The Art of Storytelling: How to Inspire Donors Through Narrative

In this episode of The Doing Good Lab, Jim Killion, Aaron Sandoval, and Laura Blaney dive into one of the most powerful tools that nonprofits can use to connect with supporters and drive impact: storytelling.  Whether you’re struggling to find stories or wondering how to tell them effectively across different platforms, this conversation is packed with practical tips, real examples, and creative insight. Key Takeaways:  Why Stories Matter: While numbers show scale, stories show impact on a human level. Donors connect emotionally when they understand who they’re helping. Bringing Offers to Life: A good story doesn’t just support a fundraising offer — it amplifies it. When donors can picture who they’re helping, they’re more likely to give. Donors as the Hero: Storytelling isn’t just about reporting what happened — it’s about showing how the donor made it happen. Storytelling Across Media: From email to social media to 15-second videos, different formats require different strategies.  The Power of Simplicity: The most powerful stories are often the most relatable and simple. Like Jesus’ parables, the stories that stick are clear, human, and emotionally resonant.  Episode 3 Guest Bios: Jim Killion – Digizent Chief Executive Officer: Founder and leader of Digizent International, Jim is an award-winning industry leader who has been pioneering digital concepts since 1995. He is the founder of 10 direct response companies. He launched his first digital group in 1995 and has been breaking interactive barriers ever since. Jim is a Diamond Echo Award winner, the highest award given by the Direct Marketing Association. Aaron Sandoval – Digizent Chief Creative Officer: Aaron is an award-winning authority, speaker, and industry leader on interactive strategy, architecture, user experience, and creativity. He has crafted interactive media for dozens of partners such as SONY Music, Coca-Cola, PayPal, Susan G. Komen, Network for Good, and has worked for scores of international enterprises. Laura Blaney – Copy Pod Lead: Laura is a seasoned communicator with nearly 35 years of experience crafting compelling messaging for nonprofits, agencies, and media companies. In addition to her role at Digizent International, Laura has worked for three direct and digital marketing agencies, two dot coms (Musicforce.com—now part of Christianbook.com — and Crosswalk.com, a Salem Media Group brand), two non-profits, and Lifeway Christian Resources — one of the world’s largest providers of Christian products and services. Subscribe now to The Doing Good Lab at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Buzzsprout, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also listen to The Doing Good Lab here.  Digizent | Doing good.™ At Digizent, we create strategic, creative, and technical digital solutions that are award-winning, dynamic, and purpose-built for your nonprofit’s success. We believe results reach far beyond clicks and conversions. They touch lives, build futures, and shape a better world. That’s Doing good.™ Learn more about Digizent and how we help nonprofits grow at Digizent.com.  Follow Digizent at Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.