Episode 19 | Where Do Donors Fit Into Your Story?

You can be doing incredible work, but if people don’t understand the heart behind it, how will they know they want to be part of it? In this episode of Passion Inspires, Jeff sits down with longtime friend and nonprofit leader, Joe Dulin. Together they look back on nearly 15 years of working together, and the lessons they’ve learned about fundraising, storytelling, and connecting people to a mission along the way. Their partnership began at Paws With A Cause, where listening to donors and clients uncovered that they weren’t simply a “dog organization.” Paws With A Cause is about people’s lives; their independence, and the doors an assistance dog can open for them. That insight helped shape the You Open Doors campaign and gave donors a clearer picture of the role they played in making that possible. Years later, Joe brought Scott Allen Creative alongside him again, at A New Leaf in Arizona, this time with a completely different request. The challenge was how to bring more than 40 programs together and tell one clear, meaningful story. Throughout the conversation, Joe shares what decades in philanthropy have taught him about what really connects people to a cause. For anyone working in the nonprofit world, this episode is a thoughtful conversation about listening well, understanding your donors, and telling your story in a way that helps people see where they fit into it. How do donors fit into your story? _____ Scott Allen Creative is a marketing agency for nonprofits, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. https://scottallencreative.com/ #PassionInspires #NonprofitStorytelling #Fundraising #DonorRelations #NonprofitLeadership #DonorEngagement #NonprofitMarketing Contents of this Video 00:00 Welcome to Passion Inspires 00:37 Meet Joe Doolan 01:50 How Scott Allen Creative & Joe First Connected 03:30 Why Research Matters Before the Creative 05:20 Understanding What Motivates Donors 07:00 The Story Behind “You Open Doors” 08:15 Paws With A Cause: It’s About People, Not Dogs 09:40 Making the Donor Part of the Story 11:15 Telling the Story From a Different Perspective 12:10 Why Nonprofits Need to Invest in Their Brand 14:00 Bringing Scott Allen Creative to Arizona 15:45 Rebranding A New Leaf 17:30 Building a Stronger Donor Strategy 19:15 The Story & Growth of A New Leaf 21:50 Simplifying a Complex Nonprofit Story 24:10 Storytelling That Helps Donors Connect 25:15 Advice for Nonprofit Development Professionals 26:45 Fundraising Is About Relationships 27:45 Why Joe Says He “Works for the Donor” 28:50 The Importance of the Nonprofit Community 30:10 Friendship, Partnership & 15 Years of Working Together 32:25 Closing Thoughts