A Tale of Stir Fry – The Fundraiser, the Storyteller, and a Donor’s Experience

Dear Diary,

Aside from being a Prospect Researcher, I am a food enthusiast that is allergic to peanuts. Today, I am thrilled to launch a new series called A Foodie in Development, where we will mix up all the recipes of research in fundraising, and dissect different culinary dishes.

In today’s entry, I want to talk about a vegetable stir fry, (protein is always an optional add-on, in addition to rice or noodles) in relation to fundraisers, storytellers, and a donor’s experience. Stir fry, which typically consists of protein, vegetables, seasonings, and complementary sauce (s), is a Chinese technique of stirring and frying portions in hot oil over high heat. When you stare down at a hot plate of vegetable stir fry – a meal freshly prepared and ready to be eaten – first, there are visual stimulants. The plate is colorful, beaming lights from the mix of orange carrots, vibrant red and yellow bell peppers, brown and sautéed mushrooms, bright green snap peas, forest green broccoli, and yellow-almost-mustard baby corn. The eyes dance around the plate capturing the vignettes illustrated by each vegetable.

Similarly, a fundraiser’s role is definable in separate moments of a day. These are colorful individuals, personable, with their personal lives as real as their professional. In moments of relationship-building, they are captured as storytellers. A story can be told through so many mediums, and since it forms connections, a fundraiser’s collateral has to be composed of mixed mediums for people who digest information differently. The importance of a great storyteller is not only the active creation of narratives for prospects and donors based on the organization’s mission, goals, and achievements, but also the effects of the story. The impact of a story is what sizzles food like heated olive oil in a pan ready to receive ingredients. A prospect transitions to donor based on captivating stories that reflect impact, affinity, and time. And, a donor’s experience capitalizes on autonomy, affinity, and storytelling steered by the fundraiser. Please note that engagement with an organization is not garnish, it is the spatula poking through and mixing into the fold of comfortability. A prospect who feels like they understand the organization’s language is successful engagement.

Thanks to the mix of olive oil (butter for those who prefer it), chicken broth, peppers and greens, potent garlic and onion, the seasoning elevates an aroma that’s hard to subdue. The mixture of smells imbalances your understanding of what’s on your plate, but excitedly prepares your taste buds for exploration.  

The fundraiser, the storyteller, and a donor’s experience – a stir fry of opportunity. In this path of Fundraising, success in these significant components differs in many ways while upholding an aligning thread amongst all three across the industry - communication, processes to achieve annual goals, steady trails from qualification to solicitation, collateral consistently updated and shared with prospects, engagement tools that help a donor feel stewarded, and curiosity of experiences from all perspectives.

Enjoy your thoughtful meal ( recipe source )!

Until next time, April 15th!