A good story stays with you. It forms a connection that draws you in and keeps your attention. This is why telling a good story should serve as the foundation for your nonprofit’s marketing initiatives. If you want to better connect with your audience, invite them into the story your nonprofit is telling by your very existence. Let’s look at 5 ways to accomplish this.
1. Use storytelling to anchor your communication with donors
The story of how your nonprofit came to be is not what we are referring to when we talk about telling your story. Rather, it is just the beginning of the story you are continuing to tell. Everything you do in your organization helps tell this story.
Your donors believe in this story. So when you communicate with your donors, invite them into your nonprofit’s narrative by discussing what you have done and what you continue to do.
2. Emphasize visual storytelling
Modern technology empowers you to tell an amazing story without much money spent or effort invested. For instance, you can use your iPhone or Android device to make a video of one of your events. Then use an app to edit the video. It doesn’t need to be complex—it could be as simple as adding some music and trimming the video to show only the most important footage. You can use editing apps such as ActionDirector (Android) and iMovie (iPhone) to do this.
3. Create a database to cultivate stories
Whenever you have a video, testimony, or some other piece of content that tells your story, keep it in a database for organizational purposes. Your database could simply be a collection of files you store on your computer along with a spreadsheet that contains links to these files for easy access. You can then strategically distribute this content over time.
If you haven’t documented the big events your nonprofit has engaged in during the past year, you’ll want to do so moving forward. When you do this, tell the story that goes along with them (this is where videos can come in handy). You could also reach out to volunteers, donors, and those you’ve helped to see if anyone would be willing to provide testimonials.
4. Tap into your social media audience to find positive stories
You can search social media platforms to see if anyone has posted about your nonprofit. If it’s positive, you may want to ask the person who posted it if he or she would mind you sharing the post on your nonprofit’s social media platforms.
You may also want to ask your social media followers if they would be willing to provide a testimonial of what your nonprofit has meant to them. This gets people involved in your nonprofit so you can add to your story.
5. Include a call to action
A call to action (CTA) invites users to perform a certain action. This in turn engages the user and helps your nonprofit stand out.
A CTA might be something as simple as having a Donate button on your home page. Or it could be a phrase such as, “Connect with us on Facebook!” In both examples, you should include a hyperlink that brings the user to the desired page.
You should approach a CTA in a story-centric mindset rather than a sales-centric mindset. Just tell your story, and use a CTA to invite people to be part of it.