Storytelling for Grantseekers: A Guide to Creative Nonprofit Fundraising

Introduction

Why Storytelling?

From the beginning of time, people have communicated their ideas, values, and lessons through stories. At first, stories were told in the oral tradition, often over an evening fire, and passed along from generation to generation. Some stories were later depicted through pictures drawn on cave walls or carved into stone. Over time, our ancestors developed written forms of language and began to memorialize their stories in writing.

 

The power of both true and fictional stories is demonstrated throughout history and literature. For example, in the Bible, Jesus uses parables—narrative short stories—to convey a double, or metaphorical, meaning. In the Greek tradition, fables and myths are impossible fictional stories ...