the local good

The Power of Storytelling

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 21:54:00 -0700

Question:
Does your organization tell compelling stories, or recite facts?

Before you answer, read the two excerpts below. Both are taken from the websites of large non profit organizations. The first, from the United Way, illustrates the "Just The Facts, Ma'am" approach. The organization communicates with readers through statistics and strategic objectives. The second, from Heifer, illustrates the "Storytelling" approach. They follow the storyline of the impact their program made on the life of one woman, taking her from helpless to self-sufficient. Both organizations offer important programs. But in speaking the language of data, generalities, and high-level objectives, the United Way keeps people at arms-length from the emotional core of their organization. Seen through a wide-angle lens, their description gives supporters very little to connect with. By comparison, Heifer's story is told through a close-up lens, giving supporters a one-to-one connection to the impact that their donations have.

After reading the excerpts, take a look at your organization's messaging. Conversation or business brief?

From the United Way website:

Family-sustaining employment is the foundation of financial stability. Almost 25% of adults in the U.S. earn less than $27,000/year in jobs that offer no health care, vacation, or paid sick leave. These workers often struggle to afford food, rent, childcare, and transportation, with little left over for saving. United Way and our partners are providing education, training, and sector-based strategies to connect skilled workers with jobs that offer the potential for career advancement.

United Way of Greater Cincinnati oversees The Greater Cincinnati Workforce Network, a public-private workforce collaborative that provides employers with trained workers and connects unemployed and/or low-paid, low-skilled workers with opportunities to earn family-sustaining wages. Over the past two years, the Greater Cincinnati Workforce Network has served more than 2,700 people with 80 percent completing training programs and more than 70 percent obtaining jobs."

From the Heifer website

The value of supporting a non profit organization goes way beyond the simple mechanics of transaction or investment. Sure, supporting an organization's mission and the benefits of its programs is money well spent. But potential donors don't form an emotional connection to a mission or a program. It's the end benefit of those things that tug at people's hearts, make them open their wallets, and give them the joy and satisfaction of a worthy accomplishment. And there's no more powerful way to make the connection between an individual donation and a the end benefits and value of an organization's programs, than through stories about individual successes.

One of our most powerful communication tools is also one of the most overlooked and underestimated. Storytelling. Stories do more than simply pass along information. The best ones carry emotional resonance that touches people and connects with them. The book, "The Dragonfly Effect," one of the best books written on storytelling and social media, contains a quote by Maya Angelou," People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Below are four resources for understanding the power of storytelling, and how to bring that power to your organization.

1. Storytelling And The Art Of Email Writing

"Non profits are adding stories to their fundraising messages...and they're not working."

This probably isn't what you were expecting to read in a blog post about storytelling. But keep reading. M+R Strategic Services, the marketing company that wrote the sentence is a strong proponent of storytelling. But, as they explain, "Too many organizations have a limited understanding of what "storytelling" means.

This white paper explains why storytelling is a powerful communication tool and gives clear examples on how organizations can use it successfully. One of the paper's findings has particular relevance to the excerpts discussed above: "Individuals are more willing to give to save one person than to save thousands." Who'd like to call United Way and let them know?
Read the white paper

2. Stories: The Source Code For Who We Are

"Stories stick because they hold real value."

In this article from Fast Company, author, Paddy Harrington, talks about the three keys for moving beyond branding into storytelling. Also describing businesses, the information is just as relevant for non profits. Harrington argues that for organizations to survive, they need "deeply compelling stories at their heart," and offers 3 simple principles to follow to achieve that.
Read the article

3. How To Tell Resonant Stories

"Brian McDonald calls it The Golden Theme, and it's critical to telling more resonant stories."

In his newsletter, Free Range Thinking, communications consultant Andy Goodman writes about screenwriting teacher and storytelling guru, Brian McDonald's book, The Golden Theme, and how it cuts to the core of what makes a story compelling and effective. Here's a hint: all good stories, no matter the content, have the same clear message. Goodman illustrates the Golden Theme principle with the example of a story told two ways. One works, one doesn't.
Read the newsletter piece

4. The Golden Theme of Storytelling

"Art (Storytelling) is not to show people who you are; it is to show people who they are." Brian McDonald is an author, filmmaker, and story consultant who has taught seminars on story structure at Disney Feature Animation and Pixar Animation Studios. His most recent book, The Golden Theme: How to Make Your Writing Appeal to the Highest Common Denominator, although short, is a valuable exploration of his unique perspective on the art, and importance, of storytelling. It can be read for free on the publisher's website (although, once you read it, you'll probably want to own a copy.)

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