The Story Your Systems Are Telling

“If a donor never talked to your staff, what story would your systems tell them?”

I want you to really sit with this question for a minute. For most nonprofits, the honest answer is that they don’t know. It’s not because they don’t care, but because no one ever sat down and decided what story they wanted the systems to tell in the first place.

The Story Gets Told Either Way

Here is the part most leaders miss: Your donor is already getting a story. Every time they land on your website, every time they get an email, every time they try to give on their phone and the form doesn’t load right, your systems are narrating something to them.

The question is not whether your systems are telling a story. They are. The question is whether you chose it.

If your site is text-heavy and built for desktop only, the story is, “We haven’t thought about you in a while.” If your donation page takes nine clicks, the story is, “Your time is not the priority here.” If your follow-up is inconsistent, the story is, “We will remember you when we have the energy.”

None of that reflects what’s actually in the leader’s heart. It reflects what got built when no one was watching.

Put Yourself in the End User’s Seat

When I’m working with a nonprofit leader who wants to amplify their mission, the first thing I ask them to do is something simple. Sit in the donor’s seat. Open your own website on your phone. Try to give. Try to find the impact report. Try to subscribe to your newsletter.

Most leaders have not done this in months. Some have never done it at all.

I get it. When you are the one running the organization, you live inside the work. You know what you mean. You know the heart behind it. The problem is, your donor doesn’t. They only get what the system shows them.

So put yourself in their seat for ten minutes. Take notes. The gaps will tell you exactly where the story is getting written for you.

Two Stories, Same Mission

I have seen two organizations with nearly identical missions tell two completely different stories with their systems.

One had a clean, mobile-first site. A donation page with three fields. A welcome email that arrived within five minutes. A monthly impact note that felt personal even though it was automated. The story their systems told was, “We see you. We are grateful. We are organized enough to honor your gift.”

The other had passion, deep passion, but a clunky form, a generic thank-you, and silence for weeks after the first gift. Same mission. Same care, but the story the systems told the donor was, “We hope you’re still around when we figure this out.”

Same heart. Different infrastructure. Different story.

Something to Sit With This Week

Before your next staff meeting, do one thing.

Pretend you are a brand-new donor. Visit your website on your phone. Try to give twenty-five dollars. Sign up for your own newsletter. Then walk away for an hour and see what you receive.

Ask yourself one question. Is this the story I would have chosen?

If the answer is no, you have your starting point. There is a better way to do it, and it starts with deciding what you want your systems to say on your behalf when no one is in the room.

Until next week,

Darrin