August 11, 2022
Nonexploitative Storytelling
Using asset-based frameworks that center dignity and empathy have a wide-reaching, transformative effect on how an organization positions itself towards its community and mission.
There’s no doubt that personal stories about the people and communities non-profit organizations serve lend an emotional and tangible element to any grant proposal. These personal stories of struggle and success give funders insight into how they have impacted the lives of those they serve, and ultimately how a funder’s investment can make a difference. But when storytelling doesn’t center the individual being profiled, we run the risk of exploiting their experience for the sake of a check.
Practicing nonexploitative storytelling is a critical tool when we commit to anti-racism work. As grant writers and storytellers, KDS believes we have a responsibility to acknowledge how language, perspective, and narrative can be both a tool and a weapon in the way they can either center the person, or center white saviorism (even unintentionally).
Using asset-based frameworks that center dignity and empathy have a wide-reaching, transformative effect on how an organization positions itself towards its community and mission.
This excellent blog post by Kari Aanestad, co-director of Grant Advisor lays out exactly how the differences between asset based and deficit-based frameworks show up in our work and how: “Adopting an asset-based approach to grantwriting can change one’s entire orientation to community, which impacts program development, strategic planning, impact evaluation (and what gets defined as “success” and who is involved in defining and measuring it). Adopting an asset-based framework in grantwriting and grantmaking highlights the strengths and opportunity that a community holds and impacts the way a community sees itself and how organizations see the communities.”
We also encourage and educate our clients about restoring dignity to language that has been used for a long time to reinforce systemic racism. This checklist from Philanthropy Without Borders offers a clear way to audit an individual proposal or mass communication piece, as well as guidance for how your organization should consider its approach to all language use.
There are some fantastic conversations happening around this issue – we’ve personally attended webinars hosted by NonProfit Quarterly and Blue Avocado that have had excellent panelists speaking from the forefront of this work. This short Trabian Shorters video provides a concrete example of how the good intentions behind stigmatizing narratives don’t count for much when harm is done, and how repair hinges upon organizations realizing that the communities they serve “had value before [they[ showed up.”
How are you changing your storytelling at your organization? What has your experience been with funders who have started evaluating proposals with criteria around nonexploitative language?
Here are some other resources we use. If you know of any projects, or updates (someone please update the crucial Progressive Style Guide for 2022!) share them with us at heythere@kazanasstrategies.com!
