The Power of Storytelling for Fundraisers (24-Feb-25)

24 February 2025
09:30AM to 04:30PM

Individual Prices

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Package Type Available To Price
Individual Member Fee All Days Individual Members £330
Non-individual Member Fee All Days Non Individual Members £390

Storytelling is a powerful way of communicating because human beings are wired to learn and remember through story. Story is also a powerful fundraising tool because a story told well connects with the listener, evokes emotion and can inspire them to take action.

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Whatever your fundraising role or level, your ability to tell powerful stories with passion and conviction is the secret to engaging and inspiring your supporters, volunteers and colleagues and delivering the most impact for the cause you fundraise for.

On this one-day course you’ll explore why storytelling is a powerful tool for fundraisers, you’ll learn storytelling structures as well as practical tips to help your stories connect with your different audiences. You’ll build your confidence for story by practising telling your real stories. The day is packed with storytelling examples from both charities and the corporate world and you’ll leave with the skills, knowledge and tactics to engage your colleagues from inside and outside fundraising to help you find and tell powerful true stories.

It was wonderful to gain knowledge and insight from Lucy. You can see that her experience is vast and it was great to learn from her. I loved the group activities which provided the opportunity to learn from my peers and get to know them as well. Even if you have knowledge of storytelling, I highly recommend this course to build your confidence and experience to produce powerful pieces.

Sarah Walker, Public Fundraising Officer at SeeAbility

Who should attend?

This one-day course is designed for any fundraiser of any fundraising discipline who wants to develop meaningful relationships with their supporters, be more confident in their story telling skills and raise more money. It is also helpful for any fundraiser or manager who needs to lead and inspire their colleagues to work together to get better results.

Benefits for you and your organisation

The day is packed with great tips, valuable insights and real examples, this practical course will explore and explain what you need to do to get started and keep going when it comes to finding and telling stories to fundraise. You will leave the course with a greater confidence in your storytelling abilities and practical techniques that you can apply straight away. This course will change the way you approach your supporter communications and help you to work with colleagues, supporters and volunteers to gain better results for you individually, for your team, your organisation and most importantly your beneficiaries.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course you will have gained:

  • A clear understanding of the principles good storytelling and what it means for your role
  • Tactics to craft inspiring and engaging stories for different audiences
  • Confidence by practising telling stories with passion and conviction
  • Tips to find stories every day
  • Practical ways to build a culture of storytelling with your colleagues
  • A framework and principles to tell powerful stories
  • Enjoyed yourself and learned from your peers
Pre-course exercise

Please email the academy team academy@ciof.org.uk with the answers to the following questions: 

1.What is one thing that you would like to get from the course? 

2. What is your biggest work challenge right now? What is the barrier stopping you achieve it? 

The Live Virtual Training Experience

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising's live virtual training is delivered by trainers who are leading experts in their chosen discipline. Each virtual course has been especially designed to deliver a rich virtual learning experience. Your course will feature:

  • Zoom platform learning environment
  • Interactive engagement with the trainer and peers
  • Group discussions and exercises
  • Real-life case studies and examples
  • Ample Q&A opportunities throughout the sessions

TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS

The course is being delivered via the online platform zoom. To enable you to interact with your tutor and your class you will need to have access to a microphone (or access to a landline phone) and ideally have a working video link via a camera. To test compatibility with your system, you can join a test meeting via this link https://zoom.us/test

About your trainer

Lucy Gower is director and founder at Lucidity. She is a trainer, coach, author and consultant specialising in innovation. She works with teams to give them to courage, confidence and skills to make their good ideas happen.

Lucy believes that storytelling is a fundrasiers most powerful communication tool. Since leaving the NSPCC in 2012 Lucy has worked with over 50 organisations including Amnesty International, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Nesta, The Children’s Society and Greenpeace to help and inspire teams think more clearly and work positively together - to get better results. 

She is author of the best-selling book “The Innovation Workout” a blogger and conference speaker and often seen on Twitter @lucyinnovation www.lucidity.org.uk

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