Which story do I tell?
A conference I went to yesterday reminded me that some nonprofits serve so many different communities that “the story” to tell is not always clear-cut.
There might be many stories to share.
Many experiences, many needs, many perspectives.
I had the best time yesterday at the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Stronger Together event for local nonprofits.
Not only is it one of my favorite places in this city, but I love how they convened nonprofits of all ages and sectors to gather, connect, and support each other.
I attended a workshop with Trailblaze Creative about identifying the communities you serve and figuring out how to market to them.
It was amazing to see the breadth of organizations even within this one session.
Arts centers, food pantries, community farms, suicide prevention, literacy support, environmental sustainability … you name it.
Something that came up in the session was so interesting to me.
Some of the nonprofits served so many different types of families or populations that they didn’t know how to narrow down to just one or two of those groups for their marketing.
It made me think about collecting and sharing stories from the families we serve.
How do you know which story to tell? Here’s my answer: let the stories come to you.
The presenters also gave such a helpful prompt: do we have data to back up what we think about our communities, or are we working off of assumptions?
Let’s make sure we’ve got the data.
So have the conversations. Meet with the different communities you serve.
See what common threads emerge.
Maybe the story you tell is about the similarities and differences between the different populations your organization supports.
Or maybe there are times you can highlight different groups within your community in your marketing, reports, and grant applications.
To me, this is the fun part about collecting stories.
You never know where you’ll end up, but you know you’ll be moved and inspired to act.