The true Emotional Hook^™ for your organization is a complex mix of the emotions, values, stereotypes, and dreams that your work stirs up in people. This "internal" Emotional Hook may not be something you ever say out loud. It is the deeper story and compelling, instinctive feeling that moves people to jump in and take action. At your Point of Entry^® Event, you definitely want to stir up this internal Emotional Hook while at the same time demonstrating the more obvious, "external" Emotional Hooks such as the cute kids or the hard-working families, either by meeting these people first-hand or through testimonials, audiotape, or stories.

The Emotional Hook answers the questions: How does the work of this organization impact the life of one individual? How does it affect real people? Whether your mission is related to saving whales or saving orphans, the fundraising dollars you are looking for are going to come from real people. They will be asking themselves: How does this really work? How much of an impact does this really have on one ordinary person like me? How important is it to me that this problem be solved?

Do not be afraid to use emotion. Today's donors are hungry for it. They are counting on you to inspire them. In fact, many would say that in our high-tech world, "high touch" is more valued than ever. Your organization offers your donors high touch. Don't hold back on using it. And keep it simple. Your goal is to provide an experience and paint a picture in people's minds—an indelible picture. It needs to move them to tears.

The easiest way to provide an Emotional Hook for guests at your Point of Entry is through stories. People will remember a story. After working with hundreds of organizations with very different missions, we have seen that each organization has what we have named the Essential Story^™. Zeroing in on the Essential Story for your organization will streamline your job at a Point of Entry. Once you decide on your Essential Story, you can choose the ideal medium by which to convey it.

The Essential Story Defined

The Essential Story is the one boiled-down archetypal story about your organization's work that always engenders emotion in people. It touches a sensitive, emotional place in every human being.

It is not necessarily a single, true, testimonial-type story. Instead, it may be a fictitious composite of several stories of real people who have benefited from the work of your organization. It conveys the essence of the impact of your work at a basic, human level. It moves you every time you tell it.

Perhaps it is the story of the abandoned child or the foster child who was finally placed in a loving, permanent home. It may be the story of the cancer survivor who beat the odds, the poor struggling musician who became a brilliant composer. Perhaps it is the story of the homeless family that got back on their feet, thanks to you, along with the story of how their children grew up healthy and strong. Or the story of the family your organization rescued after a house fire or some other disaster.

One story may already come to mind. If you are struggling a bit to come up with contenders for your Essential Story, you may want to revisit your organization's mission statement. Look at why your organization exists. Then imagine the impact of that mission on the life of one fictionalized person.

Ask for input from your staff. They always have the best stories. Just ask them what single story or experience keeps them working there. If you ask enough people, you may choose to use one of their stories as is, or you may see a common thread that could suggest blending several stories together into a composite Essential Story. Perhaps you even have a shorthand abbreviation for it. One group we work with calls their Essential Story the "Dead Bird" story. Another organization refers to theirs with the shorthand "Blind Horse" tory." Though they laugh about the nicknames, the stories move them to tears every time.

Then, look at all the ways you could tell this story or variations of it. If it is a story of a mother and child, you could tell it from the perspective of either the mother or the child, but also from the perspective of one of your volunteers or staff members who has worked with them. You could have the child's teacher or grandparent give their version of the story.

Once you know the Essential Story, tell it at your Point of Entry Events, your Point of Entry Conversion Events, your Free Feel-Good Cultivation Events^™, and your Ask Events^™. You can showcase the story during your tour, audio-taped presentations, testimonial letters, or live testimonials, just to name a few.

Knowing and using your Essential Story does not preclude you from using other stories as well. It just gives you a fail-proof, fall-back story that you can trust to always get the job done—the job of conveying the emotional impact of your organization's fine work.