How Why Works Harder Than What

Why would I say that and what do I mean?

From a nonprofit perspective we want to use our stories to effect social change by having more impact in our communities.  In other words, be able to do more good.  And, in an ideal world, all of our stakeholders … our clients, our Board members, our volunteers and anyone else who knows our work will share our stories, too, right? 

I know that at least some of you have heard one of these stakeholders tell your organization’s story, and thought, “where in the world did that come from?”

Part of our job as nonprofit leaders is to help our stakeholders figure out what they should say when telling our story.  And here’s how “why” works harder than what.  These folks all know why they are so involved with your organization.  They don’t have to rely on telling what you do, just why they are involved. 

As humans, we’re an emotional group.  While some of us prefer to think of ourselves as logical and rational, science tells us that only emotion can move us to action.  By tapping into the “why” of their involvement, our stakeholders can inherently share an emotional story.  And, asking people to simply share their “why” is a pretty easy way to turn stakeholders into ambassadors.

What is your biggest storytelling challenge?  Join us on May 13, 2016 at the Omni Hotel in Richmond, Virginia to get answers to this question and so much more!  Visit Alchemy2016.com to learn more and to register today!