Teach for America, a member of our 2015 Nonprofit Storytelling | Basics & More™ course, totally understands the power of storytelling, and if you take a look at their website, their relationship to storytelling couldn’t be more obvious. Their site is peppered with compelling stories that capture your attention, emotionally inspire you, and motivate you to want to make a difference alongside them. Storytelling, for TFA, is inextricably tied to their identity — who they are, what they do, and their 25-year history of bringing opportunities to children.
These stories are inspiring from the get-go. They grab you and pull you in, like any good headline does.
“How a Teach for America Teacher Saved My Life”
“Success Doesn’t Always Look Like a Suit & Briefcase”
“3 Ways Teach for America Prepared Me for Medical School”
Wow! They certainly aren’t recycling the same kinds of stories over and over again, are they? Rather than being repetitive, voiceless, and more of the same, TFA’s narratives are dynamic, varied, emotional, and inspired. The organization consistently provides their people with a strong voice, allowing teachers and students who’ve been transformed by TFA’s mission to take on the role of storyteller. It’s all very engaging, from start to finish, and motivated me to not only want to donate money to their cause, but to recruit a bunch of local college seniors and encourage them to apply to be teachers. Keep in mind, this is after seeing worthy cause after worthy cause, and compelling story after compelling story. TFA has got it all down pat, and that makes them stand out.
What do their stories accomplish? Their narratives help to identify who TFA is, what it is they do, how they came to exist, and continue to exist. Their narratives identify their mission, how you can be a part of continuing their success, and gives a voice to those whose lives have been transformed by their success. You come to see how TFA has created change in so many lives and in so many ways, and how they’ve come to change the world. It’s difficult to explain the magnitude of it all in words, so I suggest you pay their site a visit and see what you get out of it.
Keep your donors front and center with Simple Development Systems, an easy ‘rinse and repeat’ methodology of expressing gratitude and sharing stories across all channels to grow your nonprofit’s fundraising exponentially. Join us every week for Power of Nonprofit Storytelling (Mondays), What’s in my Inbox (Tuesdays), and What’s in my Mailbox (Wednesdays).
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I can’t wait to meet with you personally.
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