Restoring Hope Through Craniofacial Surgery

Storytelling and Donor Stewardship (Fatima’s Journey)

The Opportunity

WorldCF is internationally recognized for delivering life-changing surgical care to children with craniofacial differences.

Like many nonprofits, they faced a key challenge: How do you keep donors connected outside of urgent appeals?

Fatima was born in Guatemala, facing medical challenges that would require years of specialized surgeries. Fatima’s multi-stage, multi-year medical care created a unique opportunity: by sharing her story over time, WCF could deepen donor engagement and help supporters see the full impact of their generosity.


The Approach – Why Storytelling?

WCF leaned into storytelling as a strategic way to build lasting donor relationships. Their goals:

  • Reinforce the mission – Fatima’s journey illustrated the global challenges children face while connecting donors with those they support.

  • Engage through the 3Rs (Relevance, Relationship, Respect) - Consistent updates ensured donors remained informed and emotionally connected.

  • Steward generosity – Each update reminded donors their support was directly funding real progress.

Ethical storytelling principles guided the approach: focusing on Fatima’s resilience and growth, while positioning donors as true partners in her journey.

 

“Every update reminded me that my gift was truly making a difference for Fatima.”

– WCF Donor

 

The Solution – Storytelling in Action

WCF executed a multi-channel campaign that carried Fatima’s story across several months:

  • Direct Mail & Email Appeals – Introduced Fatima’s story, inviting support for her first surgery.

  • Newsletter Updates – Provided photos and updates post-surgery, demonstrating impact. Donors received photos and stories as Fatima celebrated each step—before and after surgery, her birthday, meeting new friends.

  • Ongoing Donor Communications – Reinforced the message that donors were walking alongside Fatima at every milestone.

By treating this not as a single appeal, but as a continuous narrative arc, WCF transformed donor engagement and strengthened stewardship.


Creative Highlight

Imagery and message choices included:

  • Smiling photos of Fatima post-care (rather than medical photos alone).

  • Tone of hope and progress.

  • Copy that framed donors as making this transformation possible.


Next Steps & Learnings

  • Expand this long-arc storytelling approach to additional patient journeys.

  • Integrate narrative updates into web features and digital channels.

  • Use “story arcs” as a donor retention tool, not just a fundraising tactic.

 

“Walking with Fatima through each chapter showed me how powerful my support could be.”

– WCF Donor


Bela Kerkay