The Interview Guide: Getting Authentic Stories from Beneficiaries

How to conduct compassionate interviews that capture powerful fundraising stories

Let me tell you about the worst interview I ever witnessed.

A well-meaning nonprofit staff member sat across from a woman who'd recently escaped domestic violence. The staff member had a clipboard with ten typed questions. She went down the list methodically: "Question one: When did you first experience abuse?" The woman's body language closed up immediately. Her answers became monosyllabic. The "interview" lasted maybe eight uncomfortable minutes.

They got nothing usable. More importantly, they re-traumatized someone who'd agreed to be vulnerable for their cause.

Now let me tell you about one of the best interviews I've seen.

A missionary sat with a farmer in rural Guatemala. No clipboard. No formal questions. Just two people sharing coffee while the missionary asked, "What was it like before the well was installed?" The farmer talked for 45 minutes—about his daughters walking three