3 Tips for Ethical Storytelling

Jamie Perez • April 30, 2025

Storytelling is a powerful tool that gives the organization sharing that story a lot of power to influence how people feel about something or someone. 


I’ve been asked at storytelling workshops how I go about telling ethical stories without harming the people in them, especially when telling stories for nonprofit organizations who may be doing work that is so personal and may bring up traumatic memories for the clients involved. 


So I wanted to provide those tips to all my readers to help tell stories that have deep regard for consent & integrity while still getting the organization’s message out:


Ask for their permission - Before sharing someone’s story or using their name or photos of them, make sure they understand the full scope of your intentions of using them for a story and get their written consent. Let them know their participation is completely voluntary and it is okay to say no. 


Make sure they’re involved in the editing process - Sometimes they might not like how the edited story came together. It’s important they are consenting to what soundbites made it in the edited video and how the story is framed. Their input is just as important as the people who want to share the story for whatever purpose it is intended for. Remember, this story is about them. 


Make the story part of their healing journey - The people featured in your stories are the heroes of the story, not your organization. Make sure the final cut makes the subject feel proud of what is shared. If they were to watch the video in 10 years from now, could they look back at it as an indicator of them inspiring hope and change? Or would it just be a reminder of a traumatic time in their lives?


A person is holding a video camera on a tripod.

Three Mistakes Organizations Make When Creating Video

By Jamie Perez • April 28, 2025
We see this time and time again... organizations wanting to tell an emotive story through video and then being disappointed that the final product wasn't as heart-tugging as they'd hoped. This mainly happens for three reasons: 1. Controlling the narrative. There are too many cooks in the kitchen. Organizations want to include everyone in the conversation and then there's too many opinions on what should be included in the video, who should be included, what should be shown, etc. This convolutes the message and becomes a jamboree of information and takes away from the natural flow of what the true story should be. 2. Trying to fit everything into one video. Organizations often don't think about what it truly means to tell a story. It's not talking about all the facts and features of the organizations, the different types of programs, showing the building, etc. We don't need to know everything about you. We KNOW you're doing incredible work, but we can read the facts and figures through the caption or text on your website. What we want to see and feel is the stories and emotions that accompany what you do. Which brings us to the next point... 3. Focusing on the features rather than the people. While it's great to inform people of the logistics of your organization -- those things are often not unique and they don't really retain people's attention. What does accomplish these two things, however, is gripping people by the heartstrings by focusing on one or two people's stories to show the audience the impact you make. It's not about telling me all the generalities of your organization. We really need to hyperfocus on ONE story that embodies the difference you make in people's lives. Remember what a story truly is. It has characters, it follows a journey, it presents a problem, a solution, has layers, and evokes emotion. If your videos are mostly just a summary of what you do as an organization, then you haven't really told a story. You've told me WHAT your organization does. The true heartfelt stories are always found in the WHY.

Starting Out as a Videographer: Essential Equipment for Beginners

By Jamie Perez • April 25, 2025
Starting your own videography business is an exciting step into the world! Thinking about the equipment you will need to get a basic job done doesn’t have to be stressful. We’ve put together a list of basic essentials to get started on your video creation journey!
A person is sitting at a table using a laptop computer.

Revolutionize Your Fundraising: The Stories Nonprofits Should Be Telling

By Jamie Perez • April 1, 2025
Storytelling is so important for any organization to engage in, but for nonprofits in particular, sharing stories is what will open up hearts, minds and wallets so they can continue providing their much needed services. Fundraising takes time. So while nonprofits are on that timeline, there's a certain order in which stories can be shared that will help optimize fundraising dollars: WHILE YOU'RE FUNDRAISING : Tell the incomplete story. This is featuring someone who is currently seeking services from your organization and still needs help. When you tell the story of someone who has already completed their journey or isn't in as great or immediate of a need, donors might think, "Well this person's been taken care of so they don't need my help." If you tell the story of someone currently in need and highlight some of the challenges they face, this creates more of a sense of urgency. AFTER YOU'VE REACHED YOUR FUNDRAISING GOAL : Now, you can tell that complete story. Do a follow up with the person whose incomplete story you told and provide an update. Send it out in a newsletter. Keep your donors informed on how their donation dollars helped change this person's life, the problems they helped solve, the impact they made, and how consistent donations will help more people in the future. You can also just tell different stories entirely in this phase and talk about how fundraising efforts like the one you just held, help hundreds of people like the ones you're highlighting in the stories you've shared. BONUS: GETTING MORE DONORS OR GETTING YOUR CURRENT DONORS MORE INVOLVED: Why should people donate to your organization out of the thousands of others who also need financial support? When you can share your DONOR'S stories, other people may hear their stories and be able to relate to their "why". There are three different styles of videos you can refer to to get ideas on how you incorporate donor storytelling: 1) This video was sent out to donors for a nonprofit based in Madison, WI called Little John's Kitchens. This nonprofit works with food insecurity, providing meals at a pay-what-you-can option and utilizes other low cost models for people to have access to chef-quality meals who may not know where their next meal is coming from. The video was created AFTER receiving donations during a campaign to show donors what their donations helped the organization achieve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV8tQCKTL-E 2) This video featured loyal donors of the same organization about WHY they continue to give to Little John's Kitchens. When you make your donors part of the journey, instead of just asking them for funds when you need help, you build loyalty and they feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DVfbtzBIwM 3) And finally, this video thanks the donors specifically. Don't just converse with your donors when you need money from them. Tell them how much and why you appreciate them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NPd_MM-MOk
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