Case Study

Helping Nonprofits Create Powerful Storytelling Strategies

Challenge

While communications professionals know the power of storytelling, many nonprofits lack the capacity to take full advantage of its motivational power. The Rockefeller Foundation asked the Hattaway team to analyze the storytelling landscape in the nonprofit sector, which found that many organizations did not take a strategic approach to storytelling, lacked skills for successful content creation, struggled to make the best use of social media platforms, and did not know how to evaluate the effectiveness of their digital storytelling.

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The Hattaway team collaborated with global leaders in digital technology, social media, entertainment, journalism, and other fields to assess the landscape and design a platform and program to put new knowledge, skills, and resources at the fingertips of nonprofits worldwide:

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Insight

Drawing on our strategic, science-based approach to storytelling, the Hattaway team and our technology partners created a curriculum, platform, and training program for world-class digital storytelling. The program walks users through a step-by-step process:

The Strategy module lays the foundation for Strategic Storytelling with a clear focus on target audiences, meaningful objectives, and key ideas to convey through stories.
The Content module helps users plot out stories about their impact using our Social Impact Story Map, based on studies of storytelling in cultures around the world
The Engagement module, developed in partnership with major platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, helps users pick the right platforms and use them effectively.
The Evaluation module leads users to set meaningful metrics for measuring the reach and engagement of their content on social networks.

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Impact

Working with our digital partners at ThreeSpot, the team built a digital platform called Storytelling for Good. We recruited thought leaders to produce a steady stream of content to equip nonprofit storytellers with practical information and advice for maximizing the power of digital storytelling.

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Nonprofits around the world participated in hands-on training in Strategic Storytelling—learning to map out storytelling strategies, create compelling content, engage audiences on social media, and evaluate their campaigns.

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Along with the digital tools, our team offers training programs to help organizations around the world leverage the power of narrative and networks to expand their reach, resources and impact.