We often don’t realize how much storytelling is a part of sharing history. During Black History Month, we always hear countless inspiring stories of Black Leaders, Inventors, Pioneers or Influencers on how they affected our history.
For your organization, storytelling can also help you create more engagement and help your supporters better understand the impact you’re making in your community.
Whether it is in the form of a case study, lifestyle blog, or even an annual impact report, you can show your impact through storytelling. Show your supporters how you help. Let them know how their support, donations, and volunteer hours are making a difference for your organization and our community.
For example, a leadership-building non-profit might create a case study around a summer leadership camp they offer and how those young leaders went on to improve the community because of the knowledge and skills they learned at camp.
Whether you create a story around one of your programs or decide to highlight one of your staff/volunteers, or share the direct impact on individuals participating in your organization’s activities, you can always share a story.
Here are some elements of what you need to tell your story and create a case study/story:
- Choose a subject (event, program, support/volunteer/beneficiary)
- Gather Data (who, where, what, when, how much)
- Provide Background Information (why)
- Detail the Challenge/Situation/Program
- Explain Your organization’s actions & role (how)
- Note positive outcomes
- Key takeaways, share direct impact
You can use the content you create on several channels such as a Blog, a featured story in a Newsletter, or social media posts across different channels.
The combination of powerful storytelling and data can offer a unique and personal view of your organization’s impact. It can also be a valuable tool to showcase the impact of a specific program.
Has your organization ever used storytelling in their marketing before? What was it about? What impact did you have in sharing your story? Tell us in the comments below!