Who’s best to help tell your organization’s story? Valerie Johnson of Pathways to Housing PA
“Fundraising is relationship building at the end of the day. I’m not going to be able to build really strong and truthful relationships with the people who are supporting us if I’m not able to talk about what we do and convey our mission through stories.”
We are storytellers, so we're especially excited when we have the opportunity to work with clients who naturally weave storytelling into their work. We recently spoke with Val Johnson, Vice President of Advancement for Pathways to Housing PA about some useful storytelling strategies.
Whenever possible, the stories you tell should show the impact of your mission from the perspective of those you serve. Usually, regardless of whether you're writing a print article or shooting a video, this means interviewing the people with whom your work has the greatest impact. Having said that, it's often still a good idea to speak with staff. Staff can help illustrate other program-related details and ensure that messaging stays consistent. One of the first things to consider is who to put in front of the camera.
It's often assumed that the executive director of an organization should feature prominently in the organization's video storytelling. There are times when your executive director is exactly the person for the job–but sometimes the ED hates being on camera. Sometimes the ED is better in front of live audiences. Sometimes another staff member is better positioned to tell the story–often that person is a development professional like Val Johson of Pathways to Housing PA, who says, “Fundraising is relationship building at the end of the day. I'm not going to be able to build really strong and truthful relationships with the people who are supporting us if I'm not able to talk about what we do and convey our mission through stories.” Development pros are used to giving donors the details they need to hear in a concise and compelling manner.
Val realizes that the first step in being a good storyteller is being a good listener: “You have to go out and listen and really learn about what it is your organization does. It's going to make you more comfortable in interviewing participants, it's going to make you more comfortable in communicating with your staff about what it is that you need.”
We asked Val about Pathways to Housing’s housing-first approach, and she had this to say, “Housing first is exactly what it sounds like, you do housing first. If somebody's experiencing homelessness, you give them housing first and then you work on all of the other things that help support that person in keeping their housing. … We flip the script, we give the housing first, then we provide the wraparound services that help somebody stay housed.”
Val’s contributions to the fundraising community goes beyond the walls of Pathways to Housing. She has created a podcast with Monique Curry-Mims called Beyond Philanthropy. “We talk about how we can move beyond traditional philanthropy and into something that's more disruptive and community-centered.”
Find Val and Monique’s podcast here https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-philanthropy-podcast/