The Pentera Blog
CGP Chair Lynn Malzone Ierardi Writes New Book on Storytelling
Lynn Malzone Ierardi, director of gift planning at the University of Pennsylvania and current board chair of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (CGP), has always understood the effectiveness of storytelling and often uses stories in working with donors. But the real trigger for her new book about storytelling was the death of her brother Tony.
"Not quite two years ago I lost my brother to cancer; he was diagnosed and was gone in the space of three weeks," Ierardi related. "As I was preparing the eulogy for his memorial, I realized that 'story' is what you leave behind - the legacy you leave. I could have rattled off how Tony was kind and generous, but the stories of things he had done are what illustrate who he was.
"I decided to channel my grief into something positive, and the book is dedicated to him. I do truly feel like it was a way to have something positive come out of his death."
Storytelling: The Secret Sauce of Fundraising Success was published on April 25, Tony's birthday. It is available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble. The book uses cooking a gourmet meal as a metaphor for storytelling, with chapter titles such as "The Recipe for the Secret Sauce: Key Ingredients for a Good Story" and "Shopping for the Perfect Ingredients: Finding Your Stories." The food analogy makes sense, Ierardi says, because research shows that the body has the same response to a good story as it does to a good meal.
Ierardi's work has received rave reviews from colleagues, including planned giving researcher Russell James (who wrote the book's foreword), Jackie W. Franey of The Nature Conservancy, and Alex Brovey of Northwell Health, herself a successful author of two books on planned giving.
"This book turns theory into reality; it converts complexity into practical tactics," James writes in his foreword. "Making this a reality requires a special person. It requires an in-the-trenches fundraising superstar ... someone like Lynn."
Of course Ierardi peppers her book with storytelling examples, including two different versions of a fundraising appeal to fight animal cruelty - one that is a story and one that is not:
Version 1: Petey is a yellow Labrador retriever who suffered unimaginable abuse. He was found chained to a fence and abandoned in West Philadelphia. To escape, he had apparently chewed his leg, and as a result, his leg is severely infected. ... With a gift today, you can help to provide Petey with the medical care he needs. Can we count on your help?
Version 2: Dogs are the most common victims of animal abuse, accounting for 64.5% of all documented cruelty cases that are media reported. It's estimated that 6,000 dogs are abused every year. ... About half of all dogs who wind up in shelters end up being euthanized. Your gift today can help us to change these statistics.
"Which example is more likely to pull at your heart strings?" Ierardi asks. "Most people say they are more likely to be inspired to help Petey than to change the statistics."
More information about the book and about Ierardi, including a podcast interview with her about the book and links to purchase it, are available on her Web site www.giftplanningadvisor.com.
