Let Your Hero Do the Talking

Do you know the secret ingredient to powerful planned giving donor stories?

A few years ago, we interviewed a supporter of the Marine Corp Heritage Foundation.

He had made a planned gift to the Foundation and was appealing to other Marines to “get their affairs in order” by updating their will or trust. Then he asked them to remember MCHF in their will.

The Marine was passionate about his bond with other members of the Corp, and we were able to use his language to tell his story.

What does his bond have to do with planned giving donor stories?

Because this man’s story was rich with language that connected to the emotions of other readers.

He talked about the friendships formed in the Corp.

He talked about the naivety and uncertainty of “The Nam.”

He compared that to security he feels now …

And then, he inspired other Marines to support the Foundation to ensure the history and heritage of “our beloved Marine Corps.”

I’m sure you can guess what happened …

Because the planned giving donor story was filled with emotion, it made a connection to his readers …

… which caused one of those readers—Bill Bogard, Commandant: M.C. L.—to contact the Foundation, indicating his desire to leave them a gift.

But here’s where things get good …

MCHF then asked us to interview Bill to get his story about what inspired him to leave a planned gift. And then MCHF featured Bill in their next marketing send.

Bill was so pleased to help MCHF by sharing his planned giving donor story, he forwarded the email to all of his Marine friends and personally asked them to leave a gift!

This is the ripple effect of a powerful planned giving donor story!

This is why we always encourage our clients to choose REAL donors …

When you give a voice to someone who loves you, they’ll be far more effective at spreading your message.

It never sounds like a sales pitch!

Who do you know who could be a “brand evangelist” for your organization? Believe me … that evangelist will do a far better job at making planned gifts sound interesting than a cold call will!

But writing a donor’s story takes a special skill. You need an emotive writer. You need to understand a story arch. A lot goes into those few simple paragraphs.

That’s why we always ask our clients to let us interview the donor and write the story for them.

We’ll tap into the motivations of your donor, write an inspiring, real-life story that connects to the emotions of the reader, and ask for a gift in a way that helps the reader understand the possibilities and impact.

Your donors are your heroes. Let them tell your story!