[Foundation-l] Rethinking fundraising (2): Storytelling

[Delirium]

Erik Moeller wrote:
> On 10/6/07, Jeandré du Toit <jackdt at gmail.com> wrote:
>   
>> I personally don't like the point pushing that is marketing generally,
>> and mawkish ads specifically; preferring neutral, factual information.
>> Will this storytelling approach with symbolic media not put off the
>> people who previously responded to the simple, marketese free "If you
>> think Wikimedia's projects are worthwhile, please donate so we can buy
>> infrastructure to keep it going."? Will storytelling bring in more
>> donations, and if so what does it say about the NPOV educational
>> information provided?
>>     
>
> This is a very typical, and very wrong, attitude in non-profits. Andy
> Goodman examines that point at length in his lecture, which is really
> worth watching:
>
> http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-289257716014946841
>
> The gist of it is that the story does not _replace_ the factual
> information. It provides a hook for getting people who _aren't_ part
> of your world to start caring about it. And once they care, they
> should find out all the factual information they want
>
> If you only do storytelling and don't provide key facts & figures,
> you're failing just as much as if you're only providing the facts &
> figures, but no lead that makes people care about them.
>   


I agree some effort to pull in other people is worthwhile, but I agree 
with Jeandré that we ought not to come off as excessively PR-ish. I know 
I've stopped contributing to other nonprofits who've taken such a tone 
with their advertising (and organizational style generally), and would 
be turned off from contributing to Wikimedia were its communications to 
start looking like they came from an ad agency rather than from normal 
people.

-Mark