2.1 – Share Impactful Stories

We have identified impactful storytelling as the most persuasive tool to generate awareness and create personal connections. Telling impactful stories invokes feelings of compassion, hope, and inspiration that motivate donors to action. The Meyer Foundation’s 2013 “Stories Worth Telling” report found 96 percent of surveyed respondents agreed storytelling is an important part of their organization. The Meyer report cited a 2012 Georgetown University Center for Social Impact Communication survey of digitally active supporters – “reading a story on social media was the number one motivator of the more than 50 percent of respondents who made the leap from supporting a cause online to also supporting it offline.”

• Stories hook donors and corporate sponsors
• Stories move people to action
• Stories take all forms
• A 140-character Tweet
• A 6-second video on Vine
• A single-image meme
• A photo on Instagram
• An infographic
• A blog post

The story needs to be powerful. The Meyer report also cited studies finding 20 percent of online video viewers abandon watching after the first 10 seconds and that users of an average web page read at most 28 percent of the words on the page. A nonprofit must do two things:

• Grab the audience in the first 10 seconds
• And with only 28 percent of their page/site.

Peruvian Hearts can create personal connections by telling impactful stories that convey the central theme of PH’s unique selling point: “girl power.” PH’s storytelling should use a message strategy focused on the power that lies within each individual Peruvian Hearts girl.

These are some of stories that are part of the PH culture.

• Ana’s Story: When Ana visited Peru at age 11, one of the girls asked Ana to not forget them and this stuck with Ana. She and her family set up the non-profit to help the girls and started asking for donations. Ana was young when she caught the vision of giving to the Peruvian children. She realized that “it could have been me” in that same situation if she hadn’t been adopted and brought to America. She wanted to give the girls the same opportunities that she had been given. She wanted to empower the girls so that they could bring themselves out of poverty.
• Educating Girl’s Story: Research has shown that educating and empowering girls is the best way to bring a country out of poverty. When a woman earns an income she will reinvest 90 percent in her family, whereas a man will reinvest only 35 percent in his family [UNICEF]. Educated girls will marry later and have fewer and healthier children. They understand the importance of their own education and will make sure that their children are educated as well. This education will break the cycle of poverty and create opportunities for future generations.

In stark contrast, when a girl turns 12 and doesn’t receive more education, her life is out of her control. Girls that only get minimal education are forced into early marriage and pregnancy and are at risk for a number of health problems including HIV/AIDS. They can also be forced into prostitution to provide for their families. They are trapped in the cycle of poverty.

These videos explain this story:

• Educate a girl, change the world video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lyi1ND6oVDc

• It only takes a girl video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05qZyoznfwk

• Educate a girl and she will change the world video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05qZyoznfwk

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