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

You have a powerful impact story—but you don't know exactly how to use it in your overall message. Should you open with the story? Save it until the end? Put it somewhere in the middle? And how does the story connect to your ministry’s bigger vision without feeling randomly dropped into the message?

In this episode, I’m breaking down two ways I recommend using an impact story in a fundraising presentation, ministry newsletter, gala message, or church presentation.

👉 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 finally get a meeting with a potential donor…and then realize you have no idea what you’re actually supposed to say.

In this live coaching episode, I’m helping Cindy prepare for a meeting with a potential business donor. She knows her ministry inside and out—but as she admits, “I could talk all day. But I’m not talking about the right things.”

We work through how to structure the conversation, identify the real problem her ministry solves, keep the message focused on the donor, and make a clear ask without rambling through everything about the ministry.

If you’ve ever wondered, “What should I actually say in a donor meeting?” listen in.

Similar Episodes: 

50 | LIVE COACHING: Clarify Your Ministry Fundraising Message w/ Cherilyn Kolbas

64 | LIVE COACHING: The Donor Clarity That Transformed Her Ministry Fundraising

👉 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’ve worked hard on your ministry message. You’ve thought through the words on your website, practiced explaining what you do, and tried to communicate professionally. So why does it still feel like donors aren’t connecting?

Your message may be making one of three incredibly common mistakes I see in ministry fundraising. In this episode, we’re looking at vague language, overly formal communication, and messaging that makes your ministry sound like everyone else. I’ll show you how to spot these problems and start making your message clearer, easier to remember, and more specific to the ministry God has called you to.

Similar Episodes: 

92 | No One Donating? 2 Tips to Spark Ministry Donations Now

89 | Fundraising Without Manipulation: 3 Ways Missionaries Can Invite Support Naturally

👉 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

Has it been months since you’ve really fundraised? Ministry got busy, donor communication slipped, and now your support account is getting lower than you’d like. Suddenly, fundraising feels urgent—and you’re wondering where to even begin.

In this episode, I’m sharing a simple way to restart your ministry fundraising without trying to make up for months of silence all at once. We’ll talk about the foundation you need before you start asking, how to create a realistic fundraising rhythm, and what will help you build stronger donor relationships over time.

Similar Episodes: 

105 | Storytelling for Fundraising: The Simple Structure That Makes Your Ministry Message Clear

43 | Why Your Fundraising Messaging Isn’t Working—and How Storytelling Fixes It

12 | Ministry Storytelling Made Simple: A Framework to Engage 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

You’ve heard that storytelling is powerful for fundraising—but storytelling is so much more than finding a good ministry story and retelling what happened.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the 2 main ways to use storytelling in your ministry fundraising. If your ministry communication tends to feel scattered, or you’ve tried sharing stories without seeing much change in your fundraising, this episode will help you understand what may be missing.

Similar Episodes: 

105 | Storytelling for Fundraising: The Simple Structure That Makes Your Ministry Message Clear

43 | Why Your Fundraising Messaging Isn’t Working—and How Storytelling Fixes It

12 | Ministry Storytelling Made Simple: A Framework to Engage 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

Businesses can give bigger donations, so it’s tempting to look for the company with the deepest pockets and think, If we could just get them on board, we’d finally hit our fundraising goal.

But chasing the biggest check can waste a huge amount of time—and sometimes bring the wrong partner into your ministry.

In this episode, we’re talking about how fundraising with business sponsors is different from talking with individual donors and how to communicate with businesses more effectively. You’ll learn why identifying your ideal business donor matters, how to stay true to your ministry when pursuing funding, and why alignment can matter far more than the size of the potential donation.

Similar Episodes: 

92 | No One Donating? 2 Tips to Spark Ministry Donations Now

89 | Fundraising Without Manipulation: 3 Ways Missionaries Can Invite Support Naturally

👉 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

Your ministry has powerful stories—but knowing how to actually use storytelling in fundraising is a completely different challenge.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the storytelling structure I use to help ministry leaders build a clear fundraising message. We’ll talk about why you need to know exactly who you’re talking to, why conflict should come before explaining what your ministry does, and how to build the rest of your message so donors can see the role they have to play.

Because good storytelling isn’t an accident. And once you have the right structure, you can use it everywhere—from donor conversations and presentations to newsletters and social media.

Similar Episodes: 

92 | No One Donating? 2 Tips to Spark Ministry Donations Now

89 | Fundraising Without Manipulation: 3 Ways Missionaries Can Invite Support Naturally

👉 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

🎉 LAST DAY TO WIN A FREE COACHING SESSION!

I’m giving away a FREE 1-hour Fundraising Message Coaching Session to three winners. We’ll look at your fundraising message together, identify areas that may be holding you back, and help you gain clarity on how to communicate more effectively with donors.

Enter before the giveaway closes tonight: irisstorytelling.com/100

You see another missionary or ministry leader raising support faster than you, and suddenly you’re wondering: What are they doing that I’m not?

Comparison can quietly wreck your fundraising confidence. You start questioning your communication, second-guessing your asks, or copying someone else’s strategy because it seems to be working for them.

In this episode, we’re talking about how comparison affects your fundraising and three ways to get your focus back where it belongs. You’ll learn how to measure progress based on faithful action, communicate with more confidence, and trust God with the results when your fundraising isn’t moving as quickly as you hoped.

👉 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

**I’m celebrating the 100th episode of the podcast by giving away three FREE Fundraising Message Coaching Sessions! If you’ve been wanting personalized feedback on your fundraising message, this is your chance.

🎉 Enter the giveaway: https://www.irisstorytelling.com/100

Fundraising feels like it’s stealing time from your ministry—but what if that mindset is actually holding your ministry back?

If you’ve ever sat down to write a newsletter and thought, “I became a missionary to serve people, not spend hours fundraising,” you’re not alone. It can feel like every donor update, thank-you note, or support meeting pulls you away from the work God actually called you to do.

In this episode, I’m sharing 3 mindset shifts that completely changed how you view fundraising. You’ll learn why fundraising isn’t separate from ministry, how to stop treating it like a never-ending list of tasks, and why a simple weekly rhythm can help fundraising feel lighter instead of overwhelming.

👉 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

🎉 Episode 100 Giveaway Ends August 10! I’m giving away 3 free Fundraising Message Coaching Sessions to ministry leaders, missionaries, and nonprofit founders. If you want help clarifying your fundraising message, newsletter, donor presentation, or support ask, enter now at irisstorytelling.com/100.

Every “no” in fundraising leaves a mark.

At first, it’s easy to brush off. Then another person says “maybe later.” Someone else ghosts you. Before long, those responses start changing how you show up. You hesitate to ask. You lose confidence. You begin expecting rejection before the conversation even starts.

But what if you’ve been carrying a burden God never asked you to carry?

In this episode, I share 3 biblical mindset shifts that will help you stop measuring yourself by donor responses and start approaching fundraising with confidence, freedom, and joy again.

👉 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