Useful storytelling links for nonprofits & foundations alike:

Training Webinar on "Story Telling - the Art of Narrative" offered through Goodman Center: http://newroutes.org/node/14779

Beth Kanter's blog post about storytelling: http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2007/10/story-telling-a.html

A Report from Grant Kruger after the Online Storytelling Workshop at NTC09 Conference

Source

These comments are largely based on the talk, Online Storytelling, by Roger Burks, a Senior Writer at Mercy Corps. Some additional thoughts and ideas have also been added. Ostensibly the talk was about how to effectively tell the stories of those you serve in order to make a connection with your constituents/donors, but inevitably it also covered the way structure your web content and how to communicate effectively. You can also find another perspective of this talk here.

Overview

You need to ask yourself, what excites you about the work you do? Then, does the website reflect that excitement? This is the heart of the matter.

You want to engage, inform, report back and be accountable, and let people know who you are. For nonprofits you also want to persuade visitors to care enough to get involved/donate. To do this you have to make them think, feel and care. The best way to persuade is through a story.

Stories are much more effective than news, lists of facts, press releases, etc. All of these are forgettable, dull even. They are easily skimmed, often ignored and usually dull. People tend to remember stories though, even when we don't remember the names, places and other facts. Stories also have a far greater impact, if done right.

To do stories right:

• Make sure they are punchier, not verbose and flat. Some studies show you have less than 1 minute to convince a reader that your piece is worth reading (hook)
• Separate data-dump type facts from story, if possible. Link to these facts from the same page as the story.
• Keep the story under 600 words if possible, with a maximum of 800 words, for any splash page. Where longer stories are needed, a maximum of 1,500 words.
• Treat it like a real story and try to tell it in three acts: introduction/setting, struggle and resolution.
• Connect with audience.
• In most cases stories focus on a beneficiary, which helps the audience make that connection. Why? Because people relate to other people, not to programs, white papers, raw facts, etc.
• Know your audience. Who are you talking to? Make sure you connect with each group.
• Is this a story you want to tell? Would you tell your friends? Do you remember the story? Do you feel passionate about it? If you are not committed then your readers will know.
• Does story have heartbeat? Human character at center of story? Is there an emotional pull? Does the reader care?
• The story should (if applicable) make the reader want to act.
• The story must be inspirational, characters memorable, clear course of action, easy to take that action.
• Don't be afraid to put yourself into the story. Makes the connection more real and personal.
• Is the story transformative?  Are the challenges and issues clear? Is it believable and honest?
• The story does not have to be cut and dried. Don't sugarcoat negative outcomes. Don't hesitate to express own feelings/observations.
• Does it sound like your organization, your organizations voice if you will? If your organization has it's own voice then the story should match that.
• Try to keep a consistent voice/feel between your different stories.
• Try to keep your stories timeless. If possible avoid stories that quickly lose relevance. Ask yourself, does it have an expiration date? Will it date quickly? Is it still relevant? Dates impact relevance and interest.
• Pay attention to word choice. If you want a positive message use positive words. For example, Mercy Corps never use word 'victim' and instead use 'survivor.' They say the difference is noticeable and that word choice is very powerful.

Don'ts

• Don't just be culture of press releases.
• Don't be verbose or facts-only.

What stories do for you:

• Stories tell who you are, what you do and who you help.
• Stories tell people what you have done in the past.
• Stories help establish your identity and relevance.
• Stories build up evidence for why people should support you. They help mould/create your credibility.
• Stories give you a track record that people can view and verify.
• Stories show that you are capable and gives people confidence in you.
• On the web content is king and the more stories you have out there the more ways people can find you.

Each story must have:

• A compelling Title.
• An intriguing lead or hook right up front.
• You need good story-specific photos. People want to look into the eyes of subject/s.
• Character-driven details.
• Ways to take action.

How does Mercy Corps know it works?

They know this because they examined the data: funding and page views. On general content their bounce rate (rate of people you clicked right out of the page, i.e ignored the message) was 75%-86.4%, versus storytelling being 42%-65.7%. In other words stories caught far more people's attention and kept them reading.  On emails, stories with positive engaging titles garnered more interest than straight-up facts. They also found that generating donations was far more likely from stories than from other approaches.

Tips

• Get google news alerts and RSS feeds for your organization to see what people are saying about you and how effective your communications are.