My Nonprofit Storyteller of the Week is Women for Women International, an international nonprofit helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives, has fantastic (and horrifying) stories to tell.
Through their website, blog, email newsletter and a variety of social media channels they share the personal, heart-wrenching stories of the women they serve and other women who inspire them in their mission.
Using the hashtag #SheInspiresMe, WfWI encourages people everywhere to share personal stories of women who inspire them, and why. This campaign is especially effective because you do not have to be a survivor of war or a member of WfWI to participate.
Way to go: #Malala Yousafzai scores a string of A+ grades on her final exams! #SheInspiresMe http://t.co/vIRCrxSPiT pic.twitter.com/duS35avFDE
— Women for Women Intl (@WomenforWomen) August 21, 2015
This works especially well on the hashtag-driven visual platform Instagram, where WfWI tells not just stories about the women they serve, but those who support their mission – the volunteers, staff and donors.
My two cents – YouTube could be better utilized, as video is widely considered the number one marketing tool of 2015. Google partnered with Millward Brown Digital and found, in their online survey of nonprofits, that 57% of donors actually made a donation after watching an online video. Convinced yet?
The WfWI featured YouTube video autoplays, so even if it’s open in another browser window I hear the ominous words:
“In modern wars, it is more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier.”
Ok, now you’ve got me hooked. I want to learn more. I want to hear a story from a woman whose life was literally changed by this organization, and who I can get involved changing lives. However, there is a lack of stories on the YouTube channel – perhaps because of the limitations of technology in the countries where they work, or lack of investment on the part of the org?
The channel does features a nice playlist called Videos from the Field – powerful stories told by aid workers and Women to Women International volunteers and staff on the ground in the countries in which they work.
What do you think of Women for Women International’s storytelling techniques?