“I don’t have time for the messaging workshop; I’ve got to finish the next draft of the event budget.” Does this sound familiar? Even if you’re not an Excel maven or a number cruncher, sometimes we’d rather invest our time in something “tangible” like the budget, instead of finding new ways to tell our story.
While there’s no match for strong financials, there’s also simply no match for a strong narrative. Yet many organizations are hard pressed to think of compelling stories that illustrate what their organization does, how it makes a difference, or why it’s worthy of support. But when it comes to developing a new story, many nonprofits aren’t sure where to start.
Michael Margolis, founder of Get Storied and is the author of the Storytelling Manifesto Believe Me: Why your vision, brand and leadership need a bigger story, offers 20 questions on his blog that can support you in your Story Positioning:
PERSONAL MOTIVATIONS
– What motivates you?
– What has shaped and defined you?
– What is your point of view?
– What do you care about?
– Why trust and believe you?
AUDIENCE EMPATHY
– Who defines your market?
– What do they care about?
– How do people perceive your issue?
– What needs do you serve?
DIFFERENTIATING VALUE
– What value do you provide?
– What’s memorable about you?
– What’s ignored, overlooked, or not said?
– What’s your bigger truth?
– What’s your thought leadership?
MARKETING YOUR TRUTH
– How do you reach people?
– Why do people want what you offer?
– What do you gift and give away?
– How prove what you care about?
– What do you want to be known for?
– How do you make yourself approachable?
Storytelling is great for event marketing and fundraising, but you need to learn to tell your story first. How do you tell your nonprofit’s story in a unique way?
