Community economic development organizations picked up valuable tips for using storytelling to connect people with their work during the Initiative’s Sept. 25 webinar.
“Telling Your Story, Better than Ever” was led by Anne Ehlers, communications and development director for the N.C. Housing Coalition.
Ehlers included a number of video clips in her presentation, providing insight from notable storytellers and examples of ways that other nonprofits have successfully utilized stories to reach their goals. She said that on a fundamental level, stories are part of who we are and how we connect with people.
Webinar participants learned that there are six basic stories that every nonprofit needs to be able to tell when fundraising or building relationships. They are:
- How we started
- Emblematic successes
- What we learned from defeat
- Nature of our challenge
- Performance stories
- Where we’re going
The presentation slides, a storytelling worksheet and an article on the ten immutable laws of storytelling can be viewed online at http://ncinitiative.org/resourcecenter#communications.
The webinars are part of a series of monthly training opportunities offered free to the public as part of the Initiative’s expanded technical assistance program. Initiative training webinars and workshops are designed to help community economic development practitioners implement strategic business plans and increase their impact in the communities they serve.
Topics for the Initiative’s monthly trainings come from the needs and performance issues identified by partners as well as state and national trends and best practices in community economic development. Visit www.ncinitiative.org/TAcalendar for workshop details.
For more information on the Initiative’s technical assistance program, visit www.ncinitiative.org/innovation/technicalassistance or contact LaVett Saddler at (919) 835-6015 or lsaddler@ncinitiative.org.
The N.C. Community Development Initiative leads North Carolina’s collaborative community economic development effort, driving innovation, investment and action to create prosperous, sustainable communities. For more information, visit www.ncinitiative.org.