Stories That Inspire

How humanitarian organizations can tell the right stories to generate the most good.

By Hannah Gavin 

People like stories—most humanitarian organizations know that. For years, humanitarian organizations have used storytelling to garner financial and emotional support for their mission. 

But what kind of stories are the best ones to tell? What kind of stories not only capture an audience’s attention but also inspire them to donate money or engage more deeply on an issue? Telling effective stories requires organizations to channel people’s compassion and willingness to help into the prosocial behavior they desire. Digital platforms make it easier than ever before to connect with audiences around the world, but the types of messages organizations emanate will determine how effectively they take advantage of these tools.

Humanitarian organizations are increasingly operating in a world characterized by protracted crises, which are only being exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. This poses a difficulty in sustaining donations, rather than relying on crisis-by-crisis fundraising. It is known that stories work, but what kinds of stories work best is lesser known. In a saturated media environment, humanitarian organizations are looking to find messages that can make an impact and inspire action on the issues they care about.

To deal with this reality, humanitarian organizations can employ best practices so that they can effectively communicate humanitarian need and solicit donations to respond to both emergency and protracted crises. I looked at reports from humanitarian organizations, digital marketing firms, and scholarly articles in search of these best practices. From my research I found the following three lessons that humanitarian organizations should use when using storytelling as a means to prompt audiences to care, donate, and act in other ways. 

First, connect the stories you tell to the work your organization does, and what donations will help your organization achieve. Humanitarian organizations do not need to respond to everything. Rather, organizations should focus on refining their core mission and find ways to communicate the role they play in the causes they advocate for. More specifically, make the connection in your stories about how donations will help your organization continue and expand the work they do. But organizations should make sure to avoid using technical terms when doing so and find ways to explain their work in a way that resonates with a broader audience.

Heifer International, a global anti-poverty nonprofit, increased revenue by leading with messaging about their organization’s mission. Blue State Digital, a digital marketing firm that works with progressive causes, partnered with anti-poverty nonprofit Heifer International to help them find the right strategy to increase their revenue. They found the best success when Heifer International included their organization’s name and showed how their work providing cows, goats, and sheep to families around the world helps improve livelihoods and nutritional outcomes of the people it’s trying to help. For instance, including the organization’s name in the email subject line, rather than the sender’s name, increased donations by 10%.

Second, agency and empowerment should be at the core of telling individuals’ stories. There is widespread consensus that, as much as possible, humanitarian organizations should let people tell their own stories. Technology enables real-time storytelling providing tremendous opportunities for individuals of affected populations to tell their own stories. 

In the words of Lara Ghaoui, an emergency programme officer with World Vision UK, “Humanitarian PR is a moral minefield. It’s important to remember the people behind your stories are more than just case studies to bring in fundraising.”

Humanitarian organizations should ensure that they are not obscuring their missions by exploiting the populations they are trying to help in the pursuit of donations. That is why Ghaoui suggests respecting confidentiality and privacy and key priorities when it comes to storytelling and fundraising.

Third, find a new angle amidst a saturated media environment by showing what works and appealing to a sense of optimism. Anchor people using emotions of hope and inspiration that prompts action, rather than sadness. Including an agent of change can help convey a sense of optimism around how humanitarian organizations can actually make a difference. Build a story around a particular action or include a call to action at the end of the story.  Stories can be used in other positive ways as well, such as to challenge pre-conceived notions or stereotypes. 

In crisis, there is opportunity. The humanitarian community has a chance to seize on the surge of compassion and goodwill coming out of the COVID-19 crisis to inspire action on the issues that matter. Storytelling has the ability to reach the hearts and minds of people oceans apart. With humanitarian needs at a historic high, communications teams can do their part by offering a human dimension to the ongoing crises around the world.

Hannah recently completed her Master of Public Policy from Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, University of Virginia. She was a United Nations Humanitarian Intern last summer and holds immense passion for policy related and humanitarian efforts. Hasrat is proud to promote her ideas. 

Works Referenced

 “Heifer International: Taking a successful fundraising project to the next level.” Blue State Digital. https://www.bluestate.co/case-studies/heifer-international/. 

 “UNICEF USA: Helping UNICEF reach more children.” Blue State Digital. https://www.bluestate.co/case-studies/unicef-usa/. 

Brenna Foster, Will Moyle, & Dan Thain. “How We raised Money by Naming a Goat Jennife.r” Blue State Digital, June 13, 2017. https://www.bluestate.co/news/raised-money-naming-goat-jennifer/. 

Carine Umuhumuza. “On Message: 5 lessons from humanitarian storytellers.” DevEx. August 24, 2018. https://www.devex.com/news/on-message-5-lessons-from-humanitarian-storytellers-93293. 

Jay Geneske. “Digital Storytelling for Social Impact.” The Rockefeller Foundation. May 6, 2014. https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/blog/digital-storytelling-social-impact/.  

Lara Ghaoui. “How to tell humanitarian stories responsibly.” The Guardian. August 4, 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/aug/04/rules-responsible-report-disaster-humanitarian-comms. 

Lauren Parater, Ann Christiano, Annie Neimand & Hans Park. “Communicating Complexity in the Humanitarian Sector.” Stanford Social Innovation Review. October 16, 2019. https://ssir.org/articles/entry/communicating_complexity_in_the_humanitarian_sector. 

Ro Sawyeddollah. “Being a refugee is not easy.” World Food Programme. June 4, 2019. https://insight.wfp.org/being-a-refugee-is-not-easy-63165601f017.