Let's assume you aren't attending a fundraiser for your organization — instead, you're at a cocktail party or a barbeque. You know some folks and not others.
First things first: Put on your organizational glasses. Look at the attendees through the lens of your role with your nonprofit.
Now, I don't mean this in an icky way. I'm not suggesting, for example, that you make a beeline for your neighbor who just landed a lucrative new job. I'm talking about connections, not capacity (a topic I talk about in Chapter 6).
Though most people are not engaged as board members or donors or volunteers, they very much admire people who are. When you're chatting someone up, remember that the person will find your involvement inspiring.
If you tell a good story.
And if you tell a great story, it may move that person from inspired to motivated. That is a home run.
TWO UNIVERSAL CHALLENGES
There are two universal challenges faced by board, staff, and volunteer ambassadors of every single nonprofit.
Fortunately, both are simple challenges that are easy to remedy.
1. The Curse of Knowledge
In 1990, a Stanford graduate conducted a series of experiments revealing information that was quite profound and obvious all at the same time. By completing certain experiments, the graduate was able to unearth evidence indicating that once we humans know something, we find it hard to imagine not knowing it. Our knowledge has “cursed” us: We have difficulty sharing it with others, because we can't readily re‐create their state of mind.
This curse came to light in the work of brothers Chip and Dan Heath, in a 1990 Harvard Business Review article and in a subsequent book that I highly recommend: Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.
You'll never guess the antidote to this curse.
The Heath brothers are clear:
“Leaders can thwart the curse of knowledge by ‘translating’ their strategies into concrete language.” They continue: “Stories, too, work particularly well in dodging the curse of knowledge, because they force us to use concrete language.”
I rest my first case.
2. The Elements of a Good Story
I come from solid Irish stock. We are hard‐wired to tell a good story. (We are also hard‐wired to enjoy the story more than the folks we tell it to, but I digress).
First, in order to tell a good story, you have to know what makes a good story. And not all nonprofit leaders have the gift of Irish gab and the temperament to attempt to enthrall a crowd.
So, allow me to share what I have learned about good storytelling, from my experience, my ancestors, and my remarkable clients.
I'll start with three don'ts.
Don't Assume
Chip and Dan Heath make this point quite clearly in the book I mentioned earlier. Let me offer a personal example. I was working with an organization that fights hunger in my home state of New Jersey. Now, I'm lucky. I live in an affluent suburb there and experience all the privilege that comes with it. My view is also somewhat myopic. If someone from this organization wants to tell me a story to motivate me, yes, a personal story will get me, but that person should not assume that I know the magnitude of this problem in my own backyard.
According to the most recent census, of the 8.8 million residents of New Jersey, nearly 1.2 million of them experience food insecurity. Then consider that nearly half a million of those are kids.
If you assume that I already know this information, you miss a huge opportunity to motivate me.
Don't Give Me a List
Lists don't stick. Big things do. Let's look for a minute at AIDS services organizations. At the highest level, we know that these organizations work to fight AIDS. Their vision is a world without it.
Most HIV/AIDS organizations today have a long list of services they provide to folks living with HIV. On the direct service side, you can find legal clinics, mental health services, substance abuse programs, programs aimed specifically at different demographics, HIV testing, syringe access programs, workforce development, and other resources.
Amazing list of services, right? Impressive. But I'm not going to hold on to all of them, and I have no throughline, or common thread.
Don't hit me with a list. Try spelling out what type of problems you can address and what level of assistance you can provide:
“At XYZ organization, we understand that a life with HIV is a journey. We are there every step of the way. We also know that HIV affects every aspect of your life. If your journey involves substance misuse, we are there. Housing discrimination? We are there. Need a hot meal? Join our community for lunch or dinner seven nights a week. At XYZ, we take care of all of you.”
Don't Lead with a Vision That Feels out of Reach
I hope your organization has a vision. Sadly, many don't. But let's just say you do. If you start with vision, you can either emotionally paralyze the listener or cause them to shut down.
Try this wording: We are working to end human slavery worldwide.
Of course, I am impressed. In fact, I'm so impressed that I'm nearly speechless. What question can I ask as a follow‐up? I don't know how to jump in to make this a conversation. Remember that you're inviting folks to converse about the organization. Try to avoid shutting them down.
Let me be clear: I am all for a story that helps me imagine something new and exciting. That's a good thing, indeed.
Emily Klehm, who leads South Suburban Humane Society in Chicago Heights, Illinois, began her tenure in 2007 when a staff of 15 ran a shelter with a budget of less than $1 million. Her budget is now twice that amount, and she is on the verge of securing a grant of more than $6 million to transform what was once known as “The Little Shelter That Could.” This transformation is visionary in all the very best ways.
Emily had me at hello. She talked about the power of pets. I think I made her look at a few photos of my beloved cat Louie and my live stuffed animal dog Charlie. She talked about an animal campus where people and pets can be together, turning shelters into happy places where kids can go to learn about animals on a campus with walking trails. Then she took me to a brand‐new place.
“Do you know one of the main reasons that women do not leave abusive relationships?” I'm thinking Emily has gone astray (sorry for the bad pun). “Women don't want to leave their pets.” My eyes got really wide. “I want a pet‐friendly domestic violence shelter here on our campus,” she said. And that was it. I am actually getting goosebumps as I type. Now that is a vision I want to support. And I told her so. When the grant comes through, I want to help.
One last thing: The tagline for South Suburban Humane Society is “the little shelter that could.” We laughed about needing a new tagline. The organization has outgrown the word little, but the word could says it all. It speaks to the heart of this organization's growth in scope and impact — it's about imagining what is possible.