This article is based on popular conference talks delivered by the author at the 2023 CASE Nordic Summit, CASE Europe Annual Conference, and CASE Regular Giving and Legacies Conference.
Everyone loves stories.
As children, we demand them at bedtime. As we get older, we yearn to bequeath them to our families. We stream entire box sets of stories when we’re curled up in bed with a cold. And we endlessly exchange stories on WhatsApp or other messaging apps to pass the time.
A compelling story can stir incredible emotions and actions. Stories can make us laugh, gasp, cry, and cheer. And they can help us learn, empathise, remember, heal, and act. Best of all, stories can be great levellers that transcend barriers. This is especially important in our diverse and international education sector.
Our advancement divisions, in particular, need stories. Advancement professionals can use stories to raise money, engage alumni, attract and steward donors, and energise staff. But storytelling can be a challenging process. You might get fatigued, overwhelmed, mired in analysis paralysis, or derailed by imposter syndrome before you finish telling your full story.
Some people have an almost effortless talent for storytelling. They are guided by their hearts: They are improvisers, soulful, emotional, and instinctive. In the novelist world, they would be known as “pantsers” because they fly by the seat of their pants.
But others are guided by their heads: They are iterative, technical, structural, methodical. These are known as “plotters.” Plot, after all, is what makes a story a story, not just a bunch of words.
If you fall into that second category, you can gain confidence in your—and your institution’s—storytelling ability by building off tried-and-tested plots.
But where do we start? How about with the basics?
The Seven Basic Plots of Storytelling
Christopher Booker—author, journalist, and founder of the satirical magazine Private Eye—concluded that every memorable story is structured around one of seven basic plots. He published his findings—the result of his 34 years of research—in 2004. The seven basic plots:
Overcoming the monster
Rags to riches
Voyage and return
The quest
Comedy
Tragedy
Redemption
All your favourite stories told throughout history—from medieval times to modern times, from caves to Kindles, from tapestries to TikTok—have followed these seven plots. As advancement professionals, we can craft stories that will excite, engage, and educate our students, staff, stakeholders, alumni, volunteers, prospects, and donors using these plots as guides.
