Life and Mission
Storytelling and writing are essential skills for missionaries, ministry and nonprofit leaders. In fact, if you struggle to tell stories, you'll struggle to raise the funds you need. Kay Helm is a writer & editor with experience in missions and the business world. She founded Mission Writers in 2022 to help missionaries write fundraising appeals and powerful stories to share with supporters. In this podcast, she offers tips you can use today to improve your missions & nonprofit writing.
Episodes
99 episodes
Nonprofit Newsletter Notes
In this episode, I'm answering questions about nonprofit newsletters.How many newsletters should you send?How fancy do they need to be?What else can you do with those stories?Why send a print newsletter by...
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Episode 98
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14:52
Tell Stories to Raise Funds
Storytelling is an essential skill for fundraisers. What do stories do?Stories help us connect. Compelling stories increase empathy.Stories reflect our values. Stories reveal truths...
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Episode 97
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9:17
Don't Stop Now! Do this to raise funds at year-end.
The time between Thanksgiving and December 31 is by far the biggest giving season of the year. People expect you to ask. If you don't, the assumption will likely be that you don't need their money.Here's what you need to do now.
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Episode 96
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12:12
Unlock the Story Vault: Find the Stories You Need for Fundraising Success
You know you need to tell more stories to raise funds - but where do you find these stories? In this episode, I share five ways to find the stories you need.
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Episode 95
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17:37
What the Food Network Show "Chopped" Can Teach Nonprofits About Storytelling
In the Food Network show Chopped, just before chefs present their first dish to the judges, they must answer the question, “What would it mean for you to win?” It's a question every nonprofit must answer.
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Episode 94
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6:55
Own Your Expertise
Do you think of yourself as an expert? Maybe you should. We need you to share your knowledge and experience with us.-----
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Episode 93
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10:52
Ask for advice from supporters
Your supporters want to help. Asking them for advice helps you and engages them at a deeper level. You’ll both be glad you did!Often, when you ask for advice, supporters will tell you exactly how they prefer to be asked for money. ...
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Episode 92
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14:03
Reduce Friction for Fundraising Success - Part 2
In the last episode, we looked at gaps in your storytelling that cause friction. This week, we’re looking at friction in the donation process.
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Episode 91
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12:21
Reduce Friction for Fundraising Success - Part 1
Why aren't people giving? Maybe there's too much friction–little things in your messaging or in your presentation that cause hesitation or second-guessing. This week we look at friction in storytelling, and what to do about it.
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Episode 90
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16:22
Every Story is About Change
Every story needs change, regardless of the story's focus. By recognizing this and emphasizing it, you can engage and connect with your audience more effectively.
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Episode 89
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17:19
What Formula One Can Teach Nonprofits About Storytelling
Sports can teach us a lot about nonprofit storytelling. In this episode, we're looking at two examples of sports using storytelling to reach people and to teach people – two things all nonprofits need to do.
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Episode 88
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13:16
Monetize your book with a course
If you've got a book, you need a course to go with it. Here's my interview with the man who can help you do that, Dr. Lucas Marino.
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Episode 87
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39:51
3 Questions Your Writing Must Answer
When we are writing to move someone to action, we must be clear. Not clever. Only crystal clear will do. I recently attended the Hope Words conference for writers, where one of the speakers was Katherine Paterson. Mrs. Paterson is th...
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Episode 86
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12:08
Hard Stories: Writing for Yourself
As ministry practitioners and nonprofit communicators, we are often called to sit with difficult stories of human suffering and injustice. Even though we are storytellers, not every story is for sharing. Our words are also meant for remembering...
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Episode 85
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9:03
The Power of Parables in Nonprofit Storytelling
Parables have a way of getting around our defenses, short-circuiting our stereotypes, and making us think in new ways. In this episode, we're looking at the role of parables in Jesus' ministry, and how you can use stories to break through walls...
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Episode 84
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28:06
How to be a Fundraising Super Bowl Star
The Fundraising Super Bowl is your nonprofit's big game - and winning looks like raising the funds you need to serve. Here are some lessons from that "other" big game.Football coaching legend Vince Lombardi famously said to his almost-c...
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Episode 83
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10:49
How to be a Great Podcast Guest
Being a guest on podcasts is a great way to share your message. Here's your guide to being a great podcast guest.Find full show notes and a checklist at lifeandmission.com
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Episode 82
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21:57
More Than Podcasting: Are we missing opportunities?
In this interview with Eric Nevins, founder of the Christian Podcasters Association, we discuss the potential waiting to be unlocked through podcasting.Eric hosts the Halfway There P...
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Episode 81
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30:59
Three Messages to Send Donors in January
This week on Life and Mission: End-of-year fundraising may be over, but that only sets up some key messaging for January. In this episode, I'll give you three key messages to send donors in January (plus a bonus).
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Episode 80
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18:11
Writing Books - Interview with Kent Sanders
In this episode, Kent Sanders shares his process for ghostwriting and collaborating on book projects. Plus, thoughts on structure and creativity, and his latest project - a book about Elvis. Kent is the author of
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Episode 79
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51:31
What to do When the Stories Aren't Pretty
When things don't turn out as planned, a well-told setback story can give donors another reason to support you. Here are some of the stories you can tell around a setback:Explain the process of change your beneficiaries...
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Season 3
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Episode 78
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12:26
How Introverts Can Navigate Events
I have a love-hate relationship with conferences and networking events. While I love to meet new people and to learn new things, large or busy events can get overwhelming. I'm an introvert. I like my alone time. After a lot of activity, c...
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Season 3
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Episode 77
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23:55
Using Stories to Connect: Mary Valloni interviews Kay Helm
The tables are turned as fundraising expert Mary Valloni interviews Kay about using stories to connect with donors. We talked about:Using stories to connectWhere we go wrong with storytellingStories for people in admin roles...
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Season 3
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Episode 76
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42:46
Help Donors Catch Your Stories
Your donors are busy. They’re tired. They make decisions all day in a world where everyone is clamoring for attention. Here's a simple way to help them "catch" your stories.
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Season 3
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Episode 75
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11:53
Adjust Your Messaging to Fit Your Donor's Journey
Our stories have the power to move supporters along on a journey: introducing them to a problem, dispelling myths, offering hope, introducing them to our organization, showing them how we solve the problem, building trust, and inviting them to ...
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Season 3
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Episode 74
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12:51