Storytelling is one of the most compelling ways to draw in supporters, volunteers, and donors. This journal provides extensive research on nonprofit storytelling. It provides facts and statistics regarding nonprofit storytelling, especially digital storytelling. This guide provides insight on how to effectively and strategically craft strong storytelling skills in the midst of the Internet. Stories Worth Telling provides data from surveys conducted by the Meyer Foundation.
The goal of this guide is to create training tools to provide a strategic framework for telling an impactful story within nonprofit organizations. There are 5 essential building blocks when it comes to storytelling: An effective character, trajectory, authenticity, action-oriented emotions, and a hook. These building blocks will provide the desired goal of showing real emotions and details.
A great way to provide a strong story is through visuals. Videos are a great way to show details and emotions. It entices the audience and leaves them wanting to know more. Videos are also a great way for supporters to share the stories via social media, email, and the webpage. As the journal states, the most effective way to get people to support is to give them a scene.
The journal article also includes the Strategic Story Cycle. This cycle helps one to thoroughly plan out their storytelling method by mapping out content needs, figuring out how the story will be produced, shared, and measured. It helps to provide a strategic approach to the story by planning, production, distribution, and evaluation. Storybanking is also a key component of the article. Nonprofit organizations should always have a centralized place to store their stories.
To read more: https://community-wealth.org/content/stories-worth-telling-guide-strategic-and-sustainable-nonprofit-storytelling
Keyes, D., & Dixon, J. (2014). Stories Worth Telling: A Guide to Strategic and Sustainable Nonprofit Storytelling. Meyer Foundation. Pp. 4, 6.
