{"id":16682,"date":"2019-12-06T09:31:55","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T14:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/?p=16682"},"modified":"2021-05-28T14:19:14","modified_gmt":"2021-05-28T18:19:14","slug":"medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Storytelling Tips for your Medical Nonprofit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

HIPAA laws are serious business. Medical nonprofit organizations must be incredibly careful not to illegally share the private health information of their patients. Because of the care taken to uphold HIPAA, you may feel like your fundraising appeals can\u2019t tell the patient success stories made possible by your donors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you tell impactful stories without violating the confidentiality of your patients? Use these four tips to tell great stories that won\u2019t land your organization in hot water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask patients for their stories<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\/<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Chances are, your medical nonprofit treated a ton of grateful people. When they\u2019ve been discharged from your care, ask them about their experience. If it was positive and they have nice things to say, ask them if they\u2019d mind you sharing their story to help other patients. In this scenario, you want to frame the patient as the hero. Yes, they\u2019re grateful for the work your organization did to help them, but now they\u2019re able to help you and others by agreeing to share their story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schedule a time to interview the patient once they\u2019re home\nand back to their normal routine. Many people won\u2019t be comfortable in their\nability to write their own story, so interviews are a valuable way to capture\nthe story authentically and write about it in an appeal. If a patient has a\nparticularly heartwarming story, you may want to consider asking their\npermission to be interviewed on video. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visual storytelling is important. If you\u2019re not recording\nthe interview on video, ask for permission to take photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ensure that you\u2019re able to use the patient\u2019s likeness and story, ask the patient to sign a release granting you permission to publish their story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talk to families impacted by care<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\/<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I used to work for a hospice organization. The goal of the\norganization was to allow patients, regardless of income, to pass away without\npain. Because hospice patients are under our care until they pass away, there\nwere fewer opportunities to meet with patients in order to tell their stories.\nWe often turned to the families of patients because they were also impacted by\nthe care the organization provides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your organization would find it difficult or inappropriate to talk to patients, directly reaching out to family members may be the next best thing. They can tell you about the patient, the patient\u2019s experience under your care, and how the family was affected by the care your organization provided. Family members are also great at providing copies of family photos that you can incorporate into your appeals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Approach families carefully, though. After a patient has passed away or been discharged, give them time to recover. If the family is grieving, extra care is needed before asking family members to do your organization a favor. Even in cases where patients are discharged into their family\u2019s care, it can be a while before their lives are back on track. Being mindful of the family\u2019s needs is imperative. Approach reaching out with empathy in mind. As with stories from patients, ask the family member to sign a release so you have permission to publish their story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview organization caregivers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Not<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If talking to those you serve is off the table, that doesn\u2019t\nmean you have to give up on telling stories that illustrate why your\norganization needs donations to continue to provide care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, interview your medical staff. They provide care to\npatients every day and have been there for a lot of the success stories. They\nobviously can\u2019t share patients\u2019 personal details or specifics of a single\nperson\u2019s care. However, they can describe what their days are like and how\ndonations play a role in making their work possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because these stories aren\u2019t about the treatment of a single\npatient, it\u2019s hard to make the same emotional connection as patient and family\ninterviews. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add elements to the story that connect the caregiver to readers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Include a photo of the caregiver looking directly at the camera. Eye contact helps create a bond between the subject and the reader.<\/li>
  2. Help readers visualize the storyteller by including details about their personality and approach to providing care.<\/li>
  3. Take readers through the caregiver’s workday so they form an understanding of what this person does for their patients.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Focus on what donations do for your medical nonprofit<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    \"Let<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Regardless of which story you tell, you\u2019ll engage your donor\nbase best by making donors the focus. Your donors should always feel like their\ncontributions are what patients\u2019 success hinges on \u2013 because it is! When you\nwrite your appeal story, tell donors what they make possible (show them too if\nyou can) and ask them to keep helping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s important to share what your organization hopes to accomplish with donors\u2019 continued support. If you have a specific goal, share that goal with donors and ask them to help you reach it. If your story revolves around patient success stories or a family\u2019s experience, explain that other individuals and families need donations to receive care. This sets a goal for donors to help others in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Conclusion<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Medical nonprofits must be wary about oversharing patient\ninformation. However, that doesn\u2019t mean your organization can\u2019t turn patient\nsuccess stories into a great story. The key to telling stories that don\u2019t\nviolate medical privacy laws are to get permission to share those stories.\nReach out to patients and families when appropriate or tell the story of a\nstaff member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The goal isn\u2019t to share all the details of the treatment process! Instead, it should be showing donors what their gifts helped accomplish. Ultimately, your medical nonprofit’s success is your donor base\u2019s success too. Help them connect with your mission and make them the heroes of your narrative. Set a goal for your donors to help you achieve. This can be helping other patients and their families or supporting caregivers with new equipment or by covering the costs of providing care. With these four tips, your medical nonprofit is sure to find storytelling success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    HIPAA laws are serious business. Medical nonprofit organizations must be incredibly careful not to illegally share the private health information of their patients. Because of the care taken to uphold HIPAA, you may feel like your fundraising appeals can\u2019t tell the patient success stories made possible by your donors. How do you tell impactful stories […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[152,271,207],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n4 Storytelling Tips for your Medical Nonprofit - Fundraising Blog for Nonprofit, Educational, and Faith-Based Organizations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Patient confidentiality laws make it harder for medical nonprofit organizations to use storytelling in fundraising appeals. These 4 tips make it easier!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"4 Storytelling Tips for your Medical Nonprofit - Fundraising Blog for Nonprofit, Educational, and Faith-Based Organizations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Patient confidentiality laws make it harder for medical nonprofit organizations to use storytelling in fundraising appeals. These 4 tips make it easier!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Fundraising Blog for Nonprofit, Educational, and Faith-Based Organizations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-12-06T14:31:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-05-28T18:19:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Medical-Nonprofit-Staff-Introducing-Girl-To-Baby-1024x683.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Qgiv Team\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Qgiv Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Qgiv Team\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/863cf828ceab3ade4aee57d782b4defc\"},\"headline\":\"4 Storytelling Tips for your Medical Nonprofit\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-06T14:31:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-28T18:19:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/\"},\"wordCount\":1027,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Fundraising ideas\",\"Fundraising practices\",\"Healthcare\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/\",\"name\":\"4 Storytelling Tips for your Medical Nonprofit - Fundraising Blog for Nonprofit, Educational, and Faith-Based Organizations\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-06T14:31:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-28T18:19:14+00:00\",\"description\":\"Patient confidentiality laws make it harder for medical nonprofit organizations to use storytelling in fundraising appeals. These 4 tips make it easier!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Fundraising practices\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/category\/fundraising-practices\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Fundraising ideas\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/category\/fundraising-practices\/fundraising-ideas\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"4 Storytelling Tips for your Medical Nonprofit\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Fundraising Blog for Nonprofit, Educational, and Faith-Based Organizations\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Bloomerang Fundraising, formerly Qgiv\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bloomerang-Product-Lockup-Pos-Fundraising-Digital.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bloomerang-Product-Lockup-Pos-Fundraising-Digital.png\",\"width\":1425,\"height\":515,\"caption\":\"Bloomerang Fundraising, formerly Qgiv\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/863cf828ceab3ade4aee57d782b4defc\",\"name\":\"Qgiv Team\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c1e32e6af27ebc4182730b7c59eae247?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c1e32e6af27ebc4182730b7c59eae247?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Qgiv Team\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/author\/abbyjarvis\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"4 Storytelling Tips for your Medical Nonprofit - Fundraising Blog for Nonprofit, Educational, and Faith-Based Organizations","description":"Patient confidentiality laws make it harder for medical nonprofit organizations to use storytelling in fundraising appeals. These 4 tips make it easier!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"4 Storytelling Tips for your Medical Nonprofit - Fundraising Blog for Nonprofit, Educational, and Faith-Based Organizations","og_description":"Patient confidentiality laws make it harder for medical nonprofit organizations to use storytelling in fundraising appeals. These 4 tips make it easier!","og_url":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/","og_site_name":"Fundraising Blog for Nonprofit, Educational, and Faith-Based Organizations","article_published_time":"2019-12-06T14:31:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-05-28T18:19:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":683,"url":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Medical-Nonprofit-Staff-Introducing-Girl-To-Baby-1024x683.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Qgiv Team","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Qgiv Team","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/"},"author":{"name":"Qgiv Team","@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/863cf828ceab3ade4aee57d782b4defc"},"headline":"4 Storytelling Tips for your Medical Nonprofit","datePublished":"2019-12-06T14:31:55+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-28T18:19:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/"},"wordCount":1027,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Fundraising ideas","Fundraising practices","Healthcare"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/","url":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/","name":"4 Storytelling Tips for your Medical Nonprofit - Fundraising Blog for Nonprofit, Educational, and Faith-Based Organizations","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-12-06T14:31:55+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-28T18:19:14+00:00","description":"Patient confidentiality laws make it harder for medical nonprofit organizations to use storytelling in fundraising appeals. These 4 tips make it easier!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/medical-nonprofit-storytelling-tips\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Fundraising practices","item":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/category\/fundraising-practices\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Fundraising ideas","item":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/category\/fundraising-practices\/fundraising-ideas\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"4 Storytelling Tips for your Medical Nonprofit"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/","name":"Fundraising Blog for Nonprofit, Educational, and Faith-Based Organizations","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Bloomerang Fundraising, formerly Qgiv","url":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bloomerang-Product-Lockup-Pos-Fundraising-Digital.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bloomerang-Product-Lockup-Pos-Fundraising-Digital.png","width":1425,"height":515,"caption":"Bloomerang Fundraising, formerly Qgiv"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/863cf828ceab3ade4aee57d782b4defc","name":"Qgiv Team","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c1e32e6af27ebc4182730b7c59eae247?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c1e32e6af27ebc4182730b7c59eae247?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Qgiv Team"},"url":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/author\/abbyjarvis\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16682"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16682"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16687,"href":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16682\/revisions\/16687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}