The Power of Storytelling: Connecting People to Your Nonprofit’s Mission
By Alaina Wong-Canissario, Rx Partnership Communications Intern and VCU Robertson School of Communication Graduate Student
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For nonprofits, telling the stories behind their mission – and empowering others to share these stories – has never been more important. There are many great causes locally, nationally, and even globally that need support. One way to make your organization stand out is to leverage the power of storytelling to build an emotional connection with your volunteers, donors, and supporters.
At Rx Partnership (RxP) the phrase “medication access” is key to our mission, but to successfully communicate our message, we rely on stories. Stories humanize the impact of our work; They’re what bring facts and figures to life. If you’re a nonprofit leader or clinic director, you’re likely focused on developing your own stories to further your marketing and development goals.
RxP has a robust board of directors, each of whom has an impactful story about why they chose to help Rx Partnership in its mission to increase medication access for vulnerable people in Virginia. As an example of great storytelling, I’m highlighting one of these stories below. I’ll then share some storytelling strategies and tips that can help nonprofits, and healthcare organizations specifically, engage their audiences.
An RxP Board Member Shares His “Why”
Shawn Nelson has been a board member at Rx Partnership since Fall 2020, previously serving as Board Treasurer, Board Chair, and now serves on the RxP Executive Committee as RxP’s Immediate Past Board Chair. This is his story about how he became involved with the organization and why he’s such an advocate for its work.
“My story starts in southern Virginia. I grew up right on the border of Virginia and North Carolina, about halfway across the state, outside of a little town called Clarksville. It was a very impoverished area, and it still is. My grandparents on both sides were tobacco farmers. My mom was adamant that she did not want to be a tobacco farmer. So, my parents both ended up working for a textile mill. They would get laid off for a few weeks, get brought back on and work for a while, then get laid off again—definitely not the most stable job. This was in the 80s, when things were starting to take off in foreign countries and there were less orders coming in through U.S. based manufacturing.
“Growing up around there, you witness poverty firsthand and you witness the effects of it. I remember when I was a teenager, my grandfather and I had long talks about his health conditions. He had emphysema, he had a lot of things; You name it, he had it. Just imagine not having a good diet and being addicted to cigarettes your entire life: That was my grandfather. During the Bush years, the government rolled out Medicare Part D, which covers prescription medications for the elderly. And while that was good on the surface and sounded great, there were huge holes. It still cost you thousands upon thousands of dollars to get your meds.
“At the time, you’re young and you think, “Oh, they’ve got plenty of money, it’s no biggie.” It’s not until later that you realize that, “Wow, my grandparents are actually having to make decisions about whether they pay for my grandfather’s preventative medications or buy other necessities.” And I don’t know that it was ever that bad, but looking back, I believe it probably was. I can promise you, none of us ever went hungry. But it’s just a very interesting situation to look back on now and to begin to understand exactly how impactful it was for them.
“Fast forward, I get out of college and start working for Riverside Health System. Once I got into healthcare finance I began to see, again, the impact of how not being able to pay for your preventative medications lands you in the emergency room. It’s like a spiral; it all builds upon itself. You can’t afford your meds, so you have to go to the emergency room. You go to the emergency room, so you lose 4 or 5 hours of work plus you’ve got a bill from the emergency room. And now, guess what? You can’t afford your meds. And it just keeps getting worse and worse, and we’ve got to do something. There’s got to be a way to fix this. So, one of the ways that we fix it is by figuring out how to get preventative medications into the hands of those who need them.
“I worked at Riverside for about 8 years and then I went out to Carilion Clinic in Roanoke. Of course, they have the exact same issues out there. I worked there with Donna Littlepage. After 7 years I came back to Riverside, and in a couple of years Donna called and told me that she was rotating off the board of Rx Partnership and asked if I would be interested in joining and supporting the cause. When I read the mission, I thought, This is exactly what needs to be done; I’m so happy that there’s a program doing it. Now, how can I support this program?
“So that’s my story, how I got here, and why I am fully supportive. It really goes back to that firsthand experience of watching people you love struggle to get the basic necessities of life.
“I do hope that going forward, even as I’m rotating off the board this summer, I can figure out ways to continue to spread the Rx Partnership message and mission. And to continue to bring visibility to RxP and make sure folks know we’re here, and know the good work that we’re doing and continue to support us.”
Shawn is also the father of Grayson Nelson, a George Mason University Bonner Scholar who is currently supporting Rx Partnership with research and data-driven projects. Grayson was so inspired by RxP’s mission that he sought out an opportunity to get involved, creating his own unique role within the organization.
The Importance of Authentic Stories for Nonprofits
While facts and figures can get someone’s attention, they don’t often stay with you. It’s easy to forget a number, a percentage, or a statistic. Stories, however, are different. According to Stanford Marketing Professor Jennifer Aaker, stories are remembered up to 22 times more than facts alone. The key is to use both data and story together, so you appeal to audiences both intellectually and emotionally.
For nonprofits that aim to engage volunteers, donors, and supporters, the ability to tell authentic stories is crucial. Here are some great storytelling strategies, courtesy of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital:
- Share Real Stories About Real People. Stories only work if they’re authentic. Audiences expect honesty and transparency from nonprofits, and that includes their communications. Testimonials and stories about real people will help volunteers, donors, and supporters “see themselves in the circumstances of others and develop a shared experience.”
- Strike an Emotional Chord with Your Audience. When interviewing a person for their story, listen more than you speak. Take time to uncover the details and get to the heart of what makes their story resonate with others. Stories help humanize a cause, allowing audiences to develop an emotional connection with the organization that will, ultimately, drive action such as volunteering or donating.
- Embrace Visual Storytelling. Visual elements like photos and videos are essential when telling your nonprofit’s story. At a time when attention spans are shrinking and people are inundated with hundreds of messages each day, great visuals can capture a viewer’s attention and make your story more memorable.
Preserving Patients’ Privacy with Storytelling
For organizations that work in the healthcare space like Rx Partnership, communications teams need to be mindful of patients who are sensitive about sharing personal stories. It’s important to recognize that there are ways to ensure patient privacy while still telling authentic stories.
Attaching a name to a story is important; It allows audiences to connect with the storyteller and envision a clearer picture in their mind. If a patient doesn’t want their name used, some options are:
- Using the patient’s first name only. This can work well if the patient has a common first name.
- Using an alternate name. This is a common technique, usually with an asterisk next to the name and fine print at the bottom of the page noting: *not their real name.
When telling patient stories, try to provide interesting details that can help paint a visual picture in the reader’s mind but avoid anything that might be too specific. For example, referring to “a construction worker in his 40s” or “a single mom living in South Richmond” are descriptors that can humanize a patient beyond just their medical story.
What’s Your Story?
Everyone involved with your organization—your staff, your board members, your customers, and even your donors—has a story about how they’re connected to your mission. These stories, once they’re collected and put to work, have the potential to capture people’s hearts and draw in new supporters and donors.
A single story can be leveraged to work on multiple platforms: your website, your social media channels, your e-newsletter, and even in earned media like an op-ed. There’s no better time to start collecting stories—starting with your own!
Guest Blog Author Bio:
Alaina Wong-Canissario is a graduate student at the VCU Richard T. Robertson School of Communication pursuing an M. S. in Mass Communications. As a Communications Intern at Rx Partnership, she’s developed digital communications including blog posts, social media content, website features, and email newsletters. Her interest in expanding medication access stems from a desire to make healthcare more equitable for all people, regardless of their background or socio-economic status.
Alaina previously worked in marketing for kids and family brands and hopes to bridge her experience in consumer products with her current interest in nonprofit communications.
Share Your Stories!
What’s your Why? The Rx Partnership team continues to be inspired by the stories of our partner clinics and the patients you are helping everyday. Our story is connected to yours, so please share your stories with us! Post them here, or you can mail them to: mailto:info@rxpartnership.org