our storiesfinding and telling stories that make a difference for our organizationswith Teresa Decker
One year ago…
stories…
• Help us understand the world; collections of narratives that bring meaning
• Past, present and future
• From interviews to our favorite songs, stories help explain who we are and build identity
― Jonah Sachs, Winning the Story Wars
“Each of us is a hero in our own personal myths.”
a good story• Easy to understand and focused
message
• Has someone in mind as the audience
• Makes you curious, think, feel or do
• Is personal and real
• Beginning, middle and end?
who is your brand?
• Your brand as a person
• You are the brand mentor, not the hero
• Yoda vs Luke Skywalker
Jonathan Sachs | Winning the Story Wars
1. brand archetypes
• Archetypes are characters in stories seen throughout time
• Remember brands are like people; and people are characters
• Nurturer, Artist, Connector, Traditionalist, Dreamer, Motivator, etc.
40 Design | forty.co
2. brand value examples Compassion
TruthJustice
PlayfulnessPerfection
BeautySimplicity WholenessUniqueness
Competence Efficiency
OrderImaginationInnovation
Health Change
Love Prosperity
KnowledgeCreativityOptimismCourage
Relationships
Dignity
brand heroes
• Who? Someone living or experiencing your brand values
• Doesn’t have to embody every value
• When people tell their story it builds a platform to tell our organizations’ story
Our brand values are expressed through the heroes of our stories.
brand journalism
• We’ve all become “news” organizations
• Content creation (reporter) and curation (editor)
• Think like a journalist for your brand
― Larry Light, Ad Age
“Brand journalism creates an evolving brand story. It is the best way to attract
and interest consumers with a continuing flow of valuable, relevant, integrated and engaging content -- advertising, articles,
blog posts, social media, live events, videos and social media..”
“cover” your beat• Be curious, be
brave
• Have your questions ready
• Leave your desk
• Ask your “sources”
• Study your craft
• Stay practical, think “micro stories”
• Stuck? News cycle driven, seasonal, goal or action driven, uniqueness
sources
• People on the ground
• Have a pulse of the organization
• The friendliest/most helpful people
Nonprofit Hub | Lori Jacobwith
questions: sources • Who have you met lately that made you
love your job or feel proud to work here?
• What brought them to us?
• How are we helping?
• What’s your favorite thing about her?
• What do you think that he would say about us?
Nonprofit Hub | Lori Jacobwith
questions: heroes• What does that mean?
• Why do think that is?
• Simplify. How would you explain this to your grandmother?
• Reflecting back “So it sounds like you are saying…”
story killers
• Curse of Knowledge - Your expertise is getting in the way
• Vanity - Me, me, me, me
• Drowning in data - Spitting out numbers
Studying our craft
curiosity: blogPhilanthropy 831 Blog | Community Foundation
Santa Cruz County
simplicity: twitterA Day In The Life
NPR’s Michele Martin | Women in Tech
authentic: user generated content
Story Corps |Themes
impactful: annual reportOpportunity Fund | Data done right
sensory: videoStorytellers for Good & Eat Grub | Pulls you in
feeling & emotion: instagramHumans of NY | Imagery and words
joy, humor, sadness, anger, concern, empathy, empowerment, inspiration
feeling & emotion: instagramGrandma Betty 33 | Imagery and words
joy, humor, sadness, anger, concern, empathy, empowerment, inspiration
go cover your beat!• Humans of NY
model
• Pair up - someone you don’t know
• One compelling quote
• One compelling photo
starter questions• What’s an example of the problem or work your
organization does?
• Why is it meaningful?
• Why is that important to you? Why is this important to our community?
• What’s the toughest part about your job?
• What about your work makes you smile?
• Five years from today what do you hope people will say about your work? Your organization?
Amy Mascarenas
"Our clients are super generous. You really get to
know them. We have to build that trust."Amy Mascarenas,
El Pajaro CDC
By Michelle Luedtke
tools to explore
• Canva, easel.ly, Haiku deck, and Stocksy
• Square Space
• Soundcloud, Stellar, Adobe Voice, Hyperlapse and Animoto,
• Oldies but goodies: Calendar, Audacity, iMovie, Keynote, Flickr Creative Commons, Pixlr
• Non-profit tech for good, nonprofit hub, socialbrite
