Communica)ng  Your  Brand  Story    

A  charity’s  story  begins  with  this…  

   

…but  o;en  turns  into  this!  

People  write  things  like  this:  

What’s  happened?  

We  forget  about  the  emo.on  that  drove  the  founding  of  a  charity.    We  stop  talking  about  why  we  

exist  and  instead  use  jargon  to  talk  about  what  we  do.  

The  result?  

What  do  people  really  want  to  know?  

Why  stories  work    

•  Our  brains  are  made  that  way.  

•  They  simplify  complexity.  

•  They  create  an  emo.onal  connec.on.  

Demonstra)ng  Impact  

How  is  that  a  brand  story?  

VSO’s  brand  values  are:    •  People  are  the  best  agents  of  change.  •  Knowledge  is  our  most  powerful  tool.  •  Progress  is  only  possible  by  working  together.  •  By  thinking  globally,  we  can  change  the  world.  

And?  

 

Those  values  are  explicit  in  Juliana’s  story.  She  is  bringing  them  to  life.  

What  makes  a  good  brand  story?  

•  A  good  story  doesn’t  necessarily  make  a  good  brand  story.  

•  It  needs  to  embody  your  values,  be  relevant  to  your  organisa.on  and  it  should  include  an  element  of  change…but  not  any  old  change!  

Breakout  1  

Spend  5  minutes  talking  to  a  neighbour  about  examples  of  good  brand  stories  that  you  have  heard  about  within  your  organisa.on.    

Developing  brand  storytelling  

What  they  did    

•  Created  a  story-­‐led  brand.  

•  Asked  those  they  work  with  to  share  their  stories  and  ambi.ons.  

•  CommiOed  to  building  a  culture  of  storytelling    

What  they  did  next    

•  A  story  audit  •  Recruited  a  story  manager  

•  Built  rela.onships  and  trust    

•  Hunters  and  Gatherers  •  Developed  principles  

And  for  small  organisa)ons?  

•  Look  at  exis.ng  systems  and  processes.  

•  Develop  your  staff.    •  Celebrate  success.  •  Be  realis.c.  

Breakout  

Spend  5  minutes  talking  to  a  (different!)  neighbour  about  what  exis.ng  systems  and  processes  you  have  that  you  could  tap  into  to  find  more  stories.  

The  best  thing  to  do  is  to…  

 

Involve  your  greatest  storytellers!  

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