Storytelling that Shows Good Work

Last week, the National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers hosted one of its regular webinars. Our guest presenter was Tory Martin from the Dorothy Johnson Center for Philanthropy.  She took us through the Center’s newly released 11 Trends in Philanthropy for 2026. This is the 10^th anniversary of the 11 Trends report, and one of the cited trends really stuck with me: “Beyond Good Intentions, Nonprofits Must Show Good Work to Build Trust.”  The overall premise is that nonprofits face an ongoing challenge of how best to share stories about their work in ways that demonstrate accountability as well as competence. Beyond numeric metrics such as number of meals distributed or number of youths counseled, for example, it is difficult to clearly communicate the broader impact of a nonprofit’s work. Putting shifts in a community’s overall health or the resilience of a natural ecosystem into clearly digestible figures is very hard to do.

I’ve considered three opportunities through which family foundations, grantmaking entities, and other funders can address some of the issues described in the 11 Trends report.

1) Coach your grantee partners on how to improve their storytelling.

Not all nonprofits have grant writers or development professionals on their staff.  Grant writing, as well as report preparation, takes skill and time, and this is especially true when a nonprofit is using stories as the primary way through which their impact is communicated. What tools can you provide these organizations that enable them to be better storytellers?

For example, the NJ Arts and Culture Renewal Fund later this month will host a grant writing workshop designed to help their grantees, many of whom are very small arts organizations, learn how to improve their ability to develop compelling narratives that speak to a funder’s needs.  The workshop is funded in part by my client the FM Kirby Foundation, and I am looking forward to hearing how this workshop goes.

2) Have a conversation about what’s most important to you as a funder.

Nonprofits often struggle with grant reporting, stressing out on how best to provide their funders with the data and numbers that “prove” their effectiveness.  This struggle can be compounded for a nonprofit that does not have a sophisticated data tracking system or staff dedicated to number crunching.

Funders should take the time to talk frankly about the critical decision-making factors that truly drive their grantmaking. How do you use reported data, shared stories, and routine engagement with the nonprofit staff, etc. in your grant discussions? What comparative weight are you giving to these various factors? And acknowledge that decision-making might be changing as a new generation assumes greater leadership responsibilities, a reality of many family foundations today.  Be clear with yourselves, so you can be clear with your grantees, regarding the factors that guide the choices you make as funders.

Next month, I will present a workshop session during PEAK Grantmaking’s online convening that addresses some of the ways that an awareness and appreciation of these decision-making factors should influence the questions funders ask of nonprofits.   “Change Up Your Questions” will delve into this topic, including a case study shared by my fellow PEAK member Jessica Plummer from Larimer County’s Department of Behavioral Health Services in Colorado. 

3) Use your position/power to promote the impact that nonprofits have in your community.

The 11 Trends article cited the specific challenge nonprofits face in light of the media’s tendency to report on charities only when there’s a scandal or problem. This is an opportunity for you as a funder to use your position in the community to shift that narrative.  Speak to contacts you have in the media, chambers of commerce, business roundtables, or government agencies and tell them about the impactful work that nonprofits do in your community.  Work with your grantees to help them craft press releases that announce critical accomplishments, milestones, or breakthroughs, providing the media with ready sources of positive story material.

The FM Kirby Foundation sets a useful example for how a funder can help by getting positive stories out there using their own media channels.  The Foundation routinely shares, celebrates, and honors the work being done by its grantees across a range of regions and program areas.  Most recently, the Foundation has been releasing video interviews with the winners of its new Innovation Engine Grant Program, providing those nonprofit leaders a chance to tell their own story in their own words.

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The “Beyond Good Intentions” article includes many examples of the principles I’ve described in this post, and I highly recommend everyone to take a look at this piece, as well as the other articles that are included in the 2026 11 Trends report.  The articles are thoughtfully prepared by an impressive cadre of academic and sector experts who work hard to tell a compelling story while also sharing data and details that back up their findings.

If any of this triggers your interest and curiosity, and you’d like to explore these ideas further, feel free to reach out. I’d love to hear your own stories and experiences.