Have you ever been moved to tears or moved to action after reading an emotional story? I bet that at some point or the other in your life, you have. Storytelling brings out our humanity and connects us to the emotions of others.

And because we’re shaped by stories and surrounded by them, it’s important to know what kind of stories to tell as an organisation and how to tell them.

In this blog post, we’ll be sharing the types of stories you can tell to connect with your audience. In subsequent blog posts, we’ll share in depth how to write some of these stories, some tools and techniques to use, and examples.

So, here are seven types of stories for your corporate or nonprofit organisation.

Impact stories

Your audience wants to know the impact your organisation is making in the lives of the people it serves; they’re looking for reasons to support your cause. Give them a good reason to do so by crafting a compelling impact story that moves them to action.

If they can see the evidence of your organisation’s impact through the story of one person or community, they’ll be more likely to make an emotional connection compared to if you give them raw, dry data about how you’ve made impact.

‘Euan now feels like he has somewhere to call home after we provided him with a place to stay’ is better than ‘We took 10 percent of homeless people off the street.’

Origin story

Your organisation started somewhere. Your audience is curious about how and why you started; satisfy their curiosity and help them feel connected to you. What motivated you to start your company or nonprofit? What problem was your organisation looking to solve? What challenges did you face and how did you overcome?

Sharing these stories humanises your organisation and fosters a stronger, authentic connection with your audience.

‘Kemi Writes was founded in 2018 as a one-person project that aimed to make writing as clear as possible, but we relaunched as a communications and editorial agency in 2024 with a clearer vision and a stronger purpose of putting storytelling at the heart of everything we do.’

Read More: How to Craft Compelling Content That Resonates with Your Audience

Employee or volunteer stories

Your employees or volunteers are the heart of your organisation; without them you wouldn’t have a healthy, thriving organisation. Spotlighting their achievements and sharing their stories tell external stakeholders that you value the people who work for you which shapes the perception they have of your organisation.

When crafting employee stories, ask, ‘Why do your employees enjoy working for your company?’ ‘What motivates them to come to work every day?’ ‘What motivates your volunteers to support your cause?’ These questions are a starting point for deeper questions that will shape the story. Then, make sure there’s diversity in the stories to showcase the various roles, experiences, and backgrounds of your employees or volunteers.

‘Katherine had no idea what job satisfaction felt like until she joined our organisation, but now she happily tells anyone who cares to listen that she loves her job.’

Donor stories

Your audience will most likely be motivated and inspired to be a donor when they see that there are other donors. When they read about others who support your cause and the impact of their contributions, they’re more likely to become donors themselves. Spotlighting your donors (provided they’re not against the idea) is a way of showing gratitude to your donors and encouraging others to become donors too. Also think of ways you can craft these stories to inspire and encourage others to become donors.

‘Andrew’s generous donation has given 50 students a chance at quality education.’

Behind-the-scenes stories

Humanise your organisation by sharing stories of what goes on in the background; show the day-to-day activities of what working or volunteering with your organisation looks like. Let your audience have a glimpse of all the challenging work that goes on for a smooth, successful running of your organisation. Highlighting behind-the-scenes that are often overlooked but crucial to your organisation’s success can offer fresh insights. Also, include pictures or videos of behind-the-scenes.

‘Whether planning a fundraiser or distributing supplies, our volunteers always have their hands busy. Their energy and commitment inspire us to keep going.’

Client testimonials

Invite your clients to share their stories about what working with your organisation feels like. Stories that come from a source other than the organisation tend to be more trusted and relied on. Client testimonials boost authenticity and credibility. Think of ways to encourage your clients to share authentic feedback. You can send them a feedback form, invite them to leave a review on LinkedIn, or ask them to send their feedback as an email or whatever means of communication they choose.

Success stories

Share major milestones your company or nonprofit has achieved. Share stories about your new clients or successful fundraiser. Use visuals, infographics, or interactive contents to make the stories engaging and relatable.

With the above, you have a story bank you can draw from and work with to keep your content fresh and engaging. How would you start implementing these storytelling strategies in crafting content for your organisation? What types of stories resonates most with you and your organisation? Share your thoughts with us, and let’s discuss how storytelling can foster a strong connection with your audience.