Once upon a time there was a wonderful nonprofit organization that shared its valuable mission with the world and promoted its cause to serve others in need. But it had to learn all about the scary new world of marketing in order to truly understand how to grow even bigger and stronger, so it could continue to help others.

Storytelling is a powerful tool, and when it comes to nonprofit marketing, it can be even more impactful than we often consider. Your nonprofit has a purpose, and telling the story is a valuable content marketing tactic. How can you use storytelling to share your mission? Today we learn how.

Storytelling shares your truth.
The stories you tell should be as authentic as possible. While storytelling is a powerful content marketing tool, getting trapped in a lie can severely hurt a nonprofit organization (NPO). Marketing Week advises an organization’s story is not something you should refer to just when you launch a marketing campaign or issue a press release. Rather, it should be the foundation on which a future growth strategy is built.

How did the nonprofit originate? What is its mission? What are its values? How has it stayed true to those values and mission? These are all incredibly authentic, truthful stories that need to be shared with those interested in donating or volunteering with your cause.

Storytelling builds your personality.
Brand storytelling shows a nonprofit’s personality, mission and values. It says who you really are and what is most important to your organization. In today’s online world, a brand’s personality is almost as important as their actual purpose. Storytelling is a useful outlet to let this personality shine through and engage consumers on a personal level.

Storytelling establishes relationships.
Storytelling brings in your audience and establishes an emotional relationship with those interested in donating or volunteering to your cause. It shows the organization as a relational, transformative, trustworthy entity—something they can believe in. When constituents see a brand’s story, they feel drawn to it in the same way they feel drawn to other storylines, like movies, TV shows or music. And when constituents are drawn in and feel connected, that relationship continues to grow stronger as they learn more and more about your NPO.

Storytelling sets you apart.
Your nonprofit’s brand is unique, and telling your story is a great way to set the brand apart from other similar organizations. Tell what makes you important, valuable and unique compared to others in your field. Why are you the leading expert on an issue? Why should constituents get involved with your cause? When you tell a story, you set the NPO apart by showing its distinct origin, foundation and direction.

Storytelling drives action.
Finally, storytelling drives action for a nonprofit. When consumers see the organization’s personality, feel a relationship with it and understand what makes it different, they will feel more inclined to do something—sign up to receive your newsletter, join a volunteer team or donate a significant amount. This is the power in storytelling. Its unique content marketing strategy engages constituents on their level, then encourages them to seek more information and get involved.

In the end, the brave nonprofit learned how to use storytelling in its marketing strategy, and grew even better at reaching constituents, building its volunteer and donor base and helping others. And they all lived happily ever after.

Interested in learning more ways to share your nonprofit organization’s story? Firespring is here to help! We offer useful webinarsmaterials and seminars on how your NPO can market itself to further its cause. Learn more by giving us a call at 877.447.8941 or email hello@firespring.com.