We naturally want to protect our colleagues, friends, and potential donors from raw truths. Yet vulnerability builds deeper connections and helps nonprofit organizations make the case for our work:

I recently watched the movie Wonder with my family. It struck a nerve from my childhood. I found myself sobbing as I viewed the main character’s experience of bullying and exclusion in the school lunchroom.

I sobbed because I strongly related, as the movie brought me back to those experiences of being left out and bullied at his age.

Yet I almost didn’t share that in this post because I felt too vulnerable.

And that’s funny because the story I wanted to connect to is a story about how my nonprofit client doesn’t want to tell people the stark and moving details of the work they’re doing.

I work with many nonprofit organizations that do great work. Among them, the work of one client is particularly poignant: This client supports children in some of the hardest situations possible, children who are homeless or involved with drugs or prostitution.

The organization has hundreds of stories that they could tell to tug on their donors’ heartstrings. Can you imagine reading one of these stories and not wanting to help?

The front-line staff has the patience and loving presence to support these children through small steps forward. Yet the executive director and other senior staff are reluctant to talk in plain words with donors and board members about the detail of this work. Even at their organization’s own fundraisers, they will not go into detail about their work because they are afraid of offending people.

By omitting the more poignant details, they lessen the importance of the need and the organization’s impact. This lowers donations because it reduces the motivation to help.

A more effective and honest approach is to find language and images that express clients’ struggles while portraying the amazing work that the staff is doing. This language expands support for their work.

Telling their stories and being open about the work they do, or, being vulnerable, in turn engages donors to open their checkbooks or wallets.

Imagine you get two emails in your inbox. One of them says, “Our organization served over 1,000 children.” And the other one says, “We lifted Devin out of the hardest circumstances you can imagine, circumstances no child should have to face.” Which one grabs your attention?

Naturally, we want to protect ourselves and our clients. The hard stories, even those from a long time ago, may feel raw. We cannot predict or control how others will react.

Our stories and our clients’ stories, told honestly and with compassion, are the powerful heartbeat of human existence. Rather than hide the truth, we need to share hope amidst the tough stuff, detail the challenges and explain how an organization’s work moves clients to a point of healing. When we talk about personal or organizational struggles in the context of overcoming adversity, we connect with everyone’s experiences of suffering and joy.

Try This
Are you holding back some powerful experience that would help others understand you or your work or your organization’s work better?
In the next few days, challenge yourself to find an authentic story and tell it to at least one person.
I’d love to know how it works for you—shoot me an email!

Last month’s post asked, “Is there an elephant in your boardroom?” Readers found elephants in boardrooms and other locations! Check it out if you didn’t get a chance.