Nonprofit success stories
Success stories are those stories you find in impact reports and annual reports as well as on webpages. They emphasize the experience of particular community partners or the success as a result of that partnership. Also, they can emphasize the experience of a nonprofit buyer that has recently used your products. So, they’re pretty important to any organization or company that want to show their target audiences the impact they’re making.
Nonprofit success stories can inspire change and action online and offline. They can also simply tell your key stakeholders what you’re doing and how. Whatever the case is, stories matter. They benefit you in the long- and short-terms because of the kind of ongoing engagement they offer. Here are more benefits to having nonprofit success stories:
- They show proof of the work you’re doing and the impact you’re making
- They show proof that your products or services work
- They contribute to your brand as a thought leader
- They provide intimate insights from real people and/or events
- They demonstrate what your mission, vision and values look like
Overall, success stories are a great way to show your key stakeholders that you care about your relationship with them, so much so that you always have something new (i.e., success stories) to share.
How do I know I need success stories?
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you scramble to get stories for you impact and/or annual reports?
- Do you maintain regular contact with people who have previously used your services?
- Are you looking for new ways to engage with your donors?
- Do you have social proof that your products or services work?
- Are your stories creating the engagement that you want?
- Do you have or use success stories?
- Does your target audience share/engage with your stories regularly?
If you answered “No” to any of these questions, now is the time to get success stories!
What is this service ideal for?
This service is ideal for:
- Annual reports
- Impact stories
- Events/Presentations
- Blog content
- Donor communications (e.g., newsletters, emails etc.)
- Repurposing into smaller pieces of content
This service is ideal for nonprofit organizations that:
- Are looking for new ways to engage their key stakeholders
- Consistently run out of impact-related content for their blog, donor communications, website etc.
- Need a reliable stream of stories, especially when reports are due
- Don’t have the resources to get these stories and complete them on time
- Answered “No” to any of the questions in the previous section
Read about how I work on your project and what approaches and processes I take
Why are success stories important?
Success stories are important for nonprofits and companies because stories are really all we have to truly show why our work is so important. Yes, there are the numbers, analytics and other quantifiable data to demonstrate, among other things, the viability of businesses. But it’s the stories that truly show why the services that companies and organizations offer are so important to communities around the world.
Here’s the thing: Success stories bring together your organization’s mission, vision and values. They make it real for your target audience. Unfortunately, there are people out there who don’t know the impact that nonprofits can make on people’s lives. Oftentimes, it’s because a number may not be attached to that impact.
Trust me, I’ve been there. When I worked with youth a while back, every year we managed to gain new participants into the program I was running, specifically older and younger siblings. I thought that was a significant impact but not everyone felt that way. Some reduced it to a matter of age eligibility. Actually, it was the experiences they could share together coupled with what the space had to offer given the age (and age difference!). It took creating digital stories to really demonstrate the meaning of that impact.
On the company side of things, success stories show that what you have to offer works and is worthy of a purchase from nonprofits. Unfortunately, there are people out there who believe that simply mentioning features and shiny new updates is enough to gain a conversation. Oftentimes, it’s because companies misunderstand a fundamental thing: The buyer’s journey for a nonprofit is not the same as a buyer’s journey for a for-profit company! These are the kinds of mistakes companies make that cost them conversions.
Overall, success stories are a must-have. Don’t wait until the annual report is right around the corner or when the sale is on. Let’s capture those stories now!
Pricing
Success stories
Capture your impact on a regular basis.
- 3 success stories (max. 650 words per story) over one month
- SEO-focused titles, metatags and keywords
- 2 rounds of revisions
- Discovery meeting
- Background research and interviews
Starting price: $2,250