Everyone has a story.
A storytelling program produces stories — content.
Typically, storytelling work is in support of another area of nonprofit/NGO administration, and the production process optimizes for the objective of that area of work:
Fundraising: raise money
Marketing: attract audiences to engage with the organization
Communications: inform audiences about the organization, issues and the work
PR/Media: provide journalists with interviews to generate press coverage
However, optimizing for one area of work might conflict with another, such as fundraising and PR.
The best stories are produced when the objective of the work is to produce stories — not donations, press stories or marketing materials — which means storytelling needs to be an independent program, not a media asset.
Creating a Program
Name
Give your program a name so it’s easy to communicate work that falls within the program and work that doesn’t. For example, “Clean Water Storytellers” or “Clean Water Storytelling Program”.
Goals
The advantage of housing storytelling work within its own program is that you can define its goals independent of other organizational goals, e.g. fundraising or press goals. Goals can include the number of stories produced, delivering stories to other areas of the organization by deadlines, and the number of negative outcomes (ideally zero). Include a description of how the program supports the organization’s mission and values.
Additionally — define what success and failure look like: this will help you secure the resources you need. Remember: if you don’t define failure, it will be defined for you.
Stakeholders
Who has a stake in the success of the program? The more stakeholders you have the more support your program will have — but, the more people you will need to engage with on policy and process.
Output
Define the products, their practical use and how they are expected to contribute to the organization’s strategic plan. Clearly state the stakes: what is at stake if the program doesn’t produce?
Risks
What could negative outcomes look like? Start with the worst case scenario and work your way back towards the most probable scenario. Include risks to the interviewee, PR risk to the organization and legal risks.
Resources
What resources does your program have access to? Clearly defining this will help you make sure your goals are reasonable, and will help you advocate for more resources if you need them. Include funding, staff time, access to legal counsel and video/photography.