This document outlines the importance and benefits of storytelling for nonprofits. It discusses how storytelling connects people on an emotional level and motivates donors and volunteers. Specific resources for how to tell stories through video, photos, and social media are provided, including best practices for each medium. Metrics for measuring the impact of stories, such as views and donations from YouTube videos, are also covered. The document emphasizes that compelling stories about real people are key to engaging audiences and achieving organizational goals.

1. The ins and outs of
Storytelling
Just for you: by Lumen Media

2. Introduction
What to expect from these slides?
● What is storytelling?
● Your organization's benefit: the Why
● Resources: How the do I do this and who
can do this?
● Metrics - When do I storytell and where do I
do it? a.k.a platforms and social media
So... let's start this journey!

3. Once upon a time...
Storytelling is the art of conveying a message.
It is the map to the human heart - according to the
Tejas Storytelling Association
Back to the basics:
Storytelling has evolved over time. (Thank you Capt. Obvious). But
why?
○ Simple: Stories connect us. They connect us to each other
and to ourselves (our own hopes, dreams, desires, etc.) We
respond cognitively, emotionally and even physically to stories.
○ Storytelling is how we communicate. Storytelling is a tool that
does something for us. Storytelling is a giving medium.
Therefore, it's perfect for the nonprofit world.

4. Take it from a pro
Suzanne Smith outlines storytelling in 15
Shorter video on 3 things nonprofits can learn minutes.
from cat videos.
It's easier to watch a video sometimes.
And who gets tired of those?

5. Why?
● Like I said in my blog:
1. People give to people. Your mission is about
people and storytelling encapsulates your mission
in a message.
2. When you tell stories, people stop becoming
numbers. They are not consumers. They are not
capital. They are breathing, inspiring, alive people
who have dreams, hopes and even fears. They
are real, authentic.
3. Storytelling gets people interested in your
organization and your cause faster than anything
else. "Simple: it works." - an article on the
science of storytelling by Forbes.com
4. It attracts donors and volunteers.
5. It solidifies your brand to the world.

6. Mantra: People give to people
Medium: Stories
Case Study: Kony 2012
2

7. ● Kony 2012 told a story of Jacob, an ex-LRA child soldier.
● It was the most successful video on Youtube because it connected you to
Jacob and the way they told Jacob's story was brilliant:
What can you learn from this?
○ Emphasize an individual. Child soldiers stopped being numbers. They were Jacob, who you saw, who
you felt for and who you cried with.
○ The platform: Youtube. This story came to life through video. It wouldn't have been the same if you read
it, or even saw a photograph of Jacob. Video engages almost all of your senses. You connect better, you
learn better.
○ Youtube gives you a special element unique to storytelling: Sharing. Youtube videos are meant to be
shared. Stories are meant to be shared. This may mean a more visual approach to your stories.
○ Jacob became the driving force behind your tweets and your Facebook posts. With these outlets, your
organization can shout it from the roofs once and people will become your lasting echo through
that button that says 'share'.
○ You were connected to Jacob through his story, and then it motivated you to DO something. Storytelling
has this effect. It mobilizes people. Don't you want donors/volunteers knocking on your door?
"So when you are wrestling with the challenges of acquiring new donors, increasing your fundraising revenue
from existing constituents, or adding new volunteers, think about the power of one person’s story. " - article
can be found here.

8. Donors/Volunteers
Marketing is not selling. Marketing is serving and giving. And
it is shifting to storytelling.
Take a cue from one of the best brands out there: Coca Cola
'Last October, Jonathan Mildenhall, Coca-Cola’s VP of Global Advertising Strategy and Creative Excellence, explained at a national
conference that the company’s strategy going forward is to tell stories that will “provoke conversations” so its brands will “earn a
disproportionate share of popular culture.” Coca-Cola will not just tell its own stories; rather, it will encourage storytelling by
consumers. According to Mildenhall, “storytelling is at the heart of all families, communities, and cultures,” (bolded by me) and
stories about the Coca-Cola brand “must show commitment to making the world a better place.” You can see this strategy in action
on Coke’s Facebook page.' - article by Barry Silverstein
Coke is tapping into the giving part of marketing. They aren't selling a soda. They are giving people satisfaction,
enjoyment, a sense of love, acceptance, a universal beverage, a connection. You can give people these things
too through storytelling and in return you get donors and volunteers who give to you.
● Like Richard Dietz of Nonprofit R+D says: People buy with emotion and justify it later with rationality. Give them the
emotion of the story up front and engage them first. Later justify it by your statistics and solid evidence of impact on
the community.
● At your next board meeting, open with a video or a photograph and tell your board members about Maria (or insert
name here). Get your team on board and they will be on fire to tell everyone else, and they will be emboldened
when speaking with donors. Passion is contagious.
● Good brands tell good stories. Your fundraising is directly correlated to your ability to tell good stories and reach
your audience.
● Melinda Gates gives a TED Talk on what nonprofits can learn from Coke. She says this: Most nonprofits make a
fundamental mistake. They assume "if people need something, we don't have to make them want that." Meaning
why aren't people giving to causes like homelessness, after school care, children's diseases, etc.? We have to
market to people for those causes which already seem like a given to donate to. One way to "make them want it"
is storytelling.

9. How do I tell a story: Resources
Now that you're gung ho about it, how do you do it?
And how does it become effective?
Medium:
1. Video
2. Photos
3. Text
These are our mediums in effective order and explored in the next couple of slides.
How to use these mediums:
1. Platforms 2. Resources
a. Website a. Youtube's nonprofit program
b. Social Media b. Microsoft's Impact Map
c. Email blasts c. Google Insights
d. Snail Mail

10. Video: some reasons why
Two-thirds of the world's mobile data traffic
will be video by 2015, doubling every year between 2010 and 2015. -
according to Skytide's white paper: 7 Online Video Trends to watch in
2012
Source of graphics: http://www.digitalbuzzblog.
com/social-media-statistics-stats-2012-infographic/

11. 1.Videos lasting only 2-3 minutes with a focused messaged and a call to action
at the end will work wonders for your nonprofit
○ It will give you better internal communication, an asset to share with people, and can be
your "24/7 sales pitch." This article expands on these points.
2. Make videos effective:
○ Video can be put in your email blasts. E.g.Tell a story series getting people to come back
every 2 weeks to watch a new video.
○ Put it on your website for 24/7 inspiration and your sales pitch
○ Use video as a conversation facilitator on your social media platforms
○ Ask people to engage with your video. Ask them to make response videos and share their
own story. This is a great way to thank donors (this has been done on Youtube).
○ Learn from Youtube's cat videos. Tell a universal story, engage regularly, and be different,
original and fun. Be you.

12. Who is your storyteller?
1. You
2. Your team
3. Your
volunteers
How?: A few ideas. 4. Professionals
○ Get your volunteers to take photos at events and choose the very best for your platforms.
○ Put on another hat: the journalist. Take a photo at an event of one person. Ask them
questions and get their permission to use their quotes to tell a story. That's a simple tweet
or Facebook post, that has two great components. That's solid content.
○ Sometimes it's hiring a professional storyteller like Lumen Media to storyboard, script and
professionally edit a video to enhance the quality of your website and get you all the
benefits of storytelling. Or taking professional photographs that capture that raw emotion
you can't get from a 8 megapixel iPhone.
○ Contact me, I'm full of ideas and would be happy to help.
"Remember, it’s not about the tools or the technology. It’s about finding people who encapsulate what
your core objective is all about — and conveying their stories with power, genuineness, passion and
humility. " Source: Social Brite

13. Photographs
Photos freeze stories in time without the use of words. They remain vivid in our
minds years after they first hit our hearts.
How are photographs used to convey stories:
○ Blog posts like Project HOPE
○ Instagram is fantastic way to keep your volunteers and
community constantly engaged.
■ Look at 10 examples of inspiring nonprofits on Instagram Photo by Alyson Landry
○ Tell the story that is not in the photo. A simple image of a small bottle of clear liquid means
nothing. Next to it, tell the real story: "here is a vial of pure HIV virus, from a Harvard
medical research lab"
○ Spice up your annual reports by putting professional photographs of the people you serve.
Oh man, that annual report just got more personal.

14. Metrics: successful stories
1.Youtube has a nonprofit program to help you maximize your impact
○ 'World Water Day Video from charity: water, with a 15-second ad overlay at the beginning,
earned charity: water $10,000 in a single day, largely thanks to YouTube placing it on its
home page. The overlay url takes users to its Donate page.'
○ This is a phenomenal ROI. Nonprofits run on a tight ship, and hiring outside vendors is
hard. But sometimes your ROI is worth the initial investment and the video can pay for
itself in the end.
○ You can track how many times your video is watched, for how long, what time of day, etc.
You can measure these vital stats to see if you are answering that important question: Are
we reaching our key audience?
■ Show them at your stakeholder meetings to get more funding for other videos. Then systematically
quantify how you used that money to impact the community and put that as evidence in your grant
proposals.
2. Google Insights
○ You can search for a specific term e.g. your brand or your campaign name within a
specific time frame and the Google search results will show up. This is one tool in
measuring how effective your stories were on Google. Did you impact online users?
Should this be included in reports for funding, etc.?
○ You can even compare words that are popular with people. E.g. helping vs. empowering or
needy vs. underprivileged. Don't manipulate people, but think of how to tell Maria's story so
it will connect with your intended audience.

15. Our story comes to an end
One more resource:
○ Microsoft made a tool, called the Microsoft Local Impact Map, for nonprofits to share their
stories in a compelling, engaging way.
■ "Originally developed to help showcase the impact of Microsoft Citizenship programs in more than 100
countries around the world, the map application is now being offered at no cost for licensing and a $15
monthly fee to host the map online via the Windows Azure platform. The Bing Maps-based user interface
allows people to explore impact stories by category or by zooming in on a continent, country or region. The
program includes a content management system that makes it easy for nonprofits to publish and manage
their stories." - copied from article below
■ One nonprofits story: 'The UnitedHealth Group has found the Local Impact Map valuable in encouraging
participation in its many volunteer efforts and celebrating the difference those volunteers make. “This map
fits extremely well into our culture of innovation,” says Kate Rubin, vice president of Social Responsibility at
UnitedHealth Group. “Employees are enthusiastic about posting and seeing their local stories. The visual
experience is very inspiring.”' quoted from article.
Storytelling is integral to the success of your organization.
So, when will you start to tell your stories?
Contact Alyson Landry if you have any questions, or for a free one-hour consultation on storytelling in
your organization. Check out Lumen Media here.