SHARING YOUR STORIES

MEMBER TOOLKIT
Dear Member,
Global Washington members play a critical role in advancing
opportunity, equality and development worldwide. Global Washington
strives to promote the collective impact of all of its members.

Together, we have a unique and powerful story to tell. In order to best
celebrate your success and promote your work, we need your stories.
Keeping GlobalWA up to date with the latest news, details on milestones,
and benefciary stories will allow us to:
Promote your work through various communications
channels including social networks, newsletter and email
communications, our website and blog, special events and
stories for the media
Strengthen connections between your organization and 160
GlobalWA members, including targeted outreach to
institutions addressing related issue areas
Increase visibility and exposure of your work to GlobalWAs
external audiences and the media

To get you started, weve created a toolkit with simple steps on how to
maximize the impact of your content, better tell your story and promote
your mission. Once you have created content and shared it through your
channels, you can promote it further by providing it to GlobalWA, thus
leveraging your membership. You will also fnd additional tools that may
serve as a resource to ensure content receive optimal exposure by your
online audiences.
As we continue to develop our strategy to best serve our members, we
invite you to join us in building the credibility of GlobalWA as the
emerging and reputable voice of Washingtons global development
sector. We pride ourselves on illustrating our collective impact and sharing
the stories that have been waiting to be told.
Sincerely,
We need your stories!
Here are fve easy steps we ask all our members to take to ensure we
can best promote your work in a compelling way.
EMAIL US. Did you publish a new blog post or op-ed? Does your
organization have an event coming up? Was your leadership mentioned
in the media? What do your benefciaries have to say? Send us your
existing content and stories at satalla@globalwa.org.
SHARE YOUR KNOWLEGE. Your organization is leading change in
communities around the world. We want to hear about it, and so do
your colleagues. Talk to us directly about opportunities to highlight
your work and share your expertise at upcoming Global WA events.
CONNECT WITH US. Sharing news and stories with your online
audience? Make sure to tag us on social media so we can support your
campaigns! And dont forget to put us on your newsletter distribution list.
Global Washington
@globalwa
Global Washington
GET VISUAL. Multimedia often speaks louder than words. Send us links
to high-res photos, videos, or infographics with accompanying text that tell
a compelling story. You can send fles with us by through Dropbox and
inviting satalla@globalwa.org to share a folder.
KEEP IN TOUCH. We know youre busy, and sometimes maintaining
different communications channels seems like a juggle. Our job is to help
promote your work and raise the visibility of your organization through our
outlets. To do this, we ask all members to submit the following
to us on a quarterly basis:
One story about a benefciary of your programs
Three to fve hi-res photos
Links to hi-res video content (if applicable)
Programmatic milestones and updates
Upcoming events
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ADDITIONAL TOOLS
In order to help you best share your stories, we've included the following tools as resources for
crafting your organization's background story and optimizing your content for online audiences
both essential tactics for connecting with constituents including partners, existing and prospective
donors, and volunteers.
TELLING YOUR ORGANIZATIONS STORY
The intent of an organizational backstory is to generate empathy so that constituents build an
emotional investment in the people profiled and create a personal connection to the
organization.
A backstory provides the reader with a reason to believe in the organization that transcends
mission and vision by sharing a meaningful narrative of how the organization has overcome
challenges to evolve to its present form.
Apply the Content Creator template outlining five distinct character types to create a
customized backstory for your organization.
NOTE: This is not a timeline of milestones or summary of historical facts as is often found in the
About Us section of a website.
Key Elements

Tone - An authentic conversation, no clich buzzwords
Emotion Generates empathy to create a connection
Story Arc Process of navigating change and conflict

Components
Characters Actual people constituents can relate to
Challenge Key issue or need addressed
Vision Unique idea or solution
Conflict Who or what stands in the way
Triumph How they will overcome this conflict

NOTE: All of the components must be addressed,
although there neednt be an answer for each.


Character Types

Passionate Enthusiast Driven person channels passion into labor of love
Inspired Inventor Tireless inventor doesnt give up
Smart Listener Listening to feedback creates new possibilities
Likeable Hero Dedicated person with a big idea overcomes all odds
Little Guy vs. Big Guy Underdog takes on an established adversary




Backstory Content Creator

Determine which character type most closely reflects how your organization was founded
and follow the corresponding template to create a compelling organizational backstory.


Characters
Passionate Enthusiasts (PE)
Inspired Inventors (II)
Smart Listeners (SL)
Likeable Heroes (LH)
Resourceful Underdogs (RU)
Challenge
PE: Unmet Need
II: Barriers to Innovation
SL: Bureaucratic Constraints
LH: Crisis or Issue
RU: Influential Adversary
Vision
PE: Bold Idea
II: Unique Inspiration
SL: Satisfy Constituents' Plea
LH: Transformative Solution and/or Action
RU: Differentiation & Opportunity
Conflict
PE: Naysayers' Arguments
II: Mishaps & Obstacles to Implementation
SL: Conventional Thinking
LH: Skeptical Opposition
RU: Stakeholder Resistance
Triumph
PE: Connects Enthusiasts & Leverage Word of Mouth to Succeed
II: Invention & Adoption
SL: Solution Succeeds
LH: Perseverance & Momentum
RU: Participation & Recognition
OPTIMIZING YOUR STORYTELLING ONLINE
Do you want your story to show up on search engine results and increase traffc
on your latest blog posts? Looking to build your audience and receive recognition
for your leadership in your area of work? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an
essential tool for increasing readership on the web. Heres a breakdown of how
simple SEO can get your story out there.
What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
SEO gives potential donors and volunteers the ability to fnd you in search engines like
Google, Bing, and Yahoo. If you type your organizations name into the search engine,
your website will most likely pop up on the front page. But what happens if you type in
what you do? For example: if your organization works on water conservation in
Africa, does your organization show up? If not, it might be because your website is not
optimized for your important keywords/keyphrase. This is done by producing content.
GlobaWA can be an essential part of that process.
Why is SEO is important?
Potential donors and volunteers search their interests in their area, not specifc
organizations. By creating content that optimizes your organizations mission and
activities, you can align with your audiences interests and show up in their search results.
Potential donor or
volunteer searches for
keywords/keyphrase
HOW IT WORKS
Keywords
Delivers
search
results
Type of content
(structure, form)
Age of content
Keywords with
outside links
Volume of content
Search
engine
searches
How do I create optimized content?
1. Figure out a good Keyword/Keyphrase.
You can do this by typing it in to a search
engine and determining whether there is
a lot of content or little content on that
Keyword/Keyphrase. Go with the path of
least resistance.
2. Write content in the form of articles, stories,
listicles, blog posts, interviews, press
releases, case studies and fact sheets.
3. Keep it less than 1,000 words and more
than 300 words.
4. Put your Keyword/Keyphrase in the
headline (5 8 words max).
5. Put your Keyword/Keyphrase in the frst
paragraph (Important).
6. Add a hyperlink to this Keyword/Keyphrase
connecting it to the URL of the
appropriate page or piece of content
on your website.
7. Post the content on your site in the form of
a blog or page.
8. Send the content to Global Washington.
PICTURES ARE IMPORTANT!
Studies have shown that
pictures increase readership
by 46%. They are also great for
links and Metadata. Metadata
are keywords put behind the
picture, so that search engines
can also recognize it. You get
twice the impact! Send Global
Washington a picture and they
will put metadata behind it.
Should I post other orgs content on my site?
Yes! By collaborating a solid link strategy on
shared content across many organizations that
have similar interests and goals, you have the
opportunity to reach a wider audience and show
up in all kinds of places. You suddenly gain awareness across the other organizations
social media network, donors, and stakeholders. GlobalWA can help you in this
endeavor.
How do search engines work?
The search algorithm trolls the internet for terms that best match the keyword or phrase.
Each companys algorithm is different. The largest search engine is Google, dominating
more than 85% of all searches. Their algorithm not only fnds the Keyword/Keyphrase,
but also prioritizes it based upon how many people and organizations link back that
Keyword or phrase to your organizations site. Multiple link backs from GlobalWA over
several pieces of content can be invaluable in helping you achieve this.
SAMPLE CONTENT STRUCTURE
Headline with keyword or phrase
Picture with
Metadata
Keyword or phrase
in opening
paragraph with
link.
Separate sections with bold
headers increases readership.
- Bullet points increase readership
Keyword or phrase in closing
paragraph no link. Too many links
can hurt a pieces ranking.
Dont forget a soft call to action.
Avoid direct appeals for money.