The Art of Finding Your Story

By Tiva QuinnOnwords! Consulting

Onwords.nettiva@onwords.net

Tiva Quinn,Onwords! Consulting

About Me:

• Over $20M raised through the power of storytelling– Ecotrust Canada– Alaska Native Heritage Center– 10 years consulting on planning & fundraising

• Animator since 2011– Seedstock Community Currency– Reel Causes

About You

• Interested in video• Don’t have a staff position for it• Most of you are repeat Netsquared audience,

so part of that overall dialog

Starting out w video:common problems

• No staff often means several dep’ts brainstorm together (good)

• But no one is really asking video-centric questions to guide the process (bad)

• Like anything, 85% of making a good video is planning

• But a lot of NP’s will charge in without even asking the top 2 planning questions…

The Top Two Planning Questions

Who is our audience? What do we want them to do?

Who is it for?

• People you serve• Existing donor/volunteer base• New audience w aligned values• New audience, neutral values – education• Specific demographics?• Going beyond the choir!

What do we want them to do?

• Donate• Volunteer• Contact politicians• Change spending habits• Change diet, recycle, share goods etc.

What’s Their Problem

Traditional Mktg Question:What problem can you solve for this audience?

Non-profit variation:Why would this audiencecare about what you do?

What’s Their Problem, Pt.2

• Linkage / Ability / Interest – how does that translate into search terms they might use?

• Honest SEO is in. Make sure those search terms are a good fit for the video you make.

8 Non-profit Storytelling rules(that I learned from grant writing)

1. Start off strong – NEVER assume you’ve got a captive audience.

2. Always include head & heart.

Non-profit Storytelling rules

3. Rely on familiar themes and visual metaphors, but…

4. Also use new information or a surprising twist – they’re here to learn.

8 Non-profit Storytelling rules

5. Make sure you describe a problem that’s fixable, not an overwhelming crisis.

Non-profit Storytelling rules

6. The #1 question you must answer: “so what?” (Why should I care?)

7. Build it & they will come does NOT work! How will they find you?

8 Non-profit Storytelling rules

• Last One:8. Go backwards or spiral out if that’s the best

way to find your story.

Balancing Acts

Head Heart

Familiar New

Words Visuals

What Have You Already Got?

• Go over successful ask letters, events, proposals – why did it work?

• Survey or focus group your supporters – what’s in it for them?

• Remember to look for head & heart.• Ask staff too, but this video is not for them!

Starting to Think Visual

• Who is your audience?– Pacing– Tone / language for voiceovers & text– What visuals make sense

What do you want them to do?

• Take action?– 90 seconds, tops – then

lead directly to a page focused on that action

• Learn something?– 5 minutes, tops – no

dead pixels

As You Look For Your Story

• Start thinking about context – where will you advertise, what’s the style there?

• Starting point formula: – 1/3 empathize – 1/3 explain – 1/3 call to action

Brainstorm Variations

• What if we used relatable characters & a Hero’s Journey, like Meatrix or Reel Causes? – (people you serve? Or donors?)

• What if we speak directly to “you” like Follow the Frog?

• What if it’s more word-driven, w a series of illustrations to add interest, like Story of Stuff?

• What if we do something interactive or crowdsourced like “It Gets Better?”

If You’re Really Stuck

• Do you have an enemy? What’s their story? How can you undermine it?

• Do you have competition? What makes you different? (Do NOT name/shame competition in your video… )

• Can you do a spoof like Meatrix or Old Spice ads? (careful w this…)

• Write a rant about stuckness & see what comes up

Next Steps

• Run the script(s) past a test audience, make sure it makes sense to them – a sketchy draft vid would be even better.

• What’s the Title? Upworthy brainstorms 25 titles or more for each shared link.

• Where will you promote it?

Sources

• Winning the Story Wars, Jonah Sachs• Made to Stick, Chip & Dan Heath• Into Focus: A Benchmark Guide to Effective

Nonprofit Video, See3 Communications • Playbook for Good, Youtube