You know that telling stories about the work you do is critical to engaging stakeholders and raising money—so you probably tell a lot of stories. There are some incredible people doing amazing things in your program, but are your stories powerful enough? Do they explain your impact and compel others to take action? What makes for an effective story? It will probably surprise you.

1. Tell your
impact story
3 PARTS TO A GREAT
STORY AND 1 PART TO
LEAVE OUT

2. Every story needs
A
PLOT
A
HERO
AN
ENDING

3. PLOT

4. Which version raised
more money?
1 2

6. A BIGGER PLOT,
THAT INVOLVES
YOUR ENTIRE
ORGANIZATION, IS
MORE EFFECTIVE.
(And the research proves it.)

7. The BrandLab
pairs high school
students with
mentors through
the Summer
Internship
Program. We
stay connected
throughout the
school year to
make sure our
alumni are on
track to graduate
and are ready for
college.

8. A GOOD PLOT
SHOULD EXPLAIN
HOW YOU MAKE
AN IMPACT.

9. When you are the first person in your family to attend
college, it’s nearly impossible to navigate the
complicated financial aid application process on your
own. Right now, the average high school counselor has
over 300 students to keep track of—so hundreds of
Twin Cities students aren’t accessing the financial aid
they need to afford college. Operation: Go College!
hosts weekly financial aid drop-in sessions at high
schools across the city with experienced college
navigators to make it easy for families to get help
starting and submitting financial aid applications.

10. MAKE USE OF
CONVERSATIONAL
LANGUAGE, VIVID
DETAIL, TENSION,
AND
RESOLUTION.

11. HERO

12. When children are thirsty, it doesn’t matter
if a river is clouded and polluted, they’ll drink
from it. UNICEF’s simple solutions like clean
water tablets make it easy for children to
access clean water anywhere, anytime.

13. IF YOU WANT PEOPLE
TO TAKE ACTION,
WRITE THEM INTO
YOUR STORY.

14. What if every week were an incredible week?
A week when you felt meaning and purpose.
A week when you knew you were literally
changing the world for a better place. That’s
what it’s like for UNICEF’s monthly Pledge
Donors. Every month, they support UNICEF’s
programs with a modest amount. And in
return, they can be confident that with less
than a dollar a day, they’re saving innocent,
vulnerable children from pain and suffering.

15. IF YOU WANT
PEOPLE TO
BECOME PART
OF YOUR
STORY, LET
THEM BE
THE HERO.

16. Youth workers in Minnesota made history last
week. Our representatives voted to increase
funding for youth intervention programs, and
you made it happen. You were relentless in
advocating at the capital, you fought for
youth intervention, and now we’ll need
you to bring every bit of creativity and
tenacity to putting this money to work
improving outcomes for Minnesota
youth. YIPA will be here to help you every
step of the way. We’ll make sure you have
access to the best professional development
and opportunities to collaborate with one
another throughout the year.

17. Volunteer Counselors helped submit over
450 applications. Collectively, our students
qualified for over 1 million dollars in financial
aid. You were part of their success
because of your weekly commitment
to Operation: Go College’s drop-in sessions.

18. ENDING

19. BE EXPLICIT
ABOUT HOW TO
BECOME THE NEXT
HERO.

20. Youth workers in Minnesota made history last week.
Our representatives voted to increase funding for
youth intervention programs, and you made it happen.
You were relentless in advocating at the capital, you
fought for youth intervention, and now we’ll need you
to bring every bit of creativity and tenacity to putting
this money to work improving outcomes for Minnesota
youth. YIPA will be here to help you every step of the
way. We’ll make sure you have access to the best
professional development and opportunities to
collaborate with one another. Will you take 2
minutes to let us know what kind of
trainings you want more of?

21. Volunteer Counselors helped submit over 450 applications.
Collectively, our students qualified for over 1 million dollars in
financial aid. You were part of their success because of your
weekly commitment to Operation: Go College’s drop-in sessions.
As we prepare to add three new sites,
we’ll need to recruit 20 more volunteer
counselors who are committed to
helping college-bound seniors get the
financial assistance they need. Will you
commit to making college possible for
even more students by inviting one
person to attend next month’s training?

22. NO DAMSELS IN
DISTRESS

23. “Evergreen social
services is changing
lives.”

24. EMPOWER YOUR
PARTICIPANTS TO
BE THE HERO IN
THEIR OWN STORY.

25. “I found a
place for
my kids.
The people
at Daley
Center are
part of my
family now.

26. Write a draft.
A
PLOT
A
HERO
AN
ENDING

27. Brandi Olson
Impact Mapping + Measurement
www.brandiolsonconsulting.com
@olson_brandi

28. References
Holtz, C. Storytelling and the Art of Email Writing.
Accessed from www.mrss.com.
28