Guest blog post by Pamela Acosta Marquardt, Founder and Director of Donor Relations of Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

We tend to think of data as merely the facts and figures that represent our cause. But when taken and wrapped in our passionate stories, that data becomes an emotional pitch by which we engage others.

Stories have served many purposes over time. Some stories help record history. Some create timelines. Others serve to engage their listeners in a way that compels them to action. Those are the stories that we must become masters at telling. We need to become experts at sharing our causes in such a personal and passionate way that our audiences recognize opportunities to become heroes and feel compelled to take steps to make a difference. I use my story to make the data compelling and actionable to the audiences I’m trying to reach.

No magic wand or perfect recipe exists for weaving the data that we have into passionate, moving stories. It’s all about the experience that we create for our audience. I think Maya Angelou said it best: "I’ve learned that people will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel."

Data that supports the validity of many causes demonstrates to supporters that an urgent need must be met. To personalize the data and make it “real” to our audiences, our stories need to be woven in from beginning to end.

I am wholeheartedly committed to the fight against pancreatic cancer. Why? Because in June of 1996, my mother Rose was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given only three to six months to live. As the doctor’s words were penetrating my brain, my first thought was one of terror: Oh my goodness – this is the type of cancer that caused Michael Landon’s death. If he couldn’t save himself with all of his resources, how in the heck am I going to save my mother? 

Pancreatic cancer is the only one of the top cancer killers that has a single-digit five-year survival rate of just 6 percent, a figure that has not changed significantly in 40 years! This is because little to no attention has been paid to this disease. The National Cancer Institute only spends about 2 percent of its annual budget on pancreatic cancer, even though it is the deadliest of all of the top cancers.

You may not have your own personal story, and that is okay. Adopt someone else’s story to share – one that moves you deeply because I guarantee, if it evokes passion in you, it will also evoke passion in those who you are pitching your cause to.

Whether our causes involve feeding hungry children, providing clean water, conducting after-school programs, or saving endangered species, there are those who benefit from the services our efforts provide and those who graciously contribute to supporting those services. Our job is to connect the dots and "marry" the two categories. Our stories are powerful tools that allow us, as fundraisers, to offer amazing opportunities to our donors to become involved in changing the world.

So make it personal...make it passionate...and give the amazing gift of opportunity to your supporters.