With charitable giving falling for the first time in a decade, according to the latest UK Giving Report from the Charities Aid Foundation, it’s more important than ever to show the impact our services are making and the lives we’re changing. That means finding and sharing powerful human stories across our communications.
But not every charity has a steady supply of people willing or able to share their story or has a dedicated team to find them. So how can charity communicators find and share powerful human-interest stories in an ethical and effective way?
1. Use your social media channels
In my experience, many people want to share their experiences but don’t know how. They also question whether their experience is “newsworthy”.
Lead by example and use your social media channels to surface storytellers and create the pathways for them to share their story easily.
At Asthma + Lung UK, when we secured media coverage featuring someone sharing their experience, we’d share the link on our social media channels and ask if anyone had had a similar experience – and we often saw a flurry of responses. Sometimes we’d share behind the scenes content too (such as a storyteller being filmed by broadcasters) to show what the process looked like in practice.
Even though social media channels don’t usually favour sharing external links, we always got huge engagement because the credibility of a large media outlet sharing a story about our cause was heartening to our supporters. They felt like their concerns and issues were being taken seriously.
It also showed the types of stories the media were interested in, prompting people to come forward if their story was similar. Once people shared their stories on the social media thread or via the email address we provided, we’d follow up with a phone call to explain the process and to personally connect with the individual. Importantly, we’d also use this moment to check if they needed any additional support from the charity.
2. Think like a journalist
Be proactive in looking for stories. Make like a journalist and look at local and national media for stories about people experiencing the issues you work on.
Often there are clues about how to contact them — a workplace, a fundraising page, or a journalist who can pass on a message if you explain you want to offer support. Lead with the help first, before making a judgement about whether it is appropriate to ask if they would consider sharing their story.
Joining and posting on Facebook groups and online communities for your cause area can also be useful, as long as you’re transparent about who you are and why you’re there.
When posting call‑outs, be specific. Instead of “We’re looking for people with X condition”, try leading with the experience you’re looking to share. For example:
- “We’re looking for people who had unusual symptoms of X condition or whose symptoms were dismissed as being something else.”
- “We’re looking for people who met a close friend or partner through our support group.”
3. Become a story detective inside your organisation
Colleagues don’t always recognise what makes a strong story, so it’s up to communications teams to draw them out. Regular catch‑ups with services, fundraising and volunteering teams can uncover brilliant leads.
Delivering a short presentation explaining what makes a good story — with examples — helps colleagues know what to look for. You could even think about providing them with a checklist of questions or considerations.
If a colleague sends you a lead, give constructive feedback so they learn what works, and when a story becomes great content, celebrate the colleague who spotted it.
4. Know what makes a strong story — and ask the right questions
A strong story usually evokes a clear emotional reaction — shock, laughter or tears. If you can sum it up in a headline that makes you want to read on, you’re onto something.
Brainstorm ideas with your team about the kind of headlines and stories that connect with readers and use this insight to shape your call‑outs and your interviews.
Ask questions that capture the kind of responses you’re after, using these to craft a strong headline and generate pull-out quotes. For example, if you are a medical charity, ask if the person had any unusual symptoms or if their condition was dismissed as something else. This could produce a headline along the lines of: “My ‘summer cold’ turned out to be [insert condition]”.
5. Collaborate with other charities — and offer something in return
Charities are understandably protective of their storytellers and content, but collaboration can benefit everyone. You may have something that will help get another charity’s story into the media that they don’t — an ambassador, new research, a bigger brand or more media capacity.
Participation with multiple charities can help individuals feel like their story is having a far-reaching impact, supporting others in their community or making sure the issues that concern them are getting the attention they deserve.
Just ensure that if you do work with another charity that you are being truly collaborative and reciprocal on both sides. Give something in return, such as ensuring that their messages or spokesperson’s quotes are included in any media articles.
6. Pick up the phone — don’t rely on email
I cannot stress enough how important it is to build a rapport with the person with lived experience – this is typically done over the phone. Would you pour out your personal story to an impersonal email request?
You need to build trust. A phone conversation is helpful as you can follow-up interesting answers with questions which could reveal a compelling angle.
Explain clearly:
- why sharing their story can help the charity (raise awareness of the issue, charity, and inspire people to get help or fundraise)
- how you’ll use their story
- that they can review the write-up
- that in most cases they will need their name and image to be used
- that they can opt out at any time
- their communication preferences and how their data will be handled
- the implications, including the permanence of digital media and the potential for negative reactions on social media or on media articles
Bond, the UK network for organisations working in international development, has some useful ethical guidelines around storytelling which are relevant for all charities, which is a reminder to follow your safeguarding process from the outset with storytellers. You need to ensure that if someone shares their story it will ‘do no harm’. You should also make it clear to the storyteller that you are there to offer support to them after they have shared their story.
Some organisations I have worked with have hidden social media comments if people have been unkind about someone who has shared their story.
If you are managing a particularly sensitive story and plan to place it in the media, you can ask journalists to turn off the comments on online articles, but you need to agree this ahead of the article being published.
In summary, to find and work with powerful human-interest stories that bring your mission to life, firstly make sure you feel confident about what makes a good story and the questions that will help you find the strongest angles. Cast your net wide on social media and with colleagues to get strong leads, and create the conditions where people feel safe to share their stories and feel supported during and after the process.
If you need further advice or team training on how to find powerful human-interest stories to bring your charity to life, visit www.catjonescomms.co.uk.
Image credit: Canva
