How to talk about your impact

Big announcements and letting audiences know what you’ve been up to means sharpening your storytelling skills. From simply making a press release or case study to full media, we go over how to talk about your work and impact. We emphasise what forms work best for each type of story.

 

 

Case studies are always relevant

 

Impactful case studies show audiences who is being helped and how. The most memorable ones we’ve seen highlight what the situation is originally, and then what’s changed. This format works best when talking about transformations.

 

The most touching case studies convey sentiment and pull upon the heartstrings. Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is an expert. They have explored the blog format for case studies, and incorporate graphics, photos, and quotes from beneficiaries. The approach is also formulaic. They outline the clinical situation of the patient, followed by action, then resolution.

 

Narrators share how each child feels about going into hospital and the anxiety around therapy. However, once the therapy starts parents are overwhelmed.

 

Quotes from beneficiaries really hit home: “These have been my best experiences of hospital to date. And it has made an enormous difference to our lives.”

 

There are takeaways from GOSH’s approach. Storytelling for impact means building up emotions. Start with baselining – in many cases, it’s negative. From there, let audiences know how charity services have improved the situation.

 

Our top tip is to let others do the ‘talking’ for you.

 

 

Give a personal perspective

 

Talking about charity purpose, work, and services needs to be personal. Social media does wonders for sharing little snippets and individual views from staff.

 

At the executive level, CEOs and senior management have an outsized voice when it comes to sharing stories about work.

 

Zoe Amar, writing for The Guardian, has commented on how CEOs leverage their personal accounts. She says that: “The winner of the best trustee award, Maya Dibley of Girlguiding, often uses Twitter to enthuse about her charity and how her board is making a difference.”

 

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants’ (JCWI) Interim CEO is Minnie Rahman. She uses Twitter to share snippets about work, impact, and her personal life.

 

Her engagement on Twitter ranges from re-Tweeting migrant causes and calls-to-action to asking audiences for birthday party recommendations. What works here is her consistent messaging to her 14,000 followers on migrant issues and what the JCWI does.

 

 

Releasing studies during key periods

 

Aligning what you’re doing with key holidays and occasions is another strategy around how to talk about your work. One of the most well-known stories told during the holiday season are from homelessness charities.

 

Taking care to capture the generosity during the Christmas period, organisations release stories and statistics to motivate fundraising. St Mungo’s uses graphics to hit home. They feature homeless children and forlorn faces with calls-to-action during the fundraising period.

 

World Vision UK lets audiences know how climate change is affecting distant communities. Leveraging Earth Day, the charity released a blog edition of how climate change is disproportionately affecting the poor. It talks about how over 100 million people have been forced from homes from the effects of climate change. Then, there’s mention of what the charity has been doing.

 

By providing fast growing crops, small livestock and forest restoration techniques, World Vision highlights the impact of their work. One beneficiary, Chantal, says: “World Vision...has started us off well with a good foundation of knowledge and skills. The money we save, and the seeds we reserve of our harvests, will keep us going even long after the organisations helping us leave.”

 

 

Top tips for talking about your work

 

Unpacking how exemplary charities talk about their work, here are our top tips to ensure that audiences stay engaged.

 

 

Use the before and after format

 

Emphasise impact by highlighting the starting point and what’s been improved. Include your purpose, target beneficiaries, and how your service is being delivered. In closing, include contact details.

 

 

Mix up the media

 

Make your announcement interesting. Interactive media, graphics, video, and sound grab attention. For each outlet, customise how you’ll be communicating your work. Remember, imagery works best for Instagram, snippets for Twitter, and formal messaging for LinkedIn.

 

 

Be personal

 

When talking about your work, be specific. Include names, dates, faces, quotes and anything personal that can draw a connection out.

 

 

Share on social media

 

Last, don’t forget to share on all outlets. Use your social media management system to time the announcements. When holding events, make sure that you spread the story by word of mouth. Take a look at our grassroots movement case study for tips and tricks.