There are mountains of resources for nonprofits who want to perfect the art of telling the stories of the clients and communities they serve. Successfully telling these stories is considered a crucial part of nearly all aspects of nonprofit marketing, from the basics of communicating a mission and vision to soliciting the support of donors, inspiring commitment from volunteers, writing compelling grant proposals and more.

To be sure, these are all very important aspects of defining and promoting a nonprofits’ identity, but individual organizations and the sector as a whole have an even bigger reason to sharpen their storytelling skills.

In fact, a recent Nonprofit Quarterly blog post calls on nonprofits to tell use their storytelling skills on a much broader level; to change the prevailing narrative about being poor in America. This call to action is right on point. After all, nonprofits invest significant intellectual and financial resources in learning to tell rich, vibrant stories as a means of marketing and fundraising. Many organizations are well-positioned to use existing skills to support honest portrayals of their clients in politics, popular culture and the media as well as challenge misconceptions or over-generalizations. As a trusted community resource with intimate knowledge of the hardships and challenges their clients face, nonprofits are in a unique position to tell these stories.

Telling these stories is no simple matter. Initiating honest dialogue about tough issues like economic class and the disparity between the rich and poor is tough work. Changing pre-conceived notions and popular myths is certainly not any easier. Having these conversations is not something America does well, but nonprofits are the perfect neutral player to facilitate them. Here are some things nonprofits can do to put their storytelling skills to good use:

Stay in touch with your clients and communities you serve.

The stories nonprofits can tell are most useful when they are current, honest and real. Nonprofits should continually re-commit to truly knowing their clients and other community stakeholders. However, organizations should also know that by bringing these voices to the table they must be prepared to commit to hearing any feedback they receive.

Don’t shy away from hard conversations.

It can be hard to take a stand when an organization wants to be viewed as non-political, or at the very least impartial. The unfortunate reality is that these issues can become partisan all too quickly. However, that isn’t reason enough for nonprofits to avoid them entirely, but might be an even more compelling call for the thoughtful, fair and balanced perspective of a trusted organization.

Have real conversations about augmenting the cultural competency and inclusivity of all organizations.

No matter the path to cultural competence or inclusivity, nonprofit organizations must make their efforts meaningful. These efforts must be a part of bigger picture plans, like board development or a strategic plan.

Nonprofit organizations should use expertise and a neutral position in the community to help marginalized people tell their stories, facilitate tough conversations and focus the national dialogue.

Kate Elliott has worked for nonprofit healthcare organizations since 2004. She graduated from the ASU Lodestar Center's master's of nonprofit studies program in 2010.

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