Learn how to avoid harmful narratives in fundraising and adopt ethical storytelling that empowers communities while engaging donors.
Fundraising often relies on storytelling to connect with donors, but not all stories are told ethically. Harmful narratives, such as tokenism or poverty tourism, can exploit the communities nonprofits aim to support. In this blog, we’ll discuss how to avoid these harmful narratives and use ethical storytelling to engage donors.
Common Harmful Narratives in Fundraising
- Tokenism: Using marginalized individuals superficially without giving them real voice or power.
- White-Saviorism: Centering white donors as “heroes” while minimizing the agency of those being helped.
- Poverty Tourism: Exploiting suffering for financial gain.
Ethical Storytelling Strategies
- Engage your community in reviewing your fundraising communications and solicit their feedback.
- Focus on the power and agency of the communities you serve.
- Tell stories of resilience and empowerment, not just need or suffering.
- Ensure those whose stories you share have given informed consent and are represented with dignity.
- Do not just source out one or two people of color to tell their story and then never see them again. You should be meaningfully engage diverse members of your community ALL THE TIME. It should be easy to ask your fundraising committee member or your Board member or your community advisory member to participate in a fundraising campaign because they’re ALWAYS there, guiding your work. If they’re not…then ensuring those community members are in these spaces is your first step.
Conclusion & CTA
Ethical storytelling can build stronger, more respectful connections with your donors. Want to refine your fundraising communications? Reach out for expert advice.
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