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Copy and Storytelling

In today’s connected and peer-driven world, it’s not the quality of the idea alone that creates change, but how change makers coordinate the masses to tell their stories, cast votes, influence policies, and shape public opinion. This has given way to a new model which Henry Timms and Jeremy Heimans have coined as “New Power,” which they describe as the deployment of mass participation and peer coordination to create change and shift outcomes.


Storytelling Best Practices

With this growing democratization of social change, the days of nonprofits having control over all aspects of their campaigns and expecting widespread participation are over. Cause-minded individuals are now taking initiative to create their own change and rally support, and your program should enable them to do this for your cause.. Keep your activist constituents at the heart of your copy, showcasing how they are creating change for your mission. By positioning them and their networks as the heroes of the story, you can capitalize on their desires to mobilize their own networks and be direct drivers of the change they want to see.

Nonprofits have an opportunity to create campaigns that facilitate deeper engagement in alignment with this New Power model. Remember that people want meaningful participation and close ties to the causes that matter to them, not one-off actions. Your calls to action should build on each other, tying strongly to your mission and positioning supporters as key parts of your strategy to effect large scale change. Your supporters are inspired to make an impact and bring their social networks, stories, and ideas to the table.


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