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Do you know how to communicate your nonprofit’s brand narrative through storytelling? Are you leveraging your brand to determine which stories you should develop? In my posts about brand messaging platforms, key messages and using your brand to shape your content,...
Are you looking for a deliberate, structured approach to strengthening your organization's marketing communications? Do you need to build or rebuild your nonprofit's communications fundamentals? There are many reasons you might need to strengthen, improve or adjust...
How do narratives fit into your work as a nonprofit communicator? Lately, I’ve had narratives on my mind - primarily thinking about the fact that the term is used often, with very different meanings. While pondering (and researching) narratives late last month, I...
Do you have colleagues who regularly bring you story ideas and leads? “We should tell more donor stories!” “I have a great volunteer for you to profile!” “I met someone at our event last night that you should feature in our newsletter!” Having colleagues who bring you...
What does your storytelling plan look like? Is it documented – perhaps something you share with your colleagues? Is it in your head? Do you have a storytelling plan? If you’re like many nonprofit communicators, you have no shortage of stories to tell. So it might feel...
![TechSoup Canada’s “set it and forget it” approach to outsourcing story writing [case study]](https://moflow.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/TechSoup-Canada-case-study.png)
What does it take to get the greatest possible value when you’re outsourcing content creation? With years of experience on both the client and supplier side, I believe that it comes down to two things: being organized and providing clear direction. It’s about knowing what you need your content to achieve and setting up a few simple conditions for success. This describes my experience, working with TechSoup Canada.
Do you have a hard time finding your organization’s stories?
A couple of weeks ago, I put out a call for story-finding tips, and today I’m following up with the responses I received. And further below, I’ve included a list of 14 actionable takeaways I’ve pulled from their submissions. Thank you, Katherine, Blair, Fiona, Anthony and Yasmine!
![Boosting annual report impact with stories [case study]](https://moflow.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Imagine-case-study.png)
Rather than “another thing to do”, story writing can and should boost the impact of your existing communications tactics. This case study showcases my work with Imagine Canada, using stories to bring the work described in their annual report to life.
You know storytelling is useful, effective and an essential part of your nonprofit’s communications mix. But if making the case for storytelling based on intuition and experience isn’t enough, perhaps you’d like to add evidence from research.
A few months ago, I read the Storytelling Edge: How to Transform Your Business, Stop Screaming into the Void and Make People Love You by Joe Lazaukus and Shane Snow – which I recommend. The book is full of useful content for nonprofit communicators, but I was particularly excited by the references to original research supporting the value and importance of storytelling.