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Who owns the story? Live financial testing of charity vs participant led storytelling in fundraising

London College of Communication;University of East Anglia (2022), 53 pp.
"This project demonstrates that there is another way of gathering and sharing the stories of people living in poverty around the world. Until now, there has been much positive and enthusiastic discussion amongst INGO communications and fundraising professionals about how to change the way we tell stories, but no one has ever put their money on the line to test whether participant-led fundraising is possible [...] Conclusions: Participant led fundraising appeals can be as, or more effective at raising funds than charity led appeals [...] Stories produced by people from the communities in which the programmes are happening can create a stronger emotional bond with donors [...] Participant led stories feel more authentic to donors [...] It is not necessary to outline to a supporter their role when communicating an issue [...] Participant-led storytelling challenged some of the saviourist narratives INGOs are accused of perpetuating, with both participants and donors recognising this and reacting positively." (Conclusions, page 24-25)
1 Research context, 6
2 Fundraising packs: a comparison, 9
3 Audience responses to the appeals, 14
4 Participant experience analysis, 20
5 Conclusions & recommendations, 23
6 Appendices, 28
7 Further reading, 52