You know that you do good work and that your programs and services have a positive impact on the people and communities you serve. But how do you capture and share your success in a way that influences and inspires others?
First, you need to identify your story’s goals and who you are trying to reach. Are you hoping to educate others about an issue or your organization? Are you trying to influence funders or policy makers and advocate for a certain position? Do you want to inspire people to organize and take action?
Once you have determined what you are trying to do and who you want to reach, ask these questions:
- What are the goals of your programs and services and how can others support them?
- What do you want others to know about the work you do?
- What is interesting or exciting that others can relate to?
- How can you engage others in the work that you do? How can people participate?
To answer these questions, you must evaluate and learn from your programs. Collect data that assesses:
- What were your program goals and what impact did you hope to make?
- What activities did you develop and implement and how many people took part?
- To what extent did you reach your program goals?
- How does your work impact the people and communities you serve?
Once you have the data you need, put it together in a way that is compelling and visually appealing. According to Wikimedia good stories no matter the format, should follow the ABC-D formula (https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_ABC…D!_of_Storytelling_Updated_September_2015.pdf):
- Attention- grab your audience’s attention with a compelling hook
- Because – explain why it matters
- Chorus/Content – provide the key message/content you want people to know
- Do – give your audience a way to engage and get involved
Weaving together a narrative that describes your efforts, the impact you have had and how your success benefits the community will serve to connect, influence and inspires others to be engaged. Contact me and I will partner with you to tell your story and showcase your success!
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