738. The Storytelling Strategy That Turns Donors into Believers (And How to Build It) - Annie Wood and Max Kringen

The film ended and the room went silent. Then it roared. Over the next three years, hundreds of donors gave more than $300,000 to build one young woman a home of her own.That's what belief looks like when it shows up. Max Kringen and Annie Wood of Tellwell Story Co. have spent years studying how it gets built — and it isn't luck, and it isn't a bigger ask. 🩵In this episode, you'll hear:Why a muddy story keeps donors stuck in transaction mode — and how confusion becomes a tax on every dollar you raiseThe Story Seasons framework: introduce, educate, engage, remind — the rhythm that moves someone from curious to committed across a yearWhy most organizations stall in "engage" and skip the season that actually builds reciprocityThe input nobody plans for: your story listening strategy, and how to empower frontline staff to collect what mattersHow Tellwell engineered belonging into the Well Told Conference, down to the name tagsYou'll walk away with a build sequence for turning one-time givers into people who say I want to be part of this. 🩵Episode Highlights:(3:31) Three friends, one bar, and a studio built on listening(4:54) Annie's path from startup ecosystems to Tellwell(7:21) Belief over transactions: what unclear stories really cost(9:24) The build: introduce, educate, engage, remind(13:14) What it looks like when a leader finally has the word(17:26) Designing belonging: shielded vulnerability and place-and-replace(21:37) Making ethical storytelling practical, not academic(22:51) Story listening: the strategy before the strategy(25:33) Belief in the room: Ella's painting and Lizzie's home(30:34) One Good ThingEpisode Show Notes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/738Join us at The Spread!Givebutter's biggest innovation event of the year is here — The Spread, built entirely around co-creating with nonprofits like yours. 💛We Are For Good is joining forces with GB to host in-person hackathon meetups on Friday, Oct. 2, in New York, Seattle, LA, Denver, and Indianapolis, so you can build alongside other nonprofits in the community.Learn more and save your free spot today. //Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.comSay hi 👋LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter