The Importance of Storytelling in the Nonprofit Sector

The best communicators are always the ones not with the best stories, but the ones who know how to tell a story best. Think of the great communicators you know personally. They are probably mostly telling stories to attract an audience. That’s what captivates viewers’ attention the most.

Stories affect people’s emotions, actions, and behaviors. Stories get into people’s minds in a way that no other means of communication can.

As humans, it is our tendency to react to stories. We tend to remember a good story for much longer than facts and figures which is what makes good storytelling special.

Oral language was one of the first forms of interpersonal communication, generally used to tell stories past from which we learned from the experiences of others.

When we hear facts and figures, only a part of our brain activates, but when we hear a story, many other parts of the mind come alive, such as emotion.

As a result, storytelling becomes a great strategy for fundraising, raising awareness, mobilizing volunteers, building trust, and much more. This is a great tool for businesses and, especially, nonprofit organizations that deal with the “business” of telling stories in a world-changing way.