START YOUR (FUNDRAISING) STORY IN THE MIDDLE

Here’s a magic trick to use with your next fundraising story:

Start in the middle of the action.

Skip the backstory.

Why? Because starting in medias res – “in the midst of things” – works just as well  in fundraising as in your favorite fiction, or that news story you can’t forget.

Compare these two story starters for a fundraising appeal:

#1
Susan has courageously faced many hurdles in life, starting with childhood abuse. 

VS.

#2
36 hours. It’s all she has to find a new place to live.

Or these two:

#1
Nkunda was born with a cleft, but treatment was out of reach for his family. When he started school, he was bullied.

VS.

#2
Nkunda hides in the bushes on his way to school, trying to stay still and quiet. When he hears a group of children coming down the path, he knows it’s best to disappear.

Which story openers spark curiosity and intrigue?

Which of them creates instant emotional investment?

Which of these stories do you keep reading?

In both examples, #2 wins. These story starters drop the reader into an intense situation. We immediately care about what’s happening. Starting in the midst of the action makes your reader a detective… And who can resist following a tantalizing trail?

It’s a storytelling tactic you’ve encountered many times, whether you knew it or not.

Remember when Homer starts The Odyssey smack dab in the middle of a dire situation? The hero is being held captive and it’s pretty grim. We don’t know what led him to this moment… but we want to.

What if Homer had started out by telling you when and where Odysseus was born? Or with a summary of all that’s happened leading up to this moment? (No thank you!)

Why do we binge-watch stories like The White Lotus? Season one, scene one opens at an airport window overlooking the tarmac. A handsome young man dressed for a Hawaiian vacation stares steely-eyed out the window, alone. He’s watching a casket being loaded onto his airplane. 

Wait, what?? We stick around for more.

Just watch out for these pitfalls:

Choose a moment in the middle of the story that’s compelling enough to draw your reader in but doesn’t give too much away.

When you get to the backstory, don’t overdo it. Remember your story’s purpose. Share only what’s crucial and memorable.

And try not to bounce back and forth too many times between past and present, as the story unfolds. We don’t want to leave our reader with whiplash.

Try this approach with your next fundraising story and let me know how it goes?