Everyone loves a good story and we have been doing it for millennia. Sharing stories has been part of mankind’s social and cultural practices for education, entertainment, cultural and religious preservation, or establishing moral values. And great narratives are the cornerstones of some of the most successful marketing campaigns. This is why it is an effective approach for a nonprofit’s content strategy to include storytelling that enhances engagement.

Types of stories to tell

Creating an understandable flow and context for your communication to volunteers, donors, and the wider community is a challenging aspect of curating an impactful statement. Let’s start with the different types of stories that you can use to enrich communication when reaching out to stakeholders.

• Founder’s Tale: Describe what inspired you to create a nonprofit. This kind of storytelling has an impact because it is very emotional and individualized.
• Personal Impact Story: Point out a specific individual who has benefited from your nonprofit and describe their journey with you.
• Donor Profile: Give recognition to donors and their philanthropic objectives.
• Volunteer Story: Emphasize a volunteer’s regular tasks and interactions with the organization. Volunteers have a lot of insight into nonprofit work and rewards.

Do not limit stories to using only words. Include images, videos, or other visuals that tell a captivating story for your nonprofit.

Your nonprofit gets life when you provide a face or visual about the work you’re doing. It demonstrates that you are not simply well-intentioned; you are also effective and actively changing the world. It could be photos of people, animals, the environment, or anything else that represents what you stand for.

Develop inspiring content

When writing your nonprofit story, adopt an inclusive stance – the best stories often originate from within. But everyone should engage and feel free to share their experiences, including volunteers, contributors, and individuals who are helped by and involved with your nonprofit. Sometimes the most unexpected places yield the most inspiring stories. A compelling narrative provokes emotion and engagement. Create a story that resonates with your audience.

Focus on unique selling points

Finding a cause to donate time and money to might be challenging for the general public because there are so many nonprofits to choose from. Therefore, it is important that your organization internally establishes what makes you unique. What distinguishes you from everyone else? Is your NGO run differently than others? Have you been successful where others have not?  You can convince potential supporters that you stand out from the crowd if you know what makes you special.

In such a competitive sector, you likely will only have a few moments to hook potential supporters into your cause. That’s why a well thought out company slogan is so effective. You are summarizing a complex network of activities into a simple succinct sentence so it must grab people’s attention and they will always associated it with your cause.

Get your story to resonate

Great storytelling starts with the heart. You then need the tools to create and send your impactful message that will attract donations, volunteers, and recognition that your nonprofit deserves. Story Resonate provides a donor management system that helps charities and nonprofits to optimally manage communications with the different stakeholders who productively support your mission.