Charities Need Help with Stories, Says New Study

A new study from the Rockefeller Foundation says that most charities need professional help creating effective stories that inspire donors (a service that Pentera provides to its clients).

“Many social impact organizations lack the capacity to create compelling stories that capture people’s attention and imagination—and inspire them to donate, volunteer, or take other actions,” the study concludes. “There is a need for hands-on help.… Storytelling professionals with specialized creative and technical skills know how to [produce] high-quality content that captures people’s interest and imagination. …”

The 2014 study focuses on using stories on digital platforms such as blogs, eNewsletters, and social media. The researchers interviewed experts in several industries, including media, technology, branding, entertainment, and the nonprofit sector. The study sought to answer several critical questions, including:

• How can digital storytelling help social impact organizations advance their missions?
• What resources and skills do individuals and organizations need to shape and share their stories?
• What simple, effective, and meaningful metrics can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of digital storytelling?

The study found that storytelling can be immensely helpful, concluding that “effective stories inspire people for social causes by creating human connection and emotional resonance.” But most charities don’t know how to do it effectively. “A lot of folks will just give you their mission statement when you ask for a story,” complained one technology expert.

The study recommends developing several tools to help nonprofits with storytelling, and it repeatedly states the need for professional help and training—but laments that “few organizations have skilled storytellers on staff or the resources to hire consultants to create content for storytelling.”

Pentera provides story-writing services to its clients for free when they complete our donor questionnaire or provide notes and documents (and for a modest fee if Pentera conducts actual interviews).

The study also said that charities need help evaluating the success of their stories and that many “need training on readily available tools, such as Google Analytics.” Pentera has expertise with Google Analytics and helps its clients understand the metrics.

Contact us today for assistance with storytelling. The complete study may be downloaded at http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/blog/digital-storytelling-social-impact.