Storytelling with Integrity

When it comes to marketing, nonprofits have one tool in their belt that is consistently powerful and effective – storytelling. The benefits are numerous and well-documented. The use of story in campaigns and appeals consistently yields higher donor retention rates, greater fundraising numbers, increased engagement on social media and higher email click-through rates than appeals without stories. 

It’s also one of the most consistent challenges I hear when working with organizations. It’s not just the logistical effort of collecting, writing and distributing content – it’s how to tell a story that both resonates and respects. 

Early in my nonprofit career, I stumbled on a story I couldn’t wait to tell. In the process of interviewing a fundraiser for a blog post, the family made a discovery that was deeply meaningful to them. I was quick to draft up a post that centered that discovery – and naively surprised that the person wasn’t ready to share the whole story with the world. It was a good lesson that while the stories nonprofits tell are important, the way we tell them is critical.  

If we’re honest, most of us have come across stories and campaigns that give us the ‘ick.’ It’s easy for nonprofit storytelling to veer into exploitative or overexposure for the individuals we serve. 

Here are four things to keep in mind for storytelling with integrity: 

Be aware of your perspective.
In her famous TED Talk, writer Chimamanda Adichie talks about the danger of perpetuating a ‘single story.’ It’s human nature to approach a story with our own biases and beliefs – which makes it even more important to consider other sides of the story, and to tell multiple stories with a range of perspectives.

Ask better questions.
Sometimes our ability to tell a good story is limited most by the questions we choose to ask. Several years ago, I hosted a webinar with WFAE’s Ju-Don Marshall where she talked about asking better questions and what she said has stuck with me ever since. She gave the example of a reporter asking someone, “What was it like to grow up poor?,” and while that was a part of the person’s story, it wasn’t the whole story – or even the most interesting part of their story. What if we instead broadened the question? Asking ‘What was it like to grow up?’ allows for the storyteller to identify the most important parts of their own experience – and most often yields a deeper, richer narrative.

Don’t focus on the deficit.
Nonprofits exist to help with a community’s most pressing problems – which can make it very easy to focus most on those problems and the negative impacts. And while it’s important to understand what’s at stake, this can result in deficit-focused language and at it’s worst – defining people by those deficits. When we focus on deficit stories, we are using negative emotional triggers (guilt, pity, shame) to provoke action. This can be effective, but often only temporarily, because those emotions do not lend themselves to building relationships. When we are honest about the challenges, but ground stories in hope and creativity, we find more authentic and human connections and motivate action led by imagination.

Know when to change the focus.
I recently did some work with a client who was unwilling (rightfully so!) to share the stories of children and families they work with because of privacy. While the stories are compelling, the ‘ick’ factor of sharing them would have been high. As we developed their strategic marketing plan, we opted to change the storytelling focus. Instead of telling the stories of families, they opted to put the focus on their therapy practices and highlight compelling facts and sides of their work that people seldom get to see. The result felt compelling and personal – but didn’t overexpose the families they work with. 

Finding a way to tell authentic, compelling stories is the hallmark of any great nonprofit marketing campaign. It’s not always the easiest way to develop your marketing efforts – and it can take an open mind to break the storytelling mold. But the nonprofits who can tell these compelling stories with integrity and honesty are the ones who set their campaigns apart.