EP12 Craft your Where We're Going Story
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Sara Mayer: [00:00:00] Welcome to Impact Unleashed, the nonprofit edition, where we dive deep into the untapped potential of nonprofits and their remarkable ability to create a lasting impact. I'm your host, Sara Mayer. Let's dive in.
Sara Mayer: Welcome back to Impact Unleash the Nonprofit Edition. As you know, I'm your host, Sara Mayer, and I'm thrilled to continue our journey through the series, The 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell. This is a book by Paul Smith. If you're watching on YouTube, you see that I'm holding it up. If you're not watching on YouTube, you should watch on YouTube.
Sara Mayer: So I'm thrilled to continue our journey through this series. If you want to jump back, I do an overview of the book, and then we're breaking down all 10 of the stories. You know that we've already explained the founding story, where we've come from, and the case for change, why we can't stay here. Today, [00:01:00] we are tackling story number three, where we are going, a vision story.-
Sara Mayer: As non profit leaders, board members, volunteers, and founders. We know the importance of looking forward. The vision story isn't just about dreaming big. It's about painting a vivid picture of the future you're working to create and inviting others to build that along with you. Now you may be wondering, why is a vision story so empowering and so powerful?
Sara Mayer: It's because it gives people something to believe in, something to strive for. It answers these key questions. There's three of them. What kind of world are we looking to create? What will success look like? How will we know when we have arrived? And a strong vision story truly inspires action, and it fuels [00:02:00] perseverance and rallies all your community and supporters around a shared dream.
Sara Mayer: Now, there's several keys to structuring your vision story. So here's a simple way to structure a compelling vision story. You want to first start with the end in mind. Where are you looking to go? So you want to describe your vision in the future. You want to be bold and vivid. What does a world look like when your mission truly is realized?
Sara Mayer: So, for example, imagine a world where no child has to go to bed hungry and every family has access to nutritious meals. Picture a city where every person experiencing homelessness has a safe place to sleep, a warm meal, and a path to stability. Invite your audience to see the future that you're working on forward, and it's really important to explain the impact.
Sara Mayer: So you want to highlight what this vision will mean for [00:03:00] individuals, families and the broader community, and you want to help your audience connect emotionally to the outcome. So, for example, when we reach this goal, children will not only thrive in school, but they will have the energy and confidence to dream bigger for their futures.
Sara Mayer: Or maybe this vision isn't just about housing. It's about restoring restoring dignity, hope, and opportunity for hundreds of people in our city. And you want to focus on the ripple effect of your mission. It's really important to make it attainable but also big. If you can break the vision into tangible steps or milestones.
Sara Mayer: That's great. Critical. It allows you to show your audience how progress is possible and what needs to happen to get there. For example, by the end of next year, we'll serve 50, 000 meals to family in need within five years. We'll build a network of support hubs across the state. Or maybe [00:04:00] our first step is creating 100 transitional housing units.
Sara Mayer: With your help, we can make this a reality within 18 months. This makes your vision feel realistic and actionable and not some pie in the sky dream. Although, I want to remind you that many companies, even the government, and many organizations have set pie in the sky goals. Like, for example, the mission to go to space was a little wild when that was brought up.
Sara Mayer: Or, for example, you have Nike. When they were first started, their goal was to crush Converse. People laughed at them. Newsflash, they did. So, it's okay to have those big, bold dreams and goals. But you have to break those divisions down into little actionable steps for your followers to believe and see along and know that they are also making progress.[00:05:00]
Sara Mayer: Finally, it's time to rally your audience around the vision. So you want to make it clear what that they have an essential role to play in achieving this future. So, for example, this future we can only achieve together. Your support and your voice and your action will make all the difference or with your help, we can truly turn this vision into a reality and change countless of lives along the way.
Sara Mayer: So here's how a vision story might sound in action. I want you to imagine a world where no child has to face hunger. A world where parents don't have to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table. This is the future we're building together. A future where every family has access to a healthy, nutritious meal every day.
Sara Mayer: When we reach this goal, children will thrive in school, parents will sleep a little [00:06:00] easier, and our communities will grow stronger. We're starting right here in our city with a goal to serve 50, 000 meals this year, and that's just the beginning. Together we can create a world where hunger is a thing of the past.
Sara Mayer: Now notice how that story paints a bold picture, connects emotionally to the audience, invites action, but also takes a bold vision and breaks it down. So here are a couple tips. Maybe three things that you can do to make your vision story as impactful as possible. One, you want to be aspirational, but you also want to be grounded.
Sara Mayer: Your vision should be bold, but it should feel achievable. And so striking that balance builds excitement and also trust. People love to be a part of something exciting. You want to paint and use visual language. Help your audience see the future by using descriptive words and sensory details. [00:07:00] The more vivid, the better.
Sara Mayer: And sprinkle in a little data. You also want to make it inclusive. Your story should inspire everyone to see themselves as part of the journey. Highlight how their involvement matters. And let's wrap up the where we're going story is critical in every nonprofit and every leader needs this in their toolkit.
Sara Mayer: It's the story that keeps hope alive, energizes your community and reminds everyone why your mission matters. Now, some of you serve lots of different things, or your mission is a little broad. You have different subsets, like you might do food and hunger. You can break those where we're going stories up.
Sara Mayer: Maybe they're intertwined, but they also can be separate. So take this time to craft and refine your story and practice sharing it with your team and your supporters. But most importantly, you need to believe [00:08:00] it. Because if you don't, no one else will. So thank you for tuning in to Impact Unleashed, the non profit edition.
Sara Mayer: If you found today's episode valuable, hit that subscribe button either here in your podcast platform or join us on YouTube and share it with other non profit leaders who need a little inspiration. And don't forget to join and. Join in and write your stories and share them with us so we can share your stories with our community until next time.
Sara Mayer: Dream big lead boldly and keep making an impact in your communities.
Sara Mayer: Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Impact Unleashed, the nonprofit edition. I'm so excited you were here on this journey. If you haven't signed up for our newsletters and wonderful resources, please visit nonprofitimpactunleashed. co. Again that's [00:09:00] nonprofitimpactunleashed. co. I look forward to seeing you on our next episode.
Sara Mayer: Of Impact Unleashed.