Nonprofit Storytelling Basics: 5 Key Elements of Your Story

Every nonprofit is made of countless stories—the story of your organization’s founding, the moment a volunteer fell in love with your work, the day you changed a beneficiary’s life, and so many more. Compelling stories are all around you, and you can harness them as powerful tools for marketing and raising more for your mission. All you have to do is tell them effectively.

In this article, we’ll cover the basic elements of any good nonprofit story and how you can hone in on each one. Once you understand these storytelling essentials, you’ll be able to incorporate powerful, engaging stories into your nonprofit marketing strategy long-term.

1. The Theme (Your Mission)

Every story has an overarching theme—something the storyteller wants readers to learn or take away from the story. For nonprofits, the theme is often your mission. 

You want your audience (whether you’re targeting current donors, prospects, or the wider public) to quickly understand the work your nonprofit does and why it merits their support. To do so, you need to center your mission in every story you tell and build all the other details around it.

Start by thinking about your mission statement and the kinds of stories you could tell to bring your mission to life. For instance, a nonprofit that aims to make sustainability practices more accessible and appealing to community members might tell stories about well-meaning neighbors who don’t have the tools to recycle. Or, they might chronicle how their work empowered one neighborhood to start composting and why that improved residents’ lives.

These stories clearly represent the nonprofit’s mission, giving prospective supporters an idea of the work they do while reminding existing and lapsed supporters why they got involved with the nonprofit in the first place.

2. Main Characters (Your Stakeholders)

Next, determine who your story’s main characters will be. These should be real people your nonprofit works with in some capacity. 

Ideally, you should choose one specific stakeholder to be the focus of each story you tell so your audience can connect with them easily. You might choose from stakeholders like:

‍Current beneficiaries: Highlight beneficiaries who your nonprofit empowers with its services or programs. Focus on one person who has an especially powerful, inspiring story so you can show your audience the real-life impact of your work.

• Volunteers: Loyal volunteers can explain exactly what your nonprofit’s work means to them and why they got involved. Including dedicated volunteers in your story is a great way to demonstrate their passion for your cause while also showing volunteer appreciation on behalf of your team.
• Staff members: Your staff members likely have countless stories to tell about your nonprofit’s work and why they believe in its mission. They could describe the impact they’ve witnessed or certain campaigns or initiatives that affected them personally.
• Past program participants: Participants who went through your programs can talk about their experiences before, during, and after the program. Focus on the lasting, positive changes to their lives thanks to your organization’s work.

‍According to Meyer Partners, donor cultivation is all about building trust and respect. In order to build that trust, your stories must be authentic and respectful of every constituent you include. This means asking for their permission, sharing only as much as they’re willing to share, and letting them tell their story in their own words when possible. Use direct quotes often, and be careful not to embellish as you expand on the story’s details.

3. The Setting (Your Community)

Your story’s setting isn’t just a specific location like a hospital or food bank; it’s the entire community you work with. By reading your story, your audience should get a sense of who your community members are and where your work takes place.

Combine data with humanizing details in your stories to give a holistic, honest picture of your community. For instance, say you’re writing a direct mail appeal for donations to fund your community center renovation campaign. You might set the scene with a paragraph like this:

‍When a new client walks in the door of the Haymitch Community Center, they’re greeted by a diverse group of 50-100 New Yorkers who have faced the challenges of homelessness, just like them. They might see Charles and Donna playing cards and hear Rahul playing the piano as they sit down to their first hot meal in days. Here, they know that they’re safe and valued by people who understand what they’re going through.

As you describe the communities you work with, make sure that you adhere to the principles of ethical storytelling by treating them with respect and authenticity. Don’t lean on stereotypes or try to evoke negative emotions. Instead, represent the community members you work with for who they are: unique, compassionate people who face a specific hardship or are seeking access to the resources they need to thrive.

For more tips on ethical storytelling, explore resources and advice from experienced nonprofit leaders who have been in your shoes. For example, NXUnite’s list of nonprofit podcasts includes multiple podcasts you can listen to that discuss nonprofit storytelling tips and examples.

4. The Conflict (Issues You Work to Solve)

The conflict or antagonist in your story should be the issues your nonprofit aims to solve. It might be the disease you’re fighting to eradicate or the lack of funding and resources for local schools, for example.

For each story, choose one specific issue or aspect of your cause that relates most directly to the story or fundraising campaign. For instance, an environmental nonprofit might hone in on overfishing for one story and polluted rivers for another. Once you choose a conflict, outline:

• Who the issue affects.
• Why it’s important to solve.
• The history of the issue and the work you’ve done so far.
• Quantitative data that demonstrates the extent of the issue.
• What your nonprofit plans to do to address this issue.
• Why you need supporters’ help to solve it.

Get the message across and tug on audiences’ heartstrings by focusing on all the ways the issue personally impacts your chosen main character. Include details, discuss how the issue makes them feel, and paint a picture of what the character’s life would look like without this barrier.

5. The Resolution (Donor Support)

Finally, end the story with an empowering resolution to the issue you described: your donors’ support. Show potential supporters how they can play a part in the story by giving to your nonprofit.

As you resolve your story, make a compelling case for support that explains why audiences should give and how important their potential contributions are. Think about what makes your organization uniquely qualified to fight this fight and win. Why should your donors care? Why should they get involved in your story and your mission? End with a clear call to action that answers these questions and invites audiences to take part in the story.

If you’re not sure how to make this final case for support or need help crafting a story that inspires donors to give, consider working with a fundraising or marketing consultant. These nonprofit experts can help you zero in on the most compelling aspects of your stories and tailor them to your unique audience.

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Every nonprofit, no matter how small or large, can think bigger about its story. It doesn’t matter if you’re funding an endowment for a major university or collecting coins from schoolchildren to fight homelessness on the streets of your town. You can tell powerful, true stories that cast a vision your donors will want to get involved in.

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