Since the dawn of time, humans have been using stories to connect. Storytelling is what binds us together as a species; it is what links us in our communities. Today, we unwittingly use storytelling every day in our social interactions. But, we often leave this powerful tool at the door when we enter our professional environments or when we do use stories we often don’t maximize their potential. As non-profits, we frequently fall back on facts and figures, hoping that they will tell our story. And they do tell part of the story but they usually don’t strike the emotional chord that a simple story can. It is the emotive power of storytelling that we want to harness. We want to use story to allow our supporters to see themselves in our story and to allow them to join in a shared story. No matter what we do for a living, we all want to accomplish something bigger than ourselves, to leave our mark. Use storytelling to open the door for your prospects to do just that. In this presentation we’ll talk about the power of storytelling, how we can find our stories and express them through video, visuals, data and our writing so we can effectively use story in all our online communication channels. Takeaways • Why storytelling is so powerful • How to use video to tell your non-profit story • How to use social media to keep your story alive

1. A
bit
about
how
I
got
here
today
-­‐ Back
in
2005,
I
was
working
at
a
small
interac=ve
agency,
changing
the
online
space
with
big
clients
like
Toyota
&
DaimlerChrysler.
But
then
I
got
a
new
client,
WWF-­‐Canada.
1

2. -­‐ Being
kind
of
green
since
highschool,
having
World
Wildlife
Fund
as
a
client
proved
to
be
really
meaningful.
Because
our
work
now
had
the
poten=al
of
affec=ng
more
than
just
the
online
world.
-­‐ So
I
caught
that
‘meaningful’
bug
and
needed
to
devote
myself
full-­‐=me
to
something
I
was
really
passionate
about.
-­‐ I
moved
to
WWF
and
spent
6
years
leading
their
online
communica=ons
and
mkt.
And,
this
is
a
photo
I
took
on
my
6th
year
in
a
row
geOng
up
at
2am
to
par=cipate
in
our
biggest
fundraiser
of
the
year
at
the
CN
Tower.
As
we
use
to
say
at
WWF,
mostly
sarcas=cally,
but
with
a
hint
of
seriousness,
“Just
another
day
geOng
up
to
save
the
planet”.
Minus
those
early
morning
wakeups,
I
had
found
my
dream
job.
-­‐ It
was
my
dream
job
because
now
I
was
interac=ng
with
people
everyday,
either
internally,
externally,
online,
who
were
making
steps
towards
‘saving
the
world”.
But
yet,
aVer
6
years
I
leV
that
dream
job.
-­‐ Almost
a
year
ago,
I
leV
WWF.
Because
although
storytelling
will
never
save
the
world.
Nothing
in
this
world
has
every
changed
without
a
new
story.
So,
if
I
wanted
to
make
a
bigger
impact,
I
felt
I
had
to
start
dedica=ng
myself
to
that
–
changing
the
world’s
stories.
-­‐ I’m
now
working
with
a
lot
of
corporates
and
non-­‐profits
again,
learning
how
stories
are
empowering
them
to
reach
their
goals.
That
is
why
being
here
today
and
geOng
to
talk
to
so
many
of
you
in
the
non-­‐profit
space
at
once,
not
just
one
client
at
a
=me,
is
really
meaningful
to
me.
2

3. My
goal
is
to
help
you
get
started
with
using
great
stories
to
change
what
is
important
in
your
world.
We
will
cover:
Why
use
storytelling
,
what
is
its
power
How
to
find
your
great
stories
How
to
keep
your
stories
alive
and
growing
to
con=nue
to
meet
your
goals
3

4. Let’s
look
at
how
people
make
decisions.
What
gets
them
to
change
behaviour?
What
are
their
intrinsic
mo=va=ons
to
give?
You’ve
heard
them
before:
1. It
makes
us
happy
2. Because
others
are
giving
3. Makes
us
feel
important
4. We
want
to
be
part
of
a
success
story,
accomplish
something
bigger
than
ourselves,
leave
our
mark
And,
you
can
use
story
to
open
the
door
for
your
prospects
to
do
just
that.
But
here
is
another
way
to
think
about
all
of
this
–
How
do
people
REALLY
make
the
decision
to
donate
to
you?
Of
course
decisions
are
made
with
our
brains.
Our
brain
is
made
up
of
2
independent
systems
–
emo=onal
side
(pain/pleasure),
ra=onal
side
(deliberately
plans
ahead).
4

5. This
picture
illustrates
these
two
halves.
The
elephant
is
in
the
moment,
our
emo=onal,
ins=nc=ve
side.
The
rider
on
its
back
is
our
ra=onal
side
–
he
seems
to
be
in
control,
he
has
the
reigns.
But,
if
these
two
ever
disagree,
if
there
is
a
contest
of
wills,
we
know
who
is
going
to
win
the
tug
of
war
(150lb
man
or
the
5
ton
elephant?).
So,
in
non-­‐profit
outreach,
we
want
to
first
mo=vate
the
elephant,
connect
with
people’s
emo=onal
side
–
that’s
who
decides
if
we
donate,
if
we
have
that
2nd
piece
of
cake,
and
then
aVer
that
emo=onal
decision
is
made,
and
only
then,
do
our
ra=onal
selves
kick
in
–
I
did
run
that
extra
100
meters
today
so
I’ve
already
worked
off
the
2nd
piece
of
cake,
etc.
So
to
really
connect
and
drive
ac)on,
you
want
to
lead
with
emo=on
and
then
back
it
up
with
the
info
to
make
it
easy
for
the
rider
to
go
along
with
what
our
emo=ons
want.
So,
if
we
need
to
connect
with
the
emo=ons
first
–
why
use
storytelling?
Of
course,
great
stories
are
all
about
emo=on…
5

6. Think
of
a
brand
like
Nike.
They
actually
don’t
sell
sports
gear.
They’re
selling
you
an
emo=onal
story:
a
story
of
our
hard
work,
sweat
and
perseverance.
Just
Do
It
–isn’t
about
NIKE,
it’s
about
your
personal
quest
for
excellence
and
fulfillment
(and
that’s
what
we
need
to
remember
when
we
do
our
own
storytelling,
we
don’t
want
to
tell
a
story
about
our
organiza=on,
we
want
to
tell
a
story
about
our
audience)
The
Nike
story
bonds
consumers
to
the
brand
in
a
way
that
escapes
compe=tors
like
Adidas
and
New
Balance
–
who
don’t
have
a
story
that
binds.
So
stories
are
vehicles
to
carry
emo=on,
inspire
us,…but
they
also
do
many
more
things…
6

7. Memorable
You
can
spend
hours
telling
a
prospect
all
about
the
reasons
and
benefits
to
donate
to
your
charity.
One
day
later
they
will
have
forgojen
95%.
Just
like
you
will
forget
most
of
this
presenta=on…
but
when
you
think
about
it
tomorrow
you
will
probably
remember
some
of
the
stories.
We
live
in
a
sea
of
informa=on,
a
sea
of
op=ons,
so
we
need
to
find
ways
to
make
our
ideas
s=ck.
Use
story
to
flip
a
switch
in
your
audience’s
mind,
that
allows
them
to
actually
feel/
visualize
the
experience
of
your
brand
and
your
work.
If
you
want
to
get
in
our
audience’s
mind
–
plant
a
story
there
–
they
‘save’
nicely
in
the
human
brain
and
have
a
way
of
growing
and
replaying
in
our
minds
long
aVer
the
storyteller
is
gone
–
giving
them
a
las=ng,
memorable
impact.
7

8. Stories
Show
-­‐
Which
is
bejer
than
just
telling.
Communica=ng
in
stories
brings
the
value
of
something
to
life,
gives
it
meaning,
connects
with
the
audience,
good
stories
transport
them
so
they
see
themselves
in
the
story.
Un=l
they
can
‘see’
it,
you’ll
have
to
spend
a
lot
more
=me
convincing,
reminding
and
reitera=ng
people
before
they
take
ac=on.
Like
the
ghosts
in
Charles
Dickens’
a
Christmas
Carol
–
the
ghosts
just
showed
him
what
was
happening,
he
came
to
the
conclusions
himself
–
he
sold
himself
on
what
he
needed
to
do
without
the
ghosts
prodding
him.
8

9. Stories
are
TRUSTWORTHY
They
are
disarming,
you
know
that
feeling
when
someone
is
trying
to
sell
you
something
or
ask
you
for
money,
you
put
up
that
wall.
Well,
storytelling
puts
us
in
an
entertaining
frame
of
mind,
lowers
guard
of
worrying
that
someone
is
pushing
something
on
us.
9

10. Stories
Spread
Stories
last
for
years,
people
hear
a
story,
make
them
their
own
and
retell
them
[that’s
what
we
do
as
humans,
we
are
wired
that
way]
10

11. It
is
all
these
elements
that
make
storytelling
such
a
powerful
tool.
Everyone
has
great
stories
around
them.
Some
of
us
just
have
to
look
harder
than
others.
We
have
stories
inside
the
walls
of
Strategic
Storytellers
too.
When
I
first
started
this
was
one
of
the
first
stories
I
heard…
The
story
of
Barney’s
fishing
trip
and
how
it
exemplifies
the
power
of
storytelling
and
got
him
to
see
the
Fairmont
brand
in
a
whole
new
light…
Read
story
at:
hjp://strategicstorytellers.com/ourstory_fairmont.php
11

12. TumbleWeed
and
SageBrush
in
Vancouver.
12

13. 13

14. Facts
&
figures?
No,
if
you
look
a
lijle
deeper
and
bring
to
your
consciousness
what
you
are
really
thinking,
you
will
realize
that
every
=me
you
think
of
a
person
like
this
you
bring
up
your
own
built-­‐in
story
of
them
or
perhaps
a
story
about
yourself.
It
is
not
them
who
changed
the
world,
it
is
their
stories.
And
that
is
how
they
created
their
movements
–
they
planted
a
story
in
people’s
brains
that
was
memorable,
inspiring,
and
that
broke
the
majer
down
to
something
simple
people
could
hang
on
to
and
then
extrapolate
for
themselves
to
move
the
story
forward.
14

15. For
a
non-­‐profit,
there
are
2
really
important
types
of
stories:
Explaining
stories
–
illustrate
a
point,
paint
a
vivid
picture
of
a
situa=on,
put
complex
issue
in
human
terms.
They
are
used
to
grab
ajen=on,
replace
or
supplement
sta=s=cs,
show
human
impact
of
the
work.
Note
though
that
these
stories
by
themselves
don’t
compel
people
to
act
but
they
leave
a
las=ng
impression
and
may
make
someone
to
want
to
know
more.
Compelling
donor
centric
story
-­‐
offers
readers/listener
an
opportunity
to
say
something
about
what
kind
of
person
they
are.
Set
the
donor
up
as
a
hero,
or
speaks
to
the
impact
one
person
can
have.
Your
org
is
not
the
hero
in
a
story
to
compel
someone
else
to
act.
15

16. Explaining
Story
from
hCp://100khomes.org
Really
great
example
because
the
first
=me
I
watched
it
it
was
like
something
popped
in
my
brain,
changed
the
way
I
think
of
things
forever.
View
video
at:
hjp://bit.ly/KreLHF
16

17. Compelling
donor
centric
story
from
hCp://invisiblepeople.tv
This
is
not
a
tradi=onal
make
donor
the
hero
but
brings
the
scale
of
the
problem
down
to
a
personal
scale.
This
org
started
because
of
a
story,
a
story
of
a
homeless
person
on
Hollywood
Blvd.
who
actually
thought
he
was
invisible
un=l
one
day
someone
handed
him
pamphlet
–
he
was
shocked
that
they
could
see
him.
View
Robert’s
story:
hjp://bit.ly/Luq3cj
17

18. What
is
a
story:
It
is
about
a
character
dealing
with
some
obstacle
to
achieve
some
goal
–
which
he
may
or
may
not
be
able
to
overcome
but
some
kind
of
personal
transforma=on
occurs
as
he
tries.
18

19. Doing
this
exercise
in
a
large
group
will
help
you
learn
from
hearing
yourself
tell
your
story,
from
hearing
how
other
people
tell
their
stories
and
if
you
do
this
exercise
with
your
own
staff
and
volunteers
you
might
just
find
that
next
big
story
that
will
change
the
world.
Thanks
to
the
Swiss
Agency
for
Development
and
Coopera=on
(SDC)
for
this
exercise:
Materials:
A
bell/
gong,
a
large
open
space
Method
Round
One
1.
Place
the
par=cipants
into
groups
of
up
to
10.
Move
the
chairs
to
one
side
–
the
exercise
is
run
standing
up.
2.
Ask
the
par=cipants
to
take
a
moment
to
think
of
a
moment
from
their
own
professional
experience
when
(for
example)
they
felt
really
inspired
3.
Each
person
in
the
group
has
90
seconds
to
share
their
story
4.
A
bell
is
sounded
at
the
end
of
each
90-­‐second
s=nt
to
signal
the
start
of
a
new
story.
Round
Two
5.
When
all
the
ten
stories
are
heard,
the
group
splits
up
with
each
person
finding
a
new
group
of
9
others.
When
everyone
is
sejled,
each
person
has
90
seconds
to
tell
the
same
story
again…
19

20. ...
Clusters
and
Chains
6.
Each
person
recalls
the
story
that
most
resonated
with
them,
or
the
story
that
most
inspired
them.
7.
Everyone
stands
up
and
finds
the
person
who
told
this
story
and
puts
their
hand
on
his
or
her
shoulder.
8.
The
facilitator
asks
for
a
show
of
hands
of
all
those
who
have
one
hand
on
their
shoulder,
then
two,
then
three.
The
aim
is
to
find
the
top
3
stories
in
the
room
(i.e.,
the
tellers
with
the
most
hands
on
their
shoulders).
9.
The
top
3
stories
are
told
in
plenary.
Each
story
can
be
told
followed
by
20
seconds
of
silence
rather
than
applause.
The
audience
is
encouraged
to
no=ce
how
the
story
engages
them.
Each
story
is
given
a
name
that
conveys
some
aspect
of
its
essence.
+
what
engaged
them
about
it.
20

21. 21

22. This
survivor
video
story
that
we
did
for
Heart
&
Stroke
Founda=on
is
so
hot
off
the
presses
that
you
can’t
get
it
online
yet.
So
for
those
downloading
this
presenta=on
please
click
to
the
next
slide
to
see
a
corporate
survivor
story
we
did
for
RBC…
It
follows
the
same
principles…
22

23. View
Bill’s
Story
-­‐
hjp://www.rbcinsurance.com/insuranceneeds/bill.html
23

24. This
may
sound
obvious
but
we
oVen
have
a
great
story,
put
a
lot
of
effort
into
producing
it
and
then
release
it
and
watch
the
number
of
views
add
up
and
then
aVer
a
week
or
two
we
forget
about
it
and
so
does
everybody
else.
Good
stories
have
a
long
shelf
life,
we
just
have
to
nurture
them
and
help
them
succeed
beyond
our
expecta=ons.
24

25. -­‐ Find
out
what
stories
spark
your
target
audience
–
it
may
be
interes=ng
to
staff
but
not
your
prospects
-­‐ Start
now
in
building
rela=onships
with
influencers
who
may
be
interested
in
sharing
your
story
(and
story
followups)
-­‐ Figure
out
if
the
story
is
genuine
to
who
you
are,
your
values
as
an
org
–
are
you
living
this
story?
If
not,
it
isn’t
the
story
for
you,
find
another.
-­‐ Start
blogging
about
the
values
that
are
ajached
to
your
story,
and/or
the
backgrounder
informa=on
that
will
help
your
target
audience
understand
the
story
to
a
greater
depth.
This
also
helps
the
story
seem
like
it
isn’t
coming
out
of
the
blue.
-­‐ Arm
your
biggest
supporters
(usually
staff,
board,
etc.)
on
how
they
can
use
the
story,
give
them
more
background
info
so
they
can
talk
about
it
in
their
circles
with
confidence.
-­‐ Ensure
there
is
a
mechanism
for
calls
to
ac=on
25

26. -­‐
Reach
out
to
all
your
connec=ons
and
if
they
aren’t
the
target
audience,
give
them
another,
more
appropriate
ac=on
to
take
-­‐ Release
more
blog
posts,
more
stats/data,
infographics,
etc.,
that
=e
back
to
the
story,
release
this
for
over
a
long
period
so
you
can
con=nue
to
leverage/link
to
your
great
stories
-­‐ Don’t
make
your
story
an
orphan,
surround
it
with
follow-­‐up
stories,
updates,
behind
the
scenes
with
staff,
people
from
the
video
doing
speaking
engagements,
etc.
-­‐ Listen
to
what
people
are
saying,
how
are
they
taking
the
story
and
making
it
their
own?
How
can
you
share
other
people’s
spin
off
stories
and
become
a
story-­‐
sharer?
-­‐ Take
the
themes
and
keep
them
alive
in
conversa=on.
-­‐ Provide
next
steps
for
people
who
take
the
first
ac=on.
BASICALLY,
take
the
core
of
your
story
and
con=nue
to
live
it.
Con=nue
to
build
the
material
and
momentum
around
those
stories
throughout
the
year
in
your
communica=on
channels
–
online
and
off,
and
listen
to
how
people
are
engaging
with
that
story
to
find
new
opportuni=es.
26

27. Thanks
to
the
Heath
Brothers
for
a
lot
of
the
inspira=on
in
this
presenta=on.
27

28. Now
tell
your
story
that
will
change
the
world!
28