All successful 501c3 organizations have a good story. You must make sure that your 501c3 has a good story. That story should be the focus of your organization’s communication.

People are constantly learning and obtaining information from a wide variety of sources. Most people don’t like to read a bunch of numbers. Charts and graphs are okay, but to really get someone’s attention, tell them a good story.

Tell the story of how your after school tutoring program was implemented into a school and how the average grades rose from C to B+ for those 25 kids as a group. Share pictures of the kids (with parents permission) learning and having fun. Have a couple of the kids speak for 45 seconds about their experience in the program.

Where to share your stories? Share your stories at your events. Perhaps you have fundraisers, seminars, workshops or an annual gala. Want to get the story moving quickly, share it on as many social networks as you can, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest. These are some of the biggest networks out there and will provide you with the widest exposure for your 501c3 organization.

Who to share your 501c3 stories with? Share your story with everyone who will listen. Potential participants want to hear the story in order to know whether it is worth their time to join in your organization’s activities. Part of the reason people volunteer for organizations is because they wish to be associated with a positive story. And donors are willing to give to a 501c3 organization when they believe in what you are doing. There is no better way to convince donors than through a good story.

How often to share your story? Stories are shared constantly in some form. When you story is on one of the social network, it is being shared when you are asleep. When you have a weekly newsletter, you are sharing that story weekly with the subscribers. If your 501c3 has an annual gala, share the stories which are likely to have the biggest impact.

What goes in the story? There is no limit in terms of what to include in the story. Just be reasonable and remember who the audience is. Share something that will help your audience in their own life. Share positive outcomes and experiences. Start with something interesting.   Share stories that will touch the audience.

And most important – only share stories that are true and genuine.