Nonprofit Storytelling In A Digital World

Julia CampbellDigital Marketing Strategist for Nonprofits

http://www.jcsocialmarketing.comCape Code Philanthropy Day

November 12, 2014

#capecodgiving @JuliaCSocial

http://www.jcsocialmarketing.com/

Takeaways Why storytelling is so vital to

your nonprofit fundraising & marketing strategy

The types of stories you need to be telling on social media

Examples from nonprofits who are doing storytelling right



Why Storytelling? People don’t

remember bullet points.

People respond to emotion.

Feelings, not analytical thinking, drive actions.


What Storytelling Will Not DoFix bad management.

Fix a lousy product or service.

Replace other fundraising & marketing strategies.

Replace tried-and-true fundraising tactics.

BUT if done well, it will augment all other communication efforts!


How To “Do” Storytelling? Think of your audience

FIRST and ALWAYS.

How can you tell a story in a way that will resonate with them?

What is important to them?

What will inspire them to action?


The Bad News… Donor retention is at an ALL TIME low.

70% of all donors that nonprofits recruit into giving a gift never donate again to that organization! (AFP)


Boomers spend 19 hours a week online.

71% use a social networking site daily with Facebook being the most popular.

36% of boomers ages 50 and over own a smartphone, and 32% own a tablet.


73% of online adultsuse at least one social networking site daily!

MYTH: Older Donors Aren’t Online

http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/

Your donors ages 74+ are the fastest-growing demographic on social networks.


The Good News… More than 7 in 10 US

charity and nonprofit social media administrators found the channels useful for raising money!

1/3 of charities said it was VERY USEFUL for fundraising!

Just 11% said it wasn’t useful for fundraising.


Requires A Change In Mindset Become a storytelling

organization.

Most nonprofit communications are boring and org-centric.

Focus on BENEFITS, not features.


Types of Stories


Creation Stories

Continuous Improvement Stories

Behind-The-Scenes Stories

User-Generated Stories

Impact Stories

Creation Stories What was the need?

What is the need now?

Story of the founders

The real WHY you exist


Reference: http://www.thegoodmancenter.com

Creation Stories Example –Environmental

Defense Fund Started by a small group of

passionate conservationists in Long Island.

They wanted to save the osprey, bald eagle and peregrine falcon.

Went to court, got a ban on DDT in 1966. In 1972, they played a large role on a nationwide ban.

They play up the “strong foundation” and grassroots approach which informs their work today.


Continuous Improvement Express resiliency

Show that your org is always trying to improve

Mistakes, lessons learned

Helps other organizations



Continuous ImprovementExample – The Denver Foundation

10 Years 10 Stories – Celebrating 10 years of inclusiveness

Stories from the Journey – stories told by the nonprofits awarded grants

Nonprofits discussed what they learned and what they still have to work on.

Focused on their target audience and thought about what would resonate with them.



Feature donors

Feature Board members

Feature staff

Feature volunteers



Behind-The-ScenesCarolyn Miles of Save the

Children

Pinterest Board: http://www.pinterest.com/savethechildren/carolyn-s-corner/







#capecodgiving @JuliaCSocial http://www.care.org/get-involved/international-womens-day/iamcourage


#capecodgiving @JuliaCSocial http://share.marchofdimes.org/

User-Generated Stories“Why Didn’t You Just Leave?”

Writer Beverly Gooden shared her own reasons for staying in an abusive relationship on Twitter, using the hashtag #WhyIStayed.

Within hours, hundreds of survivors were tweeting their own reasons for doing the same.

#capecodgiving @JuliaCSocialhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/12/why-didnt-you-just-leave_n_5805134.html

https://twitter.com/search?q=

Impact Stories Showcase the

difference you are making

Showcase the lives changed

Doesn’t have to be sugary sweet


Impact StoriesThere was a point in time when Eddie didn't

want to live. "I was standing on the verge of death," he says.


http://www.denverrescuemission.org/drm/stories/stories-eddie-2014

Impact StoriesGreater Twin Cities United

Way

Success Stories section on their website

Start with the impact they had on the nonprofit, then a recipient of services

Miguel’s story


Impact StoriesAlways show donors where

their money is going.

Make them smile when they see the results their gift helped achieve.

https://www.facebook.com/BostonChildrensHospital


Where To Find Stories? Everywhere!

Everyone is responsible!

Requires a big change of culture.

No silos!

Get on the front lines.

Talk with people.


Everyone Has A StoryEveryone has a

story – it might not be one that you can use, but it might lead you to an idea or person who can help.



YOUR TURN! Creation Stories

Continuous Improvement Stories



Impact Stories


How To Get Good Stories Look over all of those thank you notes!

Ask clients – include a “share your story” page on your website, conduct surveys, ask at live events.

Be enthusiastic.

Explain the purpose.

Keep it varied. Make A Wish Foundation doesn’t just tell about the people that benefit, they also tell the stories of the wish-granter, the volunteers and their sponsors.


Have A System Collect stories & all story ideas. Keep these

confidential for now.

Nothing is too small to collect.

Save your stories & ideas in a virtual Story Bank.

Use Dropbox or Google Drive.

Form a Storytelling Committee.

Start thinking like a reporter.

Use your smart phone, tablet, GoPro, flip camera.


Mine The Gold“Think of the story itself as gold. You mine the

gold, capture the story.

Then you bring it back to your office and you need to pound that gold into different shapes and sizes depending on whom you’re talking to, or also where you’re telling it.” ~ Andy Goodman


Promote Your StoriesIf you tell it, they will hear it!

Right??

Putting the stories on theright channels and thenpromoting them is HALFthe battle!


Channels for Storytelling Website – HOME BASE

Blogs

Email newsletters

Publications

Social media

Public speaking, community education

User-generated –encourage your online community to share their stories


Go MultichannelPrint, electronic, mobile and everything in between.

Be where your donors are, not where you want them to be.


St. Louis Children’s Hospital FoundationDirect mail, email,

social media

Missives from Josh, a 16-year-old patient at the hospital

Use humor, insider info, his genuine voice and personality


The Children’s Center, Detroit


“Here’s how to know if you’re on the right track: if you stop (your) story in the middle, the audience will insist you finish it. Isn’t that what you want?”

~Seth Godin


http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/09/words-sentences-paragraphs-stories.html

My Two CentsWe all need to change

nonprofit culture.

We need to start thinking visually and start thinking in “micro-content” terms.

Stop with the excuses.


My Two CentsThink of using social

media as showing the world what you do and why you do it, in a compelling, interesting and easy-to-share way!



http://www.pinterest.com/pin/430164201878168367/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/430164201878168367/

ResourcesJCSocialMarketing.com

JohnHaydon.com

BethKanter.org

NPTechForGood.com

TheGoodmanCenter.com



Questions?Twitter: @JuliaCSocial

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jcsocialmarketing

Email: [email protected]


Government & Nonprofit

Nonprofit Storytelling In A Digital World