“A story is a fact wrapped in an emotion that compels us to take an action that transforms our world. Telling them (customers, colleagues, bosses) stories, and listening to theirs, is the best way to promote your services and ideas… Stories are the irreducible core, the fire inside every business.” – Richard Maxwell
In my own organization, this year has been the year of storytelling.
Everyone in the organization has been focused on documenting success, gathering data, and sharing examples of the learning that has been taking place. This year our storytelling culminated in a big storytelling party where we invited all of our current and former kids, staff, friends, and fans. Children demonstrated and performed examples of what they learned in our enrichment programs. We had lots of donated food, lots of volunteers, and lots of fun. We provided lots of free family fun – art projects, science activities, and entertainment including a performance by the Red Light Cameras, a band composed of our talented staff. The party was a tremendous success at telling the story of the organization and celebrating the staff, the families, and their continual growth over the past 16 years.
This focus on storytelling has created stronger relationships, new friendships, and powerful partnerships. Becoming intentional and diligent about telling our story changed the nature of the relationships we have with our stakeholders and opened doors to new possibilities, new collaborations, and new resources for accomplishing our mission. This year we received several new grants, including new funding from the United Way to create a School Enrichment Program for Albuquerque Public Schools, which will provide enrichment classes and drama education not only for children during afterschool hours, but also for children and elementary school teachers during the school day.
Our storytelling efforts resulted in media attention including a partnership with PBS in New Mexico who is helping us extend our programs and helping us promote our work.
This year our organization was named an Albuquerque Journal 2013 Top 40 Workplace, and the #2 of all small businesses in New Mexico – a prestigious award and recognition as the best of the best in terms of company leadership, communication, management skills, pay, and benefits, and a positive working environment.
We tell our staff, “When you are on the job, everything you do or say is community relations; when you are on the job, you are ALWAYS telling a story, so be intentional about it and tell it WELL.” Storytelling is all about ensuring that people know who your organization is and what you do to serve the community. It is about celebrating the work that you do in as public of a way as possible. It is about creating proactive systems and strategies to engage stakeholders and promote and market your organization and your work.
It is about making sure that the teachers, nurses, custodians, PE teachers, cafeteria managers, counselors, support staff, and all the families in our schools know that your organization is there and what services you provide.
It is all about FRIENDRAISING – telling your story and building the connections that can help you in your work. Telling your story changes the nature of the relationships you have with your stakeholders and opens doors to new resources and new possibilities for accomplishing your mission.
Does your afterschool program have a process in place to collect and archive of successful progress, learning, and important outcomes? Does your staff discuss and document success stories on a regular basis? Do you showcase and celebrate the learning that happens in your program on an annual basis?
The best afterschool programs are good at telling their story, this results in what we call “friendraising” – creating groups of people that care about their success and support them. If parents, schools, and the community know who we are, what we do, and about our standards and our story, they will advocate for us and treat us as professionals. If the community knows our story, we will have public support for our work.
The best afterschool program directors go to school faculty meetings, design team meetings, PTA meetings, etc.
They act like they are an important and equal partner with the schools, and they become important and equal partners with the schools. They are PRESENT and VISIBLE in the school. They share stories with the school through newsletters, posters, calendars, and by participating in school events. They get themselves on meeting agendas and tell stories about what they do in the program to align with school goals and standards.
Great afterschool programs create family events and fun social gatherings to highlight the work and accomplishments of the children. Storytelling happens through program newsletters and calendars, but more importantly, it happens with the MANY daily informal conversations with parents. Successful directors tell parents specifically what they observe about how their kids are growing and developing and learning.
Great afterschool programs tell their story in the community through community-service projects, neighborhood meetings, and even social media.
They use intentional storytelling to staff, parents, and other key stakeholders to help make the case for quality afterschool programs. They testify at local meetings, invite political leaders to visit the program, meet with community groups and associations. They form partnerships with other community advocates and write letters to the editor touting the benefits of quality afterschool programs. Great afterschool programs use data to tell a compelling story to help persuade the public that their afterschool programs are a worthy investment.
The better we are at telling our story, the better we educate others about what quality looks like and what impact quality afterschool care and enrichment has on the development and education of our future neighbors and citizens, the better the community-understanding about what we do. Better community-awareness, leads to better community support and good will.
I hope that I’ve given you some ideas you can use to promote the afterschool profession, your own program and your organization. I leave you with a promise. It IS possible to toot your own horn, without blowing it!
For breakfast I had a cooked-to-order veggie Egg Beaters omelet and coffee.
Author Profile: @mikeashcraft
Follow Mike on Twitter @mikeafterschool.