Impact Storytelling for Nonprofits

Are you ready to take your nonprofit’s storytelling to the next level? 

Impact Storytelling for Nonprofits is a cohort-based learning program that will take place in-person once a month through September 2023.  It is designed specifically for nonprofit organizations looking to improve their communication and fundraising efforts. With a focus on the importance of storytelling, these workshops will teach you how to effectively share your organization’s impact through different media.

The workshops will be facilitated by Sonia Mehrmand, an impact storyteller and creative producer who has worked on numerous projects focused on community building. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from subject matter experts in storytelling, audio, video, photo, and written storytelling. You’ll discover new ways to use storytelling strategically for project reporting, evaluation, fundraising, and communicating with stakeholders. 

By the end of the program, you’ll have the skills and knowledge to demonstrate your project’s impact from multiple perspectives and ensure that your message is reaching the right audience.

Program Fee:

$100
for 1 person

$200
for 2 people

Deadline to register: Monday, April 24

Cohort Timeline

Tuesday, March 28, 6pm-8pm – Introduction to Impact Storytelling (Did you miss this meeting? That’s OK! Sonia will connect one-on-one to catch you up)

  • How does storytelling apply to nonprofits? How can you use it strategically? How can it be used as a form of evaluation and reporting? How can it bring data to life?
  • In this session, we will discuss the basic elements of storytelling, discuss examples of effective impact storytelling, and work collaboratively to make these concepts applicable to your organization.

Tuesday, April 25, 6pm-8pm – Telling YOUR Organization’s Story: Embedding Storytelling into your Project Plan and Organizational Practices

  • What are some compelling opportunities for documentation during the length of your project? How can you embed this process so it captures impact? What does it mean to document impact? 
  • In this session, we will discuss various techniques to seamlessly integrate storytelling into your organization, and ways to ensure that the final outcome communicates impact.

Tuesday, May 30, 6pm-8pm – Podcasting: Communicating Impact through Audio Storytelling

  • During this session, you will learn the basics of audio storytelling. This includes an introduction to equipment, basic editing techniques, and building a story with sound.

Tuesday, June 27, 6pm-8pm – Filmmaking: Visually Documenting Impact 

  • During this session, you will learn the basics of visual storytelling. This includes an introduction to film equipment, basic editing techniques, and building a story with film.

July – BREAK, NO MEETING

Tuesday, August 29, 6pm-8pm – Writing + Photography: Creating a Dynamic Narrative of Impact

  • During this session, you will learn how to write dynamic copy that captures the impact of your project, and accompany it with compelling photos. We will discuss how this can be used for reporting, newsletter, social media, and websites.

Tuesday, September 26, 6pm-8pm – Sharing Your Story

  • Where can impact stories be shared beyond social media? How can storytelling be effective for campaigns? How can it be used for grant applications and reporting?
  • In this session, we will discuss the various ways you can share your organization’s story of impact.

Instructor Bio: Sonia Mehrmand

Sonia Mehrmand is an impact storyteller and creative producer who has worked on projects focused on community building.

She has produced and documented numerous projects, including the StoryCorps’ One Small Step project in the Central Valley, Australia’s first-ever Screen Diversity Showcase, and Diversity Arts Australia’s StoryCasters media training hub.

Sonia received her Master’s degree in Public History and Museum Studies from the University of California, Riverside, where she worked on oral history projects in Riverside’s Eastside and LA’s Chavez Ravine. She also co-curated the States of Incarceration exhibit in partnership with the New School and coordinated the Huntington Library’s annual summer professional learning series for public school teachers.

In 2016, Sonia moved to Sydney and worked as Assistant Executive Director at Diversity Arts Australia, a nonprofit arts advocacy organization.

Active in the local arts sector and a passionate arts advocate, Sonia has served as a panelist for the California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship, was a member of the Arts for LA Activate Delegates cohort, and served on the CAC’s Creative Corps panel for the Central Valley region. She is on the leadership team for Inhabit Arts Collaborative, a Fresno-based artist residency program.

Currently, Sonia resides in the Central Valley and is a nonprofit consultant and creative producer. She continues to work on projects grounded in collaboration, mentorship, and capacity building. You can learn more about her at soniamehrmand.com

Frequently Asked Questions

The program will take place in-person at CMAC once a month for a period of 6 months, beginning in March and ending in September (with no workshop in July).  Each workshop will occur on the last Tuesday of every month from 6pm to 8pm.

The registration fee is $100 per person for current CMAC organizational members.  The registration fee for non-members is $200 per person. Up to 2 people from each organization may attend.  This fee covers all 6 months of workshops in the program.

Any nonprofit located in the Central San Joaquin Valley is eligible to participate. Up to 2 people from each organization may register.

We understand you may want more people from your organization to participate, but it’s limited so we can serve a greater total number of organizations. The idea is that you will take what you learn and share it with others in your organization.

Sonia will have time allotted in between sessions to provide consultations relating to the topics presented. Consultation times will vary based upon demand and participants’ needs.

While we highly encourage you to attend all the workshop sessions, anyone from your organization may attend a particular workshop in your place.  If you miss a workshop, a virtual meeting can be scheduled in order to receive a brief overview of the information presented.  Please note that you will not receive the intended learning experience if you do not attend all of the sessions. There will not be a hybrid/virtual option for any of the scheduled workshops.

That’s OK. Sonia will connect with you one-on-one to make sure you’re caught up before the April meeting.  The final deadline to register is Monday, April 24.