Flat Sales, Donor Fatigue, Enrollment Plateaus? Try This Counterintuitive Fix

*How narrowing your message and clarifying outcomes can unlock broader success*

You’re pushing hard—running campaigns, unveiling new initiatives, investing in better tools—yet the numbers barely move.

Sales have stalled. Donor enthusiasm is cooling. Enrollment growth has hit a ceiling.

At some point, you’ve likely asked yourself: What else can we do?

It’s a fair question. But here’s a better one: Could we be doing less—but doing it with more clarity and focus?

Why More Activity Isn’t Always the Answer

In the face of stagnation, leaders often try to add their way out of the problem:

• New products or degree programs

• More email campaigns

• Additional donor asks

• Expanded service offerings

But often, this creates noise—not traction. Often, the real problem isn’t volume. It’s clarity.

When your audience doesn’t know exactly what problem you solve or what results they can expect, they tune out.

And when your team doesn’t have a razor-sharp message to align around, internal misfires become inevitable.

The Counterintuitive Fix: Narrow to Grow

Here’s the truth I’ve seen time and again with nonprofits, private colleges, and small businesses:

You don’t grow by saying more. You grow by saying the right thing more clearly.

That means:

• Defining a single, compelling outcome you deliver

• Clarifying who your ideal audience is

• Organizing all your communication around one core message

This is the essence of frameworks like StoryBrand and Small Business Flight Plan (SBFP), which I use with clients across sectors. These frameworks help you clarify your message and build a plan to deliver it consistently across marketing, fundraising, enrollment, or sales.

Examples Across Sectors

Let’s look at how narrowing the message pays off:

• Nonprofit: A statewide youth development org stops describing itself as a “multi-faceted leadership pipeline” and starts saying, “We mentor at-risk teens through after-school programs that improve graduation rates and reduce recidivism.” Their donor base grows by 22% in one year.

• Private Christian College: A school struggling with enrollment refocuses its messaging from “Christ-centered academic excellence” to “A four-year plan for students who want to grow in faith, graduate on time, and get hired.” Applications increase, and yield rates rise.

• Small Business: A design agency shifted from “We do logos, websites, and branding” to “We help B2B startups land their first $500K in revenue with branding that builds trust and converts leads.” Their average client size doubles.

In each case, clarity creates alignment. And alignment creates momentum.

How to Start Narrowing Your Message

If you want to see real movement, here’s how to begin:

1. Identify one clear problem your audience has.Not five. One. What’s the core pain point you solve that makes them pay attention?

2. Clarify the one outcome you’re promising.Whether it’s “more donors,” “higher yield,” or “faster sales,” name it. Don’t be vague.

3. Align every message to this core storyline.Your website, emails, donor appeals, and staff all need to say the same thing.

This is hard to do alone. That’s why frameworks like StoryBrand and SBFP are so effective: they give you language, structure, and discipline.

You Can’t Afford to Stay Vague

In this economy, attention is scarce. If your messaging is unclear, unfocused, or diluted, you’ll lose time, money, and traction.

But if you narrow your focus and clarify your outcomes, you’ll cut through the noise—and start seeing the results you’ve been working so hard for.