Storytelling Resources for Nonprofits 23 @ 4 July 2010

Why Stories? http://www.flickr.com/photos/yumievriwan/4372918808/ Personal Connection Metaphor for understanding Learning Tools Fun Reassuring, helpful http://www.flickr.com/photos/yumievriwan/4372918808/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillo444/3126939099/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/acplinfo/2461899958/in/set-72157603741408729/

“Give the People What They Want” Hardwired for stories Better than data Life to the individual & abstract Viral marketing needs container

Why Nonprofit Storytelling? Where can you use stories to connect people to your mission?

Where Can You Tell Your Organizational Story? Newsletters Face to Face Media Online Special Events Fundraising requests Where do you tell stories? Board Members Fundraisers Volunteers Staff http://www.flickr.com/photos/erica_marshall/852785112/

Persons Served Who Tells Your Story? Board Members Fundraisers Volunteers Staff Persons Served What story are they telling? Whose story should you be telling?

Why, Where, Who … But How? and What!? Resources http://www.flickr.com/photos/horiavarlan/4273168957/in/set-72157623837156246/

Kivi Leroux Miller A Bag of Chips! 3 Plots Lists of tips Integrating The Nonprofit Marketing Guide: High-Impact, Low-Cost Ways to Build Support for Your Good Cause “Spread Your Message Further by Telling Great Stories” Chapter By Kivi Leroux Miller 658.8 L56N Business and Technology All that and on a bag of chips: anyone can tell stories anywhere The Challenge Plot; The Creativity Plot; The Connection Plot Six Qualities of a Good Nonprofit Marketing Story Resources for finding your organization’s freshest stories 10 tips for creating stories through interviews Privacy implications and suggested practices Ideas on where and when to tell stories Serial storytelling to bring readers back

Andy Goodman Online free range thinking newsletter Print Storytelling as Best Practice

Identifying good stories How to listen better Examples Identifying good stories How to listen better 7 questions to sharpen stories Annotated bibliography Storytelling as Best Practice: How stories strengthen your organization, engage your audience, and advance your mission. By Andy Goodman 658.45 G62S, 2008 Business and Technology Written to help nonprofits and foundations tell our good stories using human voice and toning down jargon and slang “Give the People What They Want” People are hardwired to respond to stories Individual stories are more convincing than sets of data Stories bring the individual and abstract to life The viral marketing of ideas depends first and foremost on stories (container for transmitting a story) Storytelling for presentations Story Banking – collecting personal stories of folks; recognizing good stories, fact-checking, cataloging, even employing a “Tell us Your Story” online submission Identifying good stories, how to listen better, 7 questions to sharpen stories, more From free-fange thinking newsletter: http://www.agoodmanonline.com/newsletter/archive_2010.htm

Story Banking Process *Collecting stories Recognizing good stories Fact-checking *Cataloging “Tell Us Your Story” ImPRESSive. Media Tip Sheet for Advocates from FamiliesUSA. July 1999 and Winter 2002. Story Banking Resources (PDFs) from FamiliesUSA.org: See FamiliesUSA.org “Tell Us Your Story” page: http://www.familiesusa.org/tell-us-your-story.html Resource: “The Art of Story Banking.” July 1999 http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/ImPRESS_story_banking6de2.pdf Resource: “The Story Bank: Using Personal Stories as an Effective Way to Get Your Personal Message Out.” Winter 2002 http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/Winter2002ImPRESSive.pdf http://www.flickr.com/photos/pewari/3566819343/

Story Arc Intro characters and setting Add tension Climatic moment Resolution

“What” is the antagonist Opening Hook “What” is the antagonist Translate w/ budget numbers “Live Theater” Applying to all fundraising Storytelling for Grantseekers: A Guide to Creative Nonprofit Fundraising, 2nd ed. By Cheryl A. Clarke 361.7 C55S, 2009 Readers’ Services Devotes a chapter to the Letter of Inquiry, or your organization’s short story The opening hook, introduction of characters and the setting “What” the antagonist is and how to develop this character Introducing tension and conflict to the plot Goals and objectives as partial resolution Evaluation and future funding as epilogue and sequel Translating the narrative using the budget numbers “Marketing” the proposal with the summary and subject headings Storytelling as “live theater” during site visits Applying proposal writing skills to general fundraising Writing exercises, in-chapter examples, two sample full proposals

Social Psych http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanmkr/237252443/ “Nicolas Kristof’s Advice for Saving the World” on the Invisible Children Blog “[People] intervene not because of stories of desperate circumstances but when we can be cheered up with positive stories of success and transformation.” “Storytelling needs to focus on an individual, not a group.” http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/2009/12/nicholas-kristofs-advice-for-saving-the-world/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanmkr/237252443/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ebolasmallpox/2179047732/

The New Community Anthology: Digital Storytelling as a Community Development Strategy by Mamie Marcuss, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Discusses three Boston programs teaching digital storytelling Develop literacy, oratorical, and technological skills Bridge generations around community story Tell organization success stories Train the trainer, further mobilizing supporters and constituents http://www.wkkf.org/~/media/A929852628A24062853246AE10CCA6EE.ashx

WeAreMedia Storytelling Page Resource: “Blogging and Storytelling” presentation and notes by Britt Bravo featuring 11 Ways Nonprofits Can Use Blogs Resource: “Video Storytelling and Strategy” presentation and notes by Michael Hoffman http://www.wearemedia.org/Storytelling

MessageMatrix Template Message Matters: Succeeding at the Crossroads of Mission and Market By Rebecca K. Leet 658.408 L51M Foundation Collection The Message Matrix can be used share your story with your storytellers

Further Resources http://www.flickr.com/photos/mad_house_photography/4502657560/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ellenw/251895310/