Each organization has a compelling story that can move people to join them in advancing their work – as donors, volunteers, funders, and community members. Nonprofit organizations are invited to spend the day focusing on this important aspect of nonprofit sustainability – storytelling. 

People support nonprofits and the causes they champion because of an emotional connection. Hope, compassion, guilt, fear and other emotions drive people to tackle the world’s problems — or support others who are working on the front lines. That’s where stories come in. Facts and figures can be mind-numbing, but a story opens ears, eyes, minds and hearts.

Participants in this workshop will develop a toolbox of compelling stories about people their nonprofit is helping. They will leave with tools to build stories that can not only spearhead fundraising and advocacy efforts, but also strengthen an organization’s culture and reinforce its values. 

This workshop is presented by WNC Nonprofit Pathways and Marilyn Ball, founder of 12Twelve Marketing in Asheville and a leading expert in creating partnerships through cooperative marketing strategies. The class runs from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Oct. 17 at Isothermal Community College in Columbus and qualifies for credit hours through the Duke Nonprofit Management Program. 

This course is appropriate for organizations of any size or stage of development. Nonprofits are encouraged to bring a team, including both staff and board, so that together they can be most effective at implementing what they learned after the course is finished.

Nonprofit Pathways has a limited number of 50 percent scholarships available for individuals affiliated with a WNC nonprofit organization. To sign up online, visit www.learnmore.duke.edu/nonprofit/certificate/program. Use Course ID 0805-018 when registering. To access scholarships, go to www.nonprofitpathways.org/scholarship and submit a request form. 

– submitted by Jeannette Butterworth

Want to go?

What: Nonprofit Storytelling Workshop

When: Oct. 17, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Where: Isothermal Community College, Columbus