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What's Your Story?
A few months ago, I attended a conference where scientists
presented the best in evidence-based social programs. Although the
attendees were grappling with some of the most poignant problems of
our times—HIV, child abuse, and drug abuse, to name a few—what
really excited their passions was debating how to measure effect
sizes, what to do about missing data, and other mathematical
minutiae.
An exception was the conference's keynote speaker, who is the
creator of a national program that teaches young mothers how to take
care of their babies. In his address, he retraced the paths of three
women who had graduated from his program, peppering their stories
with only a few statistical analyses. When the lights came up, I
hurriedly blinked away the shine in my eyes, as did half of the
other attendees.
The other half, however, were outraged. "Oh. My. God. Did you see
how he presented that subgroup analysis before the omnibus test?"
they cried. "I can't believe he used regression instead of
hierarchical linear modeling!" they fumed.
At that moment, I stumbled upon the secret to everything good in
the world—good writing, good speaking, good editing, and, yes, good
fundraising. That secret is: Specialists love stats, but the rest of
us want a good story. Your grandmother knows this. We at Stanford Social Innovation
Review know this.
And Kay Sprinkel Grace, founder and principal of Transforming
Philanthropy, LLC, also knows this. In her keynote address at
Craigslist Bootcamp, she shows how storytelling is one of the best
ways to communicate your organization's mission, vision, and values.
And if her podcast makes you want to read more about crafting
messages with legs, SSIR has several articles for you:
"I Want You to Meet
Joe" How a riveting story can get your message
across
"Crisis Mentality"
Why sudden emergencies attract more funds than do chronic
conditions, and how nonprofits can change that
"Loud and Clear"
Crafting messages that stick: What nonprofits can learn from
urban legends
So tune in, read on, and learn how to tell your story.
Thank you for listening.
Alana Conner
Snibbe
Co-host
Social Innovation Conversations
New Programs
From Craigslist Nonprofit Boot
Camp
Providing knowledge, resources, and visibility to
the next generation of nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs
This series is made possible by your membership dues, and by the
Community Technology Foundation of
California.
Pamela Hawley: Social Entrepreneurship
Landscape
When approaching funders and volunteers, Pamela
Hawley says that you must "come from a space of opportunity and not
from a space of need. You are giving that [person] an opportunity to
give to you and to create a partnership." Drawing from her
experience with UniversalGiving and VolunteerMatch, Hawley describes
what it takes to create a successful social entrepreneurship
organization.
http://www.siconversations.org/shows/detail1173.html
Kay Sprinkel Grace: Transforming
Philanthropy
Mission, vision, and values are the essential
ingredients of a transformational process, which brings
philanthropists and organizations together to meet critical
community needs. Shedding the nonprofit label ("don't define
yourself by what you're not"), Kay Sprinkel Grace approaches
fundraising with an attitude of pride and power. In this keynote
address, she explains how donors are inspired to invest in an
organization that communicates shared beliefs by taking real action
to benefit those in need.
http://www.siconversations.org/shows/detail1177.html
From Bridging the Gap: The Stanford 2005 Net Impact
Conference
Discussions with industry role models using business
skills for positive social impact
Bridging the Gap: The Role of Social
Entrepreneurs in For-Profit Education
Can business add
value to the education field? This panel from Bridging the Gap
features entrepreneurs who leverage for-profit business models to
offer high-caliber education. Pioneers and market leaders who have
built successful businesses around the many unmet needs in education
talk about the business opportunities in education today.
http://www.siconversations.org/shows/detail918.html
Bridging the Gap: Building and Integrating a
CSR Agenda
Many companies now acknowledge the financial
benefits of socially responsible behavior over the long term. Such
commitments, however, are managed with levels of involvement
spanning from a centralized CSR office to a fully integrated
approach calling on all mainstream operating departments in the
organization. This panel discussion from Bridging the Gap explores
strategies to advance corporate social responsibility in large
companies.
http://www.siconversations.org/shows/detail917.html
Oil dependence is a problem we no longer need to have. Join us
next week as Amory Lovins informs us from Bridging the Gap that the
United States could get off oil all together and strengthen its
economy in the process.
Also, from Craigslist Nonprofit Bootcamp, we gain some valuable
advice from nonprofit Executive of the Year Jan Masaoka on how to
start and develop a career in the nonprofit sector.
Make sure to come back to Social Innovation Conversations each
week and invite your friends to subscribe to our
newsletter.
Upcoming Events
A little reminder: If you haven't already done so, please take a
moment to join the Conversations
Network. Guest registration is free, but if you value the
programming coming to you from the Conversations Network and Social
Innovation Conversations, please consider becoming a member. It
costs as little as $2.50 per month. |
