1. Break Through The Noise
Nonprofit Messaging that
Moves Hearts, BUILDS
Community, and Inspires
Action
presented by

2. GRAB
YOUR
TEMPLATES

3. HI! I’M MARIA BRYAN ● Nonprofit Messaging Strategist
● 15+ years in communications and
marketing in the public sector
● Journalism BA and Master of Public
Admin
● Professionally Certified in Trauma &
Resilience
● My core belief: Storytellers play an
incredible role in making the world a
healthier, safer, cleaner, and
happier place. Stories are meaningful.

4. ● Understanding Your Audience
● Developing Impactful Messaging
● Telling Stories That Stick
● Trauma-Informed Storytelling
what we’ll cover

5. Your nonprofit’s stories can generate
movers and shakers.
why does it matter?

6. THE MARKETING RULE OF ONE
1 Audience
1 Message
1 Story
1 Call-to-Action

7. NYLA MOOR
Working Mom
ALIA PEREZ
CEO
LIZZY
DAVIS
Gen Z
Activist
Know
Your
Audience
JOSEPH JONES
Local Artist

8. IMPACTFUL MESSAGING

9. Features of
successful
key messages ➔ Clear
➔ Memorable
➔ Compelling

10. CENTRAL MESSAGE
Your mission
& vision
statement
Your elevator
pitch
POSITIONING
What sets you
apart
Why your
innovative work
matters
PROOF POINTS
The greater issue +
your unique and
proven solution
Program outcomes
Inspiring stories of
impact
key message points

11. What sets
you apart?
What makes our organization’s view and solution to
this problem different from all the others in our
industry?
What are we most known for?
What qualifies our organization to have empathy
and understanding for the people you're trying to
help?
What greater impact do we want to have in our
community, industry, and the world?
What are our most daring goals?

13. Researchers have found that:
● A story can put your whole brain to
work.
● Stories reinforce memory.
● Stories can affect belief systems.
why your story matters
Sources: NYTimes: Your Brain on Fiction, NPR: How Stories Connect and Persuade Us

14. use a
narrative
structure

15. image sources: epicstream.com, thedad.com, withanaccent.com
Moana & Grandma Tala
Harry Potter & Dumbledore
Luke & Obi-Wan Kenobi

16. DOES YOUR MESSAGING
MOVE HEARTS,
CREATE COMMUNITY,
AND COMPEL ACTION?
(if not, I can help)

17. Nonprofit MESSAGING RETREAT
A messaging retreat for nonprofit
leaders to create clear and compelling
messaging strategy.
By the end, you’ll have a transformational
story-based messaging guide to lead all
your communications and messaging.

18. Trauma-informed
storytelling
A storytelling practice
that recognizes trauma
and centers the safety
and health of our
beneficiaries, audiences,
and storyteller.

19. Source: Chronicle of Philanthropy
“Imagine how it would feel if the work you loved
compelled you to repeatedly go to your darkest place of
pain. Imagine fighting back tears and anxiety attacks
every time you were asked to relive your greatest trauma.
Imagine your heart beating so fast you felt certain it
would jump out of your chest in the middle of an
important meeting. And imagine after that meeting being
so emotionally and physically exhausted that you want to
curl up and sleep for 20 years like Rip Van Winkle.”
- Damion Cooper, Project Pneuma Founder

20. THE STORY OWNER
The key to trauma-informed care
is providing safety and agency

21. THE STORY OWNER
● Slow down the story-gathering process.
● Tell stories of people who have closed the transformation
arc.
● Get program staff involved who directly work with clients by
creating a story-gathering protocol and workflow.
● Make sure you have informed and enthusiastic consent.
● Give story owners final approval before publication, allowing
them to clarify or remove sections of their story.
● Story owners should be allowed to withdraw their stories
anytime.

22. “At Love146, I assume trauma in my audience.
And even if you’re not an organization working
with child sex trafficking — 1 in 3 women in your
audience experience sexual assault alone. That’s
only 1 kind of trauma. Across many dimensions:
assume trauma.”
- Marilyn Murray, Love146 Communications
Director
Source: Love146.org

23. THE STORY RECEIVER
● Most people have experienced trauma, and our audiences
likely care about your issue because of their lived
experiences and traumas.
● When telling stories, don't focus on lived pain that was
endured. Focus on transformation, awe, and hope.
● Allow for natural urgency in your asks, don’t create
false urgency or use shame and manipulation.

25. “I didn't expect this to be so emotionally grueling. I
have noticed that this trial specifically sticks with
me and bothers me in ways others haven't. I'm
going to carry that testimony with me for a long
time. That's what it means to bear witness to
something like this. You take a little bit of that
with you.”
- Emily Saul, New York Post Litigation Reporter
Source: The Vow

26. THE WITNESS
● Take stock of how you feel after interviewing a beneficiary
and debrief with a trusted colleague or supervisor.
● Create self-care practices while telling other people's stories,
like meditating before and after interviews and taking breaks
to do unrelated and enjoyable tasks.
● Set boundaries and space in your week to protect your
emotional and mental health, like limiting interviews to one
or two days a week.
● Invest in talk therapy.

28. Let’s Keep
Learning

29. Focus on the rule of 1 when crafting your
marketing: write for 1 audience, relay 1 message,
tell 1 (trauma-informed!) story, and have 1
call-to-action.
And remember that you play a powerful role in
making the world a healthier, safer, cleaner, and
happier place.
wrap up

30. hello@mariabryan.com
www.mariabryan.com
@mariabryancrtv
now go forth and
market with purpose