Nonprofits are doing incredible boots-on-the-ground work every single day. Raising awareness. Providing education. Planting trees. Supplying food. Combating homelessness. Performing life changing research. You name the issue, and there is an incredible organization working hard to overcome it with nonprofit storytelling.
Or ten. Or one hundred. Or more!
So how do you set your organization apart?
Differentiation is key, and storytelling is the most effective way to do it.
For nonprofits, telling your story — and empowering others to tell it on your behalf — is essential in building and sustaining critical connections with your community, volunteers, and donors. And these days, visual content MUST be part of the equation.
5 Reasons to Prioritize Nonprofit Storytelling
Here are 5 reasons to embrace and integrate nonprofit storytelling into your marketing and fundraising efforts:
- Storytelling Brings Your Mission to Life
In today’s world, photo and video content has never been more important when it comes to sharing your impact with your target audience. With every single social media algorithm prioritizing video content, these visuals are no longer just “nice-to-have” – they are essential.
Whether donors are giving $5 or $5 million, they want to know their contributions are making a difference — and as nonprofit leaders, it’s your job to show them! Take time to capture your mission in real-time and share it with your audience. You simply cannot dig up and replant a tree to capture great content. It would be inauthentic, as well as a waste of time, money and resources. Get started sharing great video content with these Video Canva Templates specifically crafted for beginners who are ready to try short-form video.
- Your Advocates Are Your Greatest Asset
If you are looking for a new dining experience, you might go to a restaurant’s website and see that they’re the number one Italian restaurant in the city. But I’m willing to bet, you take it one step further, and head to the reviews section to see what real people think of where you may spend your hard-earned money.
The same is true when it comes to deciding to make a donation to a nonprofit. People want to hear directly from someone with first-hand experiences, which is more powerful than taking your word for it. Nonprofit leaders are among an organization’s biggest cheerleaders, but empowering supporters – your staff, board members, program participants, volunteers, and donors – to tell your story is what will truly make a difference.
Nonprofit storytelling puts a spotlight on the people who have been most directly impacted by an organization’s efforts, such as someone whose life has changed through volunteering, a student who was able to continue their education because of scholarship funds, or a cancer survivor who hopes to see funding for a cure. These are the impactful stories that leave your potential donors feeling inspired and hopeful about the difference their dollars will make.
- Photos & Videos Show Your Mission Beyond Words
Have you ever found yourself struggling to find the right words to describe how an experience made you feel? You’re certainly not alone. Despite our best efforts, there are times when text just doesn’t cut it – especially in short-form. In those cases, videos and photos can do the talking for us.
To demonstrate impact, nonprofits can no longer just tell, they need to show. Imagine an annual report that’s just pages of text or a social media post that doesn’t include any pictures. The stories you’re sharing are more memorable with visuals to provide context. Stories stick with us.
According to the Stanford Graduate School of Business, stories are remembered up to 22 times more than facts alone. While a potential donor may not know your exact mission, they will remember the video they saw telling the story of a local family experiencing job loss and food insecurity who found resources at your food pantry.
- Transparency is King in the Age of AI
Transparency is crucial in establishing trust with donors. Nonprofits must provide transparent information about how donated dollars and cents will be utilized effectively. When sharing these details, storytelling techniques can be employed to illustrate the journey from inception to completion, showcasing the impact of each step along the way.
With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), especially AI that can generate images within seconds, audiences are going to become increasingly skeptical of online images. The more authentic your content, the more relatable, and ethical, your brand will be to real people – and real people are the ones who donate! Learn more about ethical storytelling with MemoryFox’s 2023 Ethical Storytelling Report.
- Great Stories Inspire Action
At the end of the day, the goal of any nonprofit is to inspire people to act: donate, volunteer, sign a petition, contact public officials, or attend an event. Storytelling is a persuasive tool for getting people to remember your cause and to take it one step further and act.
Storytelling has the unique ability to connect with the people who care about your nonprofit’s mission on an emotional level, helping them understand the impact of their contributions and inspiring them to support your cause. There is no time to waste. Start your nonprofit storytelling journey today!
Blog Author
Carly Euler, Marketing Manager at MemoryFox
Carly is the Marketing Manager at MemoryFox, and comes from the nonprofit world ready to elevate the hundreds of nonprofits in the MemoryFox community. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Wily Network’s Young Professionals Association, and has previously held positions at numerous nonprofits with a wide range of missions and visions. During her time working for nonprofits, she has specialized in marketing, communications, and fundraising. Storytelling has been an integral part of each role.
