Today, I am leading a webinar entitled Helping Your Board Tell Your Story. For the last ten years, I have done many different iterations of this workshop for board members and staff, mainly because  charities want to use stories to help them in their fundraising efforts. Yes, storytelling is a great way to engage donor prospects but it really only scratches the surface of its potential.

When stories come from the heart of the storyteller…

• Empathy is created. Sharing of emotion makes us vulnerable (in a good way) and opens the door for relationship building.

• Context is created. For our relationship to flourish a common frame of reference needs to be forged leading to a deeper understanding. Stories create the glue for our relationships.

• Meaning is imparted. When we share something personal and important with one another, we challenge our relationships to grow. We move beyond the trivial elevating the purpose of our connection.

We can look at storytelling as a means of creating a 60-second commercial about our work, or we can share stories that convey a part of ourselves. Stories that open doors and minds, make deep connections, and through our relationships leave an indelible mark on the world.