Instructional best practices are all well and good, but nothing drives a message home like powerful examples. As a follow up to Wednesday’s blog post, “5 Fundamentals Of Great Nonprofit Storytelling,” let's explore some examples that demonstrate what great nonprofit storytelling looks like.
Each story below includes the five fundamentals discussed in Wednesday’s post: character, challenge, connection, call-to-action, and change. Take a few minutes to dig into these examples to gain some inspiration for stories related to your cause.
If you’ve ever visited the charity: water website or if you follow the organization on social media, it should come as no surprise that they made this list. Through deeply personal stories, charity: water has managed to strike the perfect balance between vitality and despair. And nowhere is this dichotomy better portrayed than in Mulitani’s story. Whether you decide to donate, to follow on social media, or to simply click through more stories, I guarantee you'll be moved to act in some way when you read about Mulitani (Click on the screenshot below.).
Regardless of whether you’re an animal lover or not, if you’re human, Hope For Paws’ animal rescue stories will more than tug at your heartstrings. Jordan’s courage is beyond belief as he is rescued from a river after having been brutalized and tossed from 30 feet above. Watch the video below to experience Jordan’s journey to safety. Warning: Be sure to have tissues readily at your disposal.
3. buildOn
buildOn is on a mission to break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations. Their ‘Break the Cycle” series features stories told by buildOn supporters and students who are changing their world by uplifting communities and transforming lives. Raphael Munoz, a high school student from the Bronx, offers his passionate perspective on service and hope as he helps to build a school in Nepal. Meet Raphael (Click on the screenshot below.).
DC Central Kitchen’s (DCCK) tagline is “Combating Hunger, Creating Opportunity". The organization uses food as a tool to change lives. About four years ago while volunteering on a grant funding committee, I had an opportunity to learn about DC Central Kitchen from a young grant manager named Alex Moore (current Chief Development Officer at DCCK) who conducted my facility tour. I’ll never forget how palpable his passion was as he shared that he first joined the organization as an intern because he was inspired by the founder’s story. The video below features DCCK graduate, Howard Thomas.
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