Advocacy
How to Tell Real Stories About Impact
Going beyond social change Mad Libs means going deep with systems, movements, and real human emotions.
Going beyond social change Mad Libs means going deep with systems, movements, and real human emotions.
Telling diverse and inclusive stories for social change that center marginalized communities and build understanding requires that we show the complex ways communities experience systems of inequality.
Trusted messengers are important to the success of any advocacy campaign. Here are eight archetypes and four audience contexts to help organizers find the right ones.
A well-told story can inspire people to engage with social and environmental issues, but how do nonprofits channel that energy into behaviors that make a difference? Behavioral science can help point the way.
By relying on academic research, organizations can understand where their communications will have the most impact. The final article in Humanitarian Innovation in Action, a series on innovation as a tool for change within complex institutions.
To build more inclusive movements, social advocacy organizations and activists need to create stories that can engage both familiar and new communities.
No single organization or individual can pull off an effective storytelling campaign alone. Reaping the benefits of storytelling requires that we build better partnerships between three important players.
Five principles based in social science that will help organizations connect their work to what people care most about.
Stories are the most powerful tool we have for increasing understanding and building engagement with complex issues. Telling them well can drive belief and behavior change.
Advocates and organizers need to think strategically about how to ensure that women are supported as they continue to report sexual violence and their perpetrators are held accountable. To do so, they can look to the science on social norms.
Communications strategy should be flexible, scrappy, and accessible to everyone on your team. This four-question framework, rooted in social science, can help organizations craft an effective strategy that drives real social change.
What should strategic communication in the public and social change sectors look like in a time marked by extreme political polarization and false information? Science suggests the key may be playing offense, rather than defense.
It’s time for activists and organizations to adopt a more strategic approach to public interest communications.
To make progress on ideologically or politically sticky issues, social sector organizations must reshape their messaging to do more than cite facts; they must use smart storytelling and craft solutions that don’t require those they want to reach to sacrifice their values.