-one to clarify your fundraising message, remove the guilt around asking, and create consistent donor communication that actually works.

https://irisstorytelling.com/coaching

👉 Grab your free Ministry Newsletter Guide to easily write updates your donors want to read.

https://irisstorytelling.com/guide

👉 Join the free community for women ministry leaders who fundraise — a place for encouragement, prayer, and learning how to use storytelling to connect with donors.

https://irisstorytelling.com/community

Connect with me:

[email protected]

https://irisstorytelling.com

Do you ever feel stuck when it comes to donor communication? You sit down to write an update or share about your ministry, and suddenly the words just don’t come. Or maybe you do get the words out, but they feel flat… and you walk away wondering if donors will ever really get it.

You’re not alone. Many women ministry leaders wrestle with the same thing—and underneath it all is something deeper: imposter syndrome. That quiet voice that says, “Who am I to be doing this?” or “I don’t have the right words.”

In this episode, I want to encourage you with God’s Word and remind you that He delights in using our weakness. From Moses to Jeremiah to Paul, Scripture is full of examples of people who felt unqualified and yet were chosen to speak. God says, “I have put my words in your mouth.”

We’ll also talk about:

• How imposter syndrome shows up in donor conversations
• What God says when you feel unequipped or not gifted in speaking
• Why it’s not really about you—it’s about inviting donors into God’s story
• A simple storytelling framework that brings clarity to your messaging and freedom to your heart

You don’t have to carry the pressure of “saying it perfectly.” God provides the words, and you get to offer donors an incredible opportunity to partner with Him in His work.

👉 Work with me one-on-one to clarify your fundraising message, remove the guilt around asking, and create consistent donor communication that actually works.

https://irisstorytelling.com/coaching

👉 Grab your free Ministry Newsletter Guide to easily write updates your donors want to read.

https://irisstorytelling.com/guide

👉 Join the free community for women ministry leaders who fundraise — a place for encouragement, prayer, and learning how to use storytelling to connect with donors.

https://irisstorytelling.com/community

Connect with me:

[email protected]

https://irisstorytelling.com

If you’ve ever sat down to write your ministry update and thought, “What do I even say?” or “This feels like a chore”—this episode is for you.

In today’s episode, I’m walking you through a practical, step-by-step framework for writing email ministry updates that your donors will actually want to read.

We’ll cover:

• Why regular communication keeps donors connected and giving
• The 5 steps to writing an effective ministry update email
• How to craft subject lines that make donors the hero
• Why starting with the problem increases engagement
• One clear call to action every email needs

Plus, I’ll share bonus tips on how to keep your updates skimmable, story-driven, and relational! 

Grab the free guide that goes with it here:

https://www.irisstorytelling.com/guide

👉 Work with me one-on-one to clarify your fundraising message, remove the guilt around asking, and create consistent donor communication that actually works.

https://irisstorytelling.com/coaching

👉 Grab your free Ministry Newsletter Guide to easily write updates your donors want to read.

https://irisstorytelling.com/guide

👉 Join the free community for women ministry leaders who fundraise — a place for encouragement, prayer, and learning how to use storytelling to connect with donors.

https://irisstorytelling.com/community

Connect with me:

[email protected]

https://irisstorytelling.com

Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a treasure box full of ministry stories—organized, searchable, and ready to share whenever you need them?

In this episode of The Story-Driven Ministry, I’ll walk you through 3 simple but powerful steps to help you collect, document, and follow up on impact stories from your ministry. Whether you have five stories or five hundred, this system will save you time, reduce stress, and help you engage your donors in a deeper, more meaningful way.

You’ll learn how to:

• Become a Story Finder who actively seeks out powerful testimonies
• Set up a searchable system for organizing your stories
• Create a habit of following up so you can share story updates that inspire trust and generosity

If you’ve ever found yourself scrambling to remember where that “perfect story” was saved, this episode is for you.

👉 Work with me one-on-one to clarify your fundraising message, remove the guilt around asking, and create consistent donor communication that actually works.

https://irisstorytelling.com/coaching

👉 Grab your free Ministry Newsletter Guide to easily write updates your donors want to read.

https://irisstorytelling.com/guide

👉 Join the free community for women ministry leaders who fundraise — a place for encouragement, prayer, and learning how to use storytelling to connect with donors.

https://irisstorytelling.com/community

Connect with me:

[email protected]

https://irisstorytelling.com

What do you do when obedience to God leads you into a season of deep loss, unanswered prayers, and silence from heaven?

In this raw and vulnerable conversation, missionaries Ben & Jessi Bock share their journey through grief, spiritual burnout, and the haunting feeling that God had abandoned them. From the loss of both their mothers to raising young children in a spiritually dark environment overseas, their story is one of honesty, wrestling with doubt, and ultimately finding healing and hope.

If you’ve ever felt forgotten by God or wondered where He is in your hardest moments, this episode will remind you that you’re not alone—and that God is still present, even when He feels far away.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• The unexpected hardships they faced on the mission field
• What it felt like to walk through a “spiritual desert”
• How grief and loss impacted their faith
• The role of community, counseling, and time in their healing
• Seeing God’s love in the hands and feet of others

👉 Work with me one-on-one to clarify your fundraising message, remove the guilt around asking, and create consistent donor communication that actually works.

https://irisstorytelling.com/coaching

👉 Grab your free Ministry Newsletter Guide to easily write updates your donors want to read.

https://irisstorytelling.com/guide

👉 Join the free community for women ministry leaders who fundraise — a place for encouragement, prayer, and learning how to use storytelling to connect with donors.

https://irisstorytelling.com/community

Connect with me:

[email protected]

https://irisstorytelling.com

Does fundraising feel awkward, uncomfortable, or even a little icky? Do you find yourself dreading the “ask” and wishing you could just focus on the ministry work God has called you to?

In this episode, Lisa unpacks a powerful mindset shift that can free you from the pressure of fundraising and reframe how you see your donors. What if fundraising wasn’t about asking for money… but offering your donors an incredible gift?

You’ll learn:

• Why your fundraising may feel like begging or bragging
• How your message might unintentionally make donors feel like outsiders
• The simple shift that positions donors as the hero of your story
• Real-world examples that turn awkward asks into life-giving invitations
• One practical challenge you can try this week to reshape your messaging

Whether you’re raising support as a missionary, running a nonprofit, or leading a donor-funded ministry, this episode will help you invite donors in with clarity, confidence, and joy.

👉 Work with me one-on-one to clarify your fundraising message, remove the guilt around asking, and create consistent donor communication that actually works.

https://irisstorytelling.com/coaching

👉 Grab your free Ministry Newsletter Guide to easily write updates your donors want to read.

https://irisstorytelling.com/guide

👉 Join the free community for women ministry leaders who fundraise — a place for encouragement, prayer, and learning how to use storytelling to connect with donors.

https://irisstorytelling.com/community

Connect with me:

[email protected]

https://irisstorytelling.com

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

👉 Work with me one-on-one to clarify your fundraising message, remove the guilt around asking, and create consistent donor communication that actually works.

https://irisstorytelling.com/coaching

👉 Grab your free Ministry Newsletter Guide to easily write updates your donors want to read.

https://irisstorytelling.com/guide

👉 Join the free community for women ministry leaders who fundraise — a place for encouragement, prayer, and learning how to use storytelling to connect with donors.

https://irisstorytelling.com/community

Connect with me:

[email protected]

https://irisstorytelling.com

Are your donors tuning you out? You’re doing your best to share your ministry’s heart and mission—but people just nod politely and move on. In this episode, I’ll walk you through why your message may not be connecting and exactly how to cut through the noise with clarity and purpose.

We’ll use a simple framework to:

• Identify your ideal donor
• Learn how to “call them by name” with your messaging
• Use storytelling and strategy to speak in a way that makes them perk up and say, “That’s me!”

👉 Work with me one-on-one to clarify your fundraising message, remove the guilt around asking, and create consistent donor communication that actually works.

https://irisstorytelling.com/coaching

👉 Grab your free Ministry Newsletter Guide to easily write updates your donors want to read.

https://irisstorytelling.com/guide

👉 Join the free community for women ministry leaders who fundraise — a place for encouragement, prayer, and learning how to use storytelling to connect with donors.

https://irisstorytelling.com/community

Connect with me:

[email protected]

https://irisstorytelling.com