For as long as humans have been on the planet, we have used stories to tell our experiences and document history. Learn what it takes to create a culture of storytelling at your nonprofit so your team can spot great stories.

1. The Ultimate
Guide to
Nonprofit
Storytelling
(30+ Tips)

2. The best communicators
have always been
STORYTELLERS

3. Think about great communicators
that you know personally. Chances
are, they’re almost ALWAYS
TELLING STORIES

4. STORIES
Influence
People
Their
Emotions
Behaviors And Actions

5. Why is
storytelling
important?

6. Stories help create context, they
provide meaning and purpose,
help us relate and empathize

7. HERE IS WHY YOUR
NONPROFIT SHOULD USE
STORYTELLING

8. Stories create
context

9. Storytelling is a valuable tool to
help donors understand the
context

10. Innovating in the category of food waste
NONPROFIT

11. Innovating in the category of food waste
NONPROFIT
Donors response better to
a story

12. Innovating in the category of food waste
NONPROFIT
Donors response better to
a story
Low-income family whose
child can now afford
education because they
have food on the table

13. Stories move
people to act

14. People make decisions on an
emotional level. Logic and data
are important

15. Stories create a
connection

16. When we listen to stories, we are
present and engaged

17. Whilst we debate, judge and
question facts, figures, beliefs, and
opinions – we don’t do the same
with stories

18. NONPROFIT
STORYTELLING TIPS
Here are the 30+ best tips to take your storytelling to the next level

19. Be clear and
succinct
1

20. Make your story clear and succinct
and focus
Why your organization exists
What it hopes to accomplish
Who you’re doing it for
Why should the reader/viewer care

21. Stay away from
facts and figures
2

22. This is not to say your story can’t
include any facts and figures, but
you shouldn’t make those the
centerpiece of your storys

23. Have a
beginning, a
middle, and an
end
3

24. Beginning: The protagonist is placed in a context and
likely has a desire or goal
Middle: In pursuing their goal, the protagonists faces
challenges and takes actions
End: The protagonist’s life has changed in some way

25. Build
characters
4

26. Characters give the audience
something to identify with, root
for, or root against (in case of a
villain)

27. Be specific
5

28. Make your story about a specific
person (or family or animal) to
help people empathize

29. You can
change your
story
6

30. You can change your story at any
point, as long as it’s aligned to
your mission

31. Know your
audience
7

32. Always ask yourself “Who am I
talking to? And how am I going to
tell them this story in a way that
most resonates with them?”

33. Have a system
in place
8

34. Have a system or people in place
that will systematically capture
stories that you can later use

35. Use stories
everywhere
9

36. Stories can be used as a
fundraising tool, as a recruitment
tool, as a business development
tool, and so much more

37. Be genuine
and authentic
10

38. People are increasingly aware of
when a brand or an organization
are appealing to them or trying to
sell something to them

39. Stay away
from the
“salesy”
language
11

40. Using salesy, clinical, or too much
of an industry-specific language
can impede individuals from
understanding, connecting, and
empathizing – almost defeating
the purpose of storytelling

41. Keep the
balance of
light and dark
12

42. Focusing too much on the struggle
can cause unease and make it
harder to relate, but too many
happy endings can make people
think you don’t need their help.

43. Engage all the
senses
13

44. When telling a story, think about:
smell, taste, touch, sight, hearing

45. Include a call
to action
14

46. Make sure this call to action is
relevant to the story you just told

47. Use your
website
15

48. Nonprofits often use their website
to show supporters the big picture
– their mission

49. Use your blog
16

50. Blog posts provide more space to
dive deep into the individual
stories

51. Use your
social media
17

52. Facebook and Instagram are good
places to start. Have a set
schedule for posting fresh content

53. Use real-time
storytelling
18

54. Consider telling real-time stories
on Snapchat, Instagram Stories,
and Instagram and Facebook live

55. Find fresh
perspectives
19

56. Have the beneficiary tell the story
of their life through their eyes –
no one knows it better

57. Use visuals
20

58. Videos are shared 12 times more
often than links and text posts
combined, and photos are liked
twice as often as text updates

59. Be mindful of
patronizing
21

60. Allow the people you help to have
a face, a name, and speak for
themselves and about themselves

61. Grab
attention
22

62. Your story has to captivate the
reader’s/viewer’s attention from
the very start

63. Cultivate a
storytelling
organizational
culture
23

64. Storytelling needs to become
embedded into the very fabric of
your nonprofit’s organizational
culture

65. Make stories
an integral
part of every
meeting
24

66. Start out a staff or board meeting
with 15 minutes of people sharing
client, staff or donor stories they
witnessed from the previous week

67. Choose
messages
25

68. Whenever you write/record a
story, make sure you’re clear on
the message you want to send

69. Plan your
storytelling
26

70. Create a document of important
moments and events throughout
the year (e.g. Christmas or
Women’s Day), then think about
what key messages you want to
share throughout the year

71. Make your
audience feel
emotions
27

72. It’s essential that you make your
audience feel when reading or
hearing your story. Whether they
feel sadness, joy, anger, hope,
pride

73. Keep the
stories
relevant
28

74. Choose stories that best reflect
your organization’s mission

75. Communicate
donor impact
29

76. Tell stories that directly showcase
the impact your nonprofit’s had
and directly highlight how the
donor’s contribution was used

77. Get the word
out
30

78. Now is the time to distribute
them! Discuss distribution early

79. Track and
evaluate
31

80. When sharing stories, track their
success: the number of clicks,
likes, favorites, retweets, claps,
vote ups

81. The art of your story will draw your audience into your
world. And the science of storytelling will help you
fundraise
You will constantly need new stories to share on your
social media, in your fundraising letters, and in your
annual report

82. CHECK THE ENTIRE POST
www.DonorBox.org/Non
profit-Blog/Nonprofit-
Storytelling-Guide/