Written By Meghan Goff

What sets a fixer-upper apart from a total dump?

“It’s got good bones.”

Talk about great marketing.

For house hunters, when the bones are good, you’re not starting from scratch. You’ve got a strong foundation to start from and work with, one that tips in the direction of promise and potential instead of disappointment and delay.

And guess what? When you’re building a story, a lot of the same principles apply. Developing and delivering a narrative that will resonate with your donors is actually a lot like building a house.

If the end goal is to create messages that move, you’ve got to have good bones.

Are the bones good? Find out by starting with the basics:

Strong Foundation

The foundational elements of your story are the ones that ground your organization—your mission, your purpose, and your vision for the future. Across platforms and channels, regardless of which audiences you’re speaking to, your foundation should remain strong. Unwavering. It should be clear who you are and what you stand for.

Building a compelling case starts by recognizing, understanding, and owning your foundation and its essential role in your organization’s ability to stand strong (quite literally).

Solid Framework

You don’t have to be an aspiring author to understand and apply a story structure that keeps your reader engaged. Your framework drives the direction of your story, keeping your reader on track and moving toward your call to action—the worst thing you can do is lose them along the way.

Whether you’re bringing attention to an urgent need, or expressing gratitude and sharing impact, the same structure applies. Frame your communications by asking the following questions:

1. What do I want my reader to know?
2. How will they know it?
3. What do I want my reader to do?
4. How can they do it?

Character and Charm

Priorities are great, but where are the people? Real voices and real experiences are essential to create a narrative that feels, well… real! Just like the character and charm prospective homeowners covet, your writing should take your audience on a journey. And while it might not be through layers of linoleum and eras of wallpaper, it’s an opportunity to highlight where you’ve been and where you’re going.

Painting this picture—through firsthand accounts, testimonials, or by placing impact at the forefront of your messaging—is one of the most powerful ways to showcase the vital role your donors play in making it all happen.

What makes a house a home? You can’t quite pinpoint it – but when it happens, you feel it.

Infusing heart into your communications and conveying impact to your donors in a way that ignites something inside of them, it’s kind of like that.

When it happens – you feel it.