Video and other digital storytelling are critical tools for nonprofits as they seek to communicate, educate, and fundraise. But storytelling also represent a minefield for organizations seeking to promote racial equity and diversity. Organizational stories can reinforce existing biases or become critical tools in the fight for inclusion. How do we manage these challenges? How does our storytelling relate to our overall work in promoting equity and diversity? In this session, we’ll look at some principles of equity in storytelling and hear from practitioners about how they navigate the competing priorities, access issues, and work against their own personal and organizational biases. We’ll also look at tools and technology that can help us create more inclusive and participatory storytelling structures.

1. Stories Matter: Equity in
Storytelling for the Digital Age
March 23, 2017
Presented by
Nicole Long - See3 Communications
Michael Hoffman - See3 Communications
Rebecca Kling - National Center for Transgender Equality
Roshani Kothari - NetSquared DC
#NTCStoriesMatter

2. Housekeeping
Collaborative notes: http://po.st/17NTCstoriesmatter
Session hashtag: #NTCStoriesMatter
#NTCStoriesMatter

3. Welcome!
We’re so happy to have you here.
#NTCStoriesMatter

4. #NTCStoriesMatter
Who we are
#NTCStoriesMatter
Nicole Long
Digital Marketing
Project Manager
See3 Communications
Roshani Kothari
Consultant
NetSquared DC
Rebecca Kling
Community Storytelling
Advocate
National Center for
Transgender Equality
Michael Hoffman
CEO
See3 Communications

5. #NTCStoriesMatter#NTCStoriesMatter
Agenda
● Today’s goals
● Diversity + equity refresher
● Equity storytelling principles
● Case study: National Center for Transgender Equality
● Digital tools for effective storytelling
● Q+A

6. ● Understand the value and importance of
equity and diversity in storytelling for
nonprofits
● Learn principles of diversity in
storytelling
● Learn how nonprofits are working to
incorporate equity and diversity into
their storytelling strategies
● Explore tools for storytelling success
Today’s Goals
#NTCStoriesMatter

7. What are you
hoping to learn
today?

8. Refresher
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Diversity is
Intersectional

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Equality/Equity?

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Equity
● “Justice according to natural law or
right; specifically : freedom from
bias or favoritism”
● Giving each individual what they
specifically need to be successful
● Levels the playing field

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Equality
● “Of the same measure, quantity,
amount, or number as another ”
● Giving everyone the same things
to be successful
● Assumes everyone starts at the
place

17. Equality is
NOT the
same as
Equity

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Why are equity and diversity
important to nonprofit storytelling?

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One Size Fits All Doesn’t Work in
Storytelling
● Many people benefit or are impacted through your
work.
● Repeating the same org-focused story diminishes
the impact of your work.
○ Our perceptions are our only reality.
○ Reinforces stereotypes and can limit your
brand’s power.

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“Fundraising in the 21st century will require a
differentiated approach tailored to the interests,
values, and traditions of the many rather than a one-
size-fits-all approach based on the interests, values,
and traditions of white Americans.”
- Emmett Carson, Ph.D
President and CEO, Silicon Valley Community Foundation

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Our World is Changing
● Traditional donor base is
aging.
● More people from all walks of
life are becoming involved in
supporting social change.
● Technology is disrupting the
way we live.

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● Roughly three-quarters of Americans (77%) now own a
smartphone.
● In 2016, 41% of nonprofits received at least one online
donation of $1,000 or more.
● 17% of online transactions were made using a
mobile device.

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Representation is Important
● People want to be able to see
themselves in your
organization.
● Want to know that others like
them support you, too.
● Needs your organization to
understand, represent and
support their values.

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There’s a lot of noise online.
● Millions of social media updates and posts, daily.
● Competing with inspiration quotes, food, pets and
babies.
● You have to differentiate your organization:
○ Become a part of their “curated” life.
○ Meet them where they are.
○ Give them a reason to care -- now.

26. Equity + Storytelling Principles
#NTCStoriesMatter

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Principles
1. Lead with a strategy.
2. Find the hero of your story.
1. Check your bias -- not boxes.
2. Listen, and then engage with your
constituents.
3. Empower them to share their
stories.

28. Your ED swings by your desk on a
Monday morning to inform you that
more than $165,000 was raised online
from first-time givers and more than
3,000 people signed up to volunteer.
To not lose momentum, she wants to
capture those donor testimonials and
put their stories on the Internet,
yesterday.
She asks you for the game plan…..

30. 1. You need to
lead with a
strategy.

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● What are your organization’s goals, and how do you plan to
achieve them?
● Who are your supporters? Where can you find/engage with
them?
● What stories support your organization’s mission?
● How will your team identify, create, and promote diverse
content?
○ Remembering equity -- how can you level the playing field?
■ The usual channels for identifying stories might not cut
it.
Principle 1 : Lead With Strategy

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Example: The Nature Conservancy

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Example: The Nature Conservancy (cont.)

34. 2. You’re not the
hero -- your
audience is.

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Principle 2: The Hero’s Journey

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Example: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

37. Example: Girls Who Code
#NTCStoriesMatter

38. 3. Don’t just
“check off” boxes.

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Principle 3: Diversity is More Than
Checkboxes
● We all have biases. But we have to try to keep them out of our
work.
● Quotas are too rigid for the human interest of storytelling.
● Authenticity is key. Donors and advocates are keen bullsh*t
detectors.
● Always remember why you are telling these stories.

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Example: Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

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Example: KaBOOM

43. 4. Engage with
your
constituents.

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Principle 4: Listen and Learn
● You’re not the hero, remember?
● Don’t just ask your audience for stories -- ask how and where
they’re reading your content, the messages they’re taking
away, and what inspires them to take action on your cause.
● No one knows everything.
○ Diversity creates honest, timely dialogue.
● Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
○ Get volunteers, communities, staff and
supporters involved.

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Example: Global Down Syndrome
Foundation

46. 5. Empower
them to share
their stories.

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Principle 5: Empower them to tell their
stories.
● Most people love to talk about themselves, make it easy for
them to tell you their story.
● Be sensitive, and never compromise people’s safety or dignity.
● When donors share their content within their networks; you
will benefit from inherited trust.
● When in doubt, follow the 10:1 Content Rule.

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Example: 4-H

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Example: Autism Speaks

50. In Closing

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The Power
of Diversity
1. Your constituents need to see
where they fit into your work.
2. Your organization is the mentor;
not the hero, and there’s power
and responsibility in that.
1. Listen -- and let them create. Your
supporters are more than willing
to share.

53. Case Study:
National Center for
Transgender Equality
#NTCStoriesMatter

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● The nation’s leading social justice
advocacy organization winning life-
saving change for transgender
people.
● Founded in 2003
● Policy and advocacy focus

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Why
Stories?
● Familiarization
● Emotional connection
● Empowerment

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Whose
Stories?
● Transgender adults
● Family members
● Transgender youth
● Validators:
○ Law Enforcement
○ Educators
○ SA/DV

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Trainings
On...
● Storytelling
● Interviews and media prep
● Reaching out to local
media
● Advocacy in schools
● More to come!

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Storytelling
Worksheet

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67. Online strategies + tools
to gather stories
#NTCStoriesMatter

69. 1. What does DIVERSITY mean in your organization?
Does it have to do with race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, political
views, something else?
2. Why care about DIVERSITY of views and stories?
- Do you have a membership or donor base?
- How do you make sure your organization’s work reflects what’s important
to you base?
- How do you make sure everyone is heard and does not feel alienated?
Defining Diversity

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● Create surveys with SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, and other
similar tools.
● Include questions that will help you identify diversity based
on how your organization defines it.
● Send out survey to email list. Segment your list as needed.
● Analyze responses and compare views based on diversity
factors.
● Provide an incentive to people for their feedback.
● Share survey results if appropriate and be sure to include
different perspectives.
1. Online Survey

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● Online forms are easy to set up.
● You can have a form integrated into your website.
● Give people a chance to ask questions and share their
stories.
● Thank everyone for their feedback and encourage them to
stay involved.
● Repackage content as appropriate for social media and the
website.
2. Online feedback form

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● Create contests to gather stories, photos and videos.
● When selecting content to share, keep diversity in mind.
● Share crowdsourced content on your website, email list and
social media.
3. Crowdsourcing content - stories,
photos and videos

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Special thanks to Carie Lewis Carlson, Senior Director, Digital Marketing!
1. What online tools do you use to get diverse perspectives from your
community?
We deploy a survey widget on our website periodically, have used SurveyMonkey
via email, and we read every comment on our Facebook posts. We use data to
tell us how effective our posts are based on our goals, but also perform a
sentiment analysis on every post so we get our community’s feedback.
2. How do you integrate these different perspectives in your work?
We take the feedback we get and tweak our talking points, as well as make
improvements to our site and inform our discussions around branding.
3. What does diversity of voices mean to your organization? Is it along
political lines, cat vs. dog people, etc.?
It means that every voice is heard, no matter what their views are. Although
progressive, we are a bipartisan organization.

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What online strategies and tools have you
used to gather stories from your
community?
What challenges have you run into in
terms of diversity and equity in storytelling?
Share your stories

76. Questions?
#NTCStoriesMatter

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NTEN Stories
App

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Don’t forget the session evaluation!
http://nten.org/17ntc-evals/

79. Thank You!
#NTCStoriesMatter
Nicole Long: nlong@see3.com
Michael Hoffman: mhoffman@see3.com
@Michael_Hoffman
Rebecca Kling: rkling@transequality.org
@transequality
@rebeccakling
Roshani Kothari: roshanikothari@gmail.com
@Roshani