Learning how to tell stories in ways that change lives

How one charity turned to London College of Communication to improve its digital storytelling.

There are nearly 170,000 registered charities in the UK, ranging from small, local ones all the up to huge organisations which operate on a global scale.

In essence, though, they all face the same challenges: ensuring their good work is noticed, getting key messages across, and persuading people to support their cause, whether that is financially or through volunteering.

In our technology-rich, time-poor digital age, charities are increasingly assessing how they need to improve their communication skills – otherwise, they risk falling off the radar of public awareness and into a downward spiral of dwindling donations.

The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (Cafod) is one of the world’s largest aid and community project networks, operating in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. It is the job of creative content manager Laura Storr to share a variety of stories – some heartbreaking, many uplifting – about its work.

To enhance their ability to connect with audiences using today’s multitude of digital platforms, Laura and her team collaborated with London College of Communication to create a bespoke short course in ‘transmedia storytelling’. The aim was to help them create more engaging content which would not only spread the word about Cafod’s campaigns but also reach out to potential donors, sponsors and volunteers.

Laura said: “The course definitely opened our eyes to different ways of thinking about campaigns and how to make the most of that multichannel approach, as well as how to put things together and reach out to people in different ways which make them more engaged with what we do.

“As a charity, we wanted to do some content marketing in a entertaining way as well. Thinking of various ways in which we can make our campaigns more interactive was something we particularly took away from the LCC course.”

Cafod currently generates most of its funds through print campaigns, but Laura said it is becoming increasingly active in the digital sphere. “We’re aware that engagement with younger audiences, in particular, needs to in that digital space, so we are trying make better use of our resources in this respect.

“The course was definitely very useful for that, as well as helping with developing new ideas for our campaigns and taking these ideas forward. It provided fresh motivation and energy for the whole team, and since the course, we have talked a lot about what we learned, so it was very helpful and very engaging for all of us.

“I can see that it definitely gave my team plenty of inspiration about the content marketing side of things. They are using what they learned to think about more entertaining, persuasive, educating and inspiring ways to produce content. It certainly gave us a lot of ideas.”

LCC tutor Kalina Pulit, a photographer and film-maker who helped to create the short course for Cafod, said:”It was a very positive experience. We focused mainly on different ways of telling stories to make them more alluring, attentive and thoughtful.

“We were brainstorming ideas, giving space to everyone to share their thoughts and opinions, which they may not always have opportunity to do in a busy workplace. This created a very inclusive atmosphere, and together we came up with some amazing ideas on storytelling for their future campaigns and articles.”

Laura’s own dedication to the Cafod cause comes in part from her own experiences in the field, seeing how the work of charities can change people’s lives for the better, alleviate poverty and help those caught up in conflicts or natural disasters.

“I travelled quite extensively, so I met lot of people, including tsunami survivors and refugees living in camps. It can be emotionally draining and difficult to see so people struggling, but you learn to deal with it and how process it when you get back.”

One story especially touched her heart. “When I went to Mozambique after bad flooding there, I met a 15-year-old girl and her two younger brothers whose mother couldn’t cope and had left them. They lived in a one-room house made of mud, with no blankets or anything, all alone and struggling for food. It was really awful and upsetting. Things like that definitely give you perspective and make you appreciate what you have.”

It is those kind if experiences that underline the importance of charities reaching out to as many people as possible. LCC’s tailored short course for Cafod is helping it to stay relevant and relatable as the ways in which people engage with the world evolve via digital technology.

All photos courtesy of Cafod.