What’s Your Story? Clarifying Your Nonprofit’s Message

Part of the Building Blocks of Storytelling Series 

We’re in the middle of our series on the six building blocks of storytelling: Who, What, Where, Why, When, and How. Today, we’re diving into WHAT. 

The “what” of your story can do so much more than just describe your work. In this episode, I’ll show you how your “whats” can help move people from surface-level giving to true, heart-level involvement with your cause. 

Transcript

Welcome to the Life and Mission Podcast. I'm Kay Helm, and if you're just joining us, we have just started a series on the six building blocks of storytelling. Who, what, where, why, when, and how. And if you are sharing that information with your donors and potential donors. That's gonna take you a long way, and today we're looking at the what of your mission.

And on the surface that may seem pretty basic, right? You probably know what you do, but I hope that I can show you today how that, the what of your stories. Can help move people past that kind of surface level, giving to a more heart level involvement with your cause. And to get to that heart level stuff, the storytelling needs to move beyond the surface level of your what.

So let's get started it.

[00:00:57] What do you do?

As a nonprofit leader, you live in a world of elevator pitches, vision statements, mission statements, vision casting, all of that designed to help you talk about what you do. And your nonprofit website probably has a what we do section, and that's a great place to clearly state and to show what you're about.

Maybe you've got an FAQ on there, sharing stories and reports that demonstrate your impact, and that is really great. The main thing that you want to think about there is clarity, but also understanding. And so it's really easy to get so exact in your language and because you kind of live in the world of this work.

Jargon creeps into these areas and it begins to sound, exact to us and accurate to us. And to other people, not so clear. You get statements like, we empower global stakeholders to synergize for systemic transformation. Excuse me. What does that even Mean, people bounce off of things like that. Like I don't know what you do. I'm not gonna give. So a lot of us are in Christian organizations and we can do the same thing with Christianese. That's where we blend biblical language, kinda spiritual concepts, and action words. And it's basically Christian jargon and people don't understand it.

Maybe they've heard the words, but even in Christian spaces, those words can mean different things to different people. So you just wanna be really clear about what you do then, and that's not to mean that you can't have a Christian mission statement. Compassion International actually has a really good one.

There's this releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name. That's what they do, and it's very clear and very. Christian, so you can do this, but you've got to be clear. And when we say clear, not just clear to the people sitting around that committee table that's coming up with the statement, but clear to lots of people.

So test it out. Test it with people who don't know anything about what you do. So that's the first rule of sharing about what you do, is you've gotta be really, really clear. Okay, so here's one that works. For example, we have a Habitat for Humanity here, and it says, together we build innovative housing solutions. Now, they do a whole lot more than just that, but that's kinda the first thing that you're gonna see when, you look at their site.

Together. We build innovative housing solutions and that gives 'em a lot of room to work, but it's very clear what they're focused on to further simplify it. When you're thinking about talking about what you do, I like the way that Mike Kim over at Fully Funded Academy says it. He asked the question, what do you want me to pay you to do?

Kinda hits differently, doesn't it? When I give you a donation, what am I paying you to do with that money? And so if you think about it that way, I think that helps us to answer in a more clearer way, that's actually what they're asking you when they're considering a donation.

It's not just what do you do, but you're asking for my money. What am I paying you to do? 

[00:04:33] What difference does it make?

And then the next question follows very naturally out of that, and that is what difference does it make? So this, what is the one that shows the change?

This is the impact of whatever it is that you do. So you tell me what you do or what you want me to pay you to do. And then you ask yourself. So that what? So if you say we provide one-on-one tutoring, so that what? So that kids can read. Good. So that what? So that they graduate and break the cycle of poverty.

Ah, now that last part, that part after the final. So that what, that's your. I would call it a visionary. What? Right now I'm making up these terms. Okay. But I'm trying to differentiate the different whats, the visionary, what that's the strongest what in what you do, Okay. We, we do this, so we are in the work, a lot of times we focus on.

The actions we are taking or the programs that we have when somebody asks what we do, but you also kind of, this has a little why to it, right? We do this so that this other thing can happen and then we want that to happen so that this other thing can happen. Because ultimately what we want is. For these kids to graduate and break that cycle of poverty.

So you, you have this kind of ultimate what you do. Ultimately, you are helping families. Generations break the cycle. You see now the one-on-one tutoring sessions that you're doing have a lot more meaning. When I say what do I do, let me tell you what I do. We are helping to break. Generational poverty cycles, and we're doing that by, this is what we do to do that one-on-one tutoring.

Lots of ways you can mix this, but you want to answer the question of what do I do and then what is the change? That results from what I do. So that big thing, that's ultimately what people want to pay you to do. They may not get excited about one-on-one tutoring. but they can get excited about.

Generation change, they can get excited about families really being transformed by a program that kind of takes them all the way through and then they're okay with the steps that you took to get there. They're really excited about that end change. The what? The big what that you do. 

[00:07:22] What's at stake?

 closely related to that, we have an inverted kind of version of what's the difference and that's the what's at stake question.

In other words, what happens if you're not around? What happens if the work doesn't get done? If your organization disappeared tomorrow, then what is the specific hole that is left in the world when you're not there? Is it a village goes back to drinking dirty water. 

The pastor stays isolated and discouraged. What, what happens if you're not there? And that's what's at stake. What do we stand to lose if your work doesn't continue as a potential donor? You need to help me see what you do connected to the difference that you make and what's at stake if you're not there, which is really ultimately all those three together, that's really about the change that.

We both want to see in the world. So we both want to see all these things happen. But if you're only talking about we have this program and we have this program, and we have this program, no. what's the result of that? What's the difference that program makes? What do you do? What difference does it make?

And what's at stake if we're not here showing up every day doing this work? You'll always hear me talking about connection. That visionary, what contains all three of these kind of building blocks for getting me the potential donor connected to your vision and your hands-on work that you're doing, you're connecting the dots for me. You're helping me to see, the bigger picture and also letting me know that you're taking care of the details. Because that's what we're always doing, right? We're always talking big picture all the time, but we also have to care for these details, and that's how we get the work done.

So what you do, what difference it makes and what's at stake, and that is what will connect with your potential donors, 

[00:09:42] What do you want? 

But we're not done yet with our Watts. There's another one that we can really easily overlook, and that is, what do you want? Most of us want to see more than just a surface level change.

We want to see change in the heart, and that is really where real transformation takes place. When we are talking about the heart though, we're actually talking about desire. Stay with me here. Desire is simply what? Someone wants, but it's very strong, it's very compelling, so it is the stronger wants that we have.

Marketers know that humans are driven largely by desires, and yet nonprofits often miss this very, very real opportunity for connection. let's back up. A little bit and look at organizations, right? And organizations have desires. You could say that. Okay. And we find those in the organization's vision statement.

So earlier I mentioned Habitat for Humanity. What they do together, we build innovative housing solutions, okay? On that same page of their website, we also find what they want. And what they want is, and this is a quote from their website, Habitat's Vision is of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

So what Habitat for Humanity wants, their desire is that everyone has a decent place to live. That's a pretty good desire. I can get behind that as a donor. You see how simple that is for me to get behind. It's what the organization wants is your vision statement. What do you want to see? What is the change you want to see Happen?

Another example is the Alzheimer's Association. They want a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia. Again, very clear, very simple. It's what they want. They don't say we want, it's what they're working for, right? But if you, if you try this with your vision statement, see if you can say, we want this.

Our vision is to see. This because it's what we want. A vision statement states very clearly what you want, so that's for organizations, but what about you? What do you want? If you're called to this work, then God must have given you a deep, desire to see something change in the world. And if you are sacrificing and working hard to solve some of the world's most pressing problems, then your desire is for something better.

You're Tackling issues that many others won't even touch. So there's something deep down there. There's a desire there to see that change. It's what you want and it is imperative that we talk about those desires. What do you want? Share that desire. And that's where we are facilitating that heart level change, 

This is the kind of change that really moves people to take action that actually costs them something. So in order to do that, we have to talk about what we want. What makes you sacrifice so much for this cause? do not stop at God called me to do this. I'm sure that when he called you, he also put a burden on your heart for a specific group of people or for a situation or for an unmet need, an injustice somewhere.

And what is that burning in your bones? That's what you want, right? That's your personal desire that you want to see happen in the world. And what happens is when we talk about that. And you'll hear this through this whole series is that we kind of raise that banner for other people with that same desire.

And if you're not passionate about it and you aren't talking about that, then you don't connect with those people. You continue with more surface level connections.

you're going to hear this happening all through this series, is that there'll be some overlap. So when I'm doing, an episode on who and an episode on what? An episode on When, and, all of these different, building blocks, we're not trying to silo things. I'm just kind of taking each one apart at a time and looking at it from different angles so that we can really.

Put it to work for us in a lot of different ways. You can fit that building block into different places depending on what angle you take. You see what I'm saying? When we're overlapping like that, I want to give you ways of thinking about the stories so that you can connect with the people and get the work done.

And don't get hang up on what is a why and what is a why, right? so there's going to be overlap. Let's not worry about the overlap, but right now, today I'm talking about what is it you want, and then we'll talk about why later on, and we'll talk about how later on. what is it that you want?

[00:15:07] What do the people you serve want?

Now there are other people that it's really important to know what they want, and it's of primary importance, and that is what do the people you serve want? We need to hear from them. A lot of times, I hear people say, we're a voice for the voiceless, and I kind of cringe honestly because no one should be voiceless.

There are voices that are not heard. But they have voices. They are saying things if we will listen, and our job is more to platform them. And that's just kind of a personal soapbox. So, we want to make sure that, We are not making assumptions when we do this and that we're actually talking to the people and getting what they actually want.

So the last time we talked about the who in your Stories, and we looked at ways to portray the people that you serve in a dignified way and to show them as more three dimensional, rather than these flat characters in your story. part of that is. Can you share what they want?

what do they desire? What is their visionary? What it, it only takes a sentence or two to let us see what the person in your story wants most. And it's especially moving when they can use their own words. When we can hear their voice so here's an example of how this might happen.

Simon has struggled with addiction for years, but he has dreams of rebuilding his family. Quote, I want to be there for my daughter. He says, I want to be a father that she could be proud of. Your support means Simon finally has a mentor to show him the way, something he never had growing up.

Now we've learned a lot about Simon. But most of all, we've heard what he wants. And this is another opportunity to really tap into universal desires and connect the people you serve with, the people who are supporting your mission. What are the things the people you serve want that your supporters also want?

Really at that heart level, we wanna be there for our kids. I share that with Simon, I want to be there for my kids, and I think most of us could say that we're right there with Simon. We can cheer him on and we can help him along the way, but ultimately we see that he has that desire and he's gotta be the one that really gets it done.

We're there to walk alongside him or whatever role that we're playing in this program that he's a part of. But he really wants to be a father that she can be proud of. And we'll come back to Simon in a minute. so as much as possible, if you can frame the what through their eyes, that's really gonna help.

Um. where you're making that connection between what they want and what.

You're the people reading your materials want so that we're all wanting the same thing. 

 I'm, again, not trying to manipulate and not putting words in people's mouths and not making assumptions, but making connections looking. You're always looking for those connections. And then you're doing the legwork too. Fully report the story, which reporting means gathering the facts, getting the quotes, getting the information, making sure you're understanding correctly what they're saying.

[00:18:43] What does God want?

So while we're talking about desire. What does God want? How does God speak to the issue that you deal with in your ministry?

If you are working to alleviate poverty or if you work with people who are crossing borders to find safety, what does God have to say and how does that inform your work in the big picture? What does it look like when God's kingdom is seen here on earth? So by including God's perspective, right? And let me be clear that including God's perspective does not mean you're tacking on a Bible verse at the end of whatever you were gonna say.

That's not what I'm talking about. I know you're in the word. I know you're praying. You do that, that work. And as you get more into these issues, you understand that it gets more and more complex. that you need the Lord to speak into that so that you can make the right decisions so that you can navigate that complexity and you can find strength in understanding that you know what, even when.

Something is unjust and powerful people like it that way that you can still stand on the side of what the Lord says. So all of this can work together. you're saying here is where the needs of the world and the heart of God meet. Do you want to be a part of it? And it's an invitation, right? So there's one more what can you guess what it is? 

[00:20:20] What do your donors want?

Yep, you're right. What does your donor want? Again, all about connection and we talked in the last episode about getting to know your supporters and if you know what they value, you can reflect that in your stories.

Whenever you see that connection with what the people you serve also want. We've talked about that you can highlight that shared desire. We want to live to see our grandkids. We want to unlock the door on a new home. We want to see families reunited. We want to see loved ones delivered from addictions.

We are all just human, and we have a lot of these things in common if we will take the time to build those bridges. So if you can connect the donors actions with our shared desire for whatever positive change it is that we're all working towards, and connect it also with their desire to leave a legacy.

Because I think most of our donors would like to leave some kind of legacy and know that they did some good in the world that was lasting good. you can bring all that together in your storytelling. Remember Simon, we talked about him a little bit earlier, so what if you wrapped that story with something like this?

Speaking to your donor here, you don't just want to write a check and hope for the best. You want to know that your life is connected to a story of redemption. You want to look back and know that because you were here, a father like Simon got to walk his daughter down the aisle. And we paint that picture of what we want to see and what Simon wants to see, and we can agree on that and we go say, yes, this is a good thing and we need to make that happen and we need to make it happen for more people.

And I'm in. So that's what those types of of closing statements are gonna help you with. So when we talk about what donors want, they don't just want a result. They want to know that their specific action caused it.

They want to be a participant, not just a spectator. so remember that's what they want. So what happens as a result of their giving? What role are they playing in the bigger picture? What legacy are they leaving? 

[00:22:40] Conclusion

So there are lots of whats. In your stories that, and you can speak to those in your storytelling, in your appeals, in your conversations.

too often the what in our stories really focuses on us simply what we do.

But when we also take the time and the effort to think about that larger, what. In terms of desire, what we want, what the people on both sides of the donations want, what God wants, then we have an opportunity to do more than just share stories. We are building bridges, we are creating empathy, we're creating connections.

We, are opening up room for God to change our hearts 

 so here are your watts for today. What do you do? What difference does it make? What's at stake? What do you want? What do the people you serve want, and what does God want and what does the donor want? And then altogether, we can change the world. So next time we are moving from the what?

To the where, and we're going to talk about how to move your donors across the globe or across town so that they can experience the world through your eyes. I'm Kay Helm, and this is the Life and Mission podcast. Find your voice, tell your story. Change the world.