Key Strategies for Effective Storytelling & Building Partnerships
DAWA is a local Austin nonprofit that honors, celebrates, and empowers the essential work of the BIPOC community frontliners through direct financial support, and culturally relevant health-centered programming. From supporting artists to dismantling local structural racism, DAWA is determined to make lasting change in our local ecosystem.
Being a sustainable nonprofit requires having a sales and marketing strategy that effectively communicates value to attract potential donors and supporters. DAWA approached SVP Austin this year seeking help to grow their already successful fundraising strategies in order to reach more people without straining their current staff and volunteers. We assembled a team that met with DAWA leaders to identify partners aligned with their values and jointly developed an action plan for approaching and securing quality partnerships. In addition, the SVP team worked with DAWA to clarify their story and marketing in support of finding more funders.
Through our partnership with DAWA, we identified several key strategies that organizations can use to effectively tell their story and connect with funders and supporters:
Define Your Impact: Clearly articulate your organization's mission, vision, and values. Explain the specific issues you address and the impact you've already made or plan to make. It’s important to make sure all staff and volunteers are also able to communicate this as strongly as your organization’s leadership.
Share Personal Stories: Use real-life stories of beneficiaries, volunteers, or staff members to humanize your nonprofit's work. Personal narratives create emotional connections that drive engagement.
Be Authentic: Authenticity builds trust. Share your successes and challenges transparently to show that your organization is committed to making a difference. It’s important to operate in a space where your organization adds value!
Visual Storytelling: Incorporate visuals like photos, videos, and infographics to make your story more compelling and shareable. Take pictures at events or your initiatives that showcase the change you’re making.
In addition, we worked with DAWA to set the foundation for building more partnerships that were aligned with their vision. Here are some considerations for other organizations looking to do the same:
Know Your Gaps: Identifying the gaps in your current programming and initiatives will help you understand what you need. From there, you can more easily identify potential partnerships that would be most valuable to your organization – and help fill those gaps!
Build Meaningful Partnerships: Find organizations, businesses, or individuals that share your values or have a need for impact-related partnerships. A successful partnership requires all parties getting something out of teaming up. Nonprofit or Community Impact networking events (like our SVP Connects!) are a great place to start!
Collaboration Agreements: Establish formal collaboration agreements that outline roles, responsibilities, and expectations to ensure a smooth partnership.
Communication and Evaluation: Regularly communicate with your partners, assess the partnership's progress, and adjust strategies if needed to maximize impact.
DAWA has begun to implement these strategies, and are currently over halfway to their fundraising goal of $60,000!
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Are you a Central Texas nonprofit or social enterprise needing help solving your current growth challenges? Learn more about how we support nonprofits and social enterprises through our pro bono advisory services and reach out to explore partnering with us!
