Great storytelling captures people’s attention and drives them to action. When facts and characters, logic and emotion, and cause and effect work together artfully, the resulting stories affect us in a deep way.
As data take on a larger role in nonprofit communications, many groups have realized that stories bring the numbers to life, and together they powerfully convey a group’s impact.
"The stories are really what make the data matter," says Connie French, director of communications and marketing for Health Leads, a Boston charity that recruits college-student volunteers to help low-income people connect with social services. "Percentages and numbers don’t really mean anything until you see them through the lens of something like a child suffering with asthma."
In the articles and resources below, you can find expert advice for collecting, telling, distributing, and measuring the effectiveness of your organization’s stories.
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ManagingA renewed focus on an age-old method of motivating people to take action yields impressive results, and some big names are taking notice. -
Storytelling SummerA story has to have a protagonist who wants something and who faces obstacles—and it has to have an ending.
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OpinionPractice, consider your audience, and other tips for telling stories that will bring about change.
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Storytelling SummerLearn how to connect with your listeners, even on complicated issues, and make them feel empowered to help.
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Storytelling SummerAsk yourself what you want to achieve, who can help you, and how you can reach and appeal to your audience.
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StorytellingTwo groups share lessons in how to tell stories about people fighting for change.
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AdviceChoose creative narratives, avoid jargon, and provide a firsthand perspective to make your stories resonate with supporters.
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Storytelling SummerMake sure your listeners can see themselves in the story, helping to solve the problem, then give them a way to get involved immediately.
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AdviceUsing data alone — or telling stories that focus just on an individual — can backfire. Here are better ways to frame a story that can change people’s minds.
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Storytelling SummerAdvice for doing more than just “preaching to the choir” with your message.
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Storytelling SummerShare your victories, but don’t focus on them so much that your audience loses the big picture.
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Marketing and CommunicationsSome groups are adopting a storytelling genre that focuses on how communities rebuild and recover after natural disasters and other difficult times.
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Storytelling SummerIn the final Storytelling Summer post, two questions on how people tell and consume stories now—and why a strong story transcends medium.
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Great StorytellingStories don’t have to be told through short online videos. There’s something powerful in hearing a story unmediated and straight from the source.
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Storytelling SummerAdvice for protecting the people you serve while telling their stories and determining who “controls” a story.
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AdviceActive Voice Lab helps artists and advocates figure out what’s working and what isn’t.
