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Now more than ever, non profit organizations can expand awareness ten-fold – through social networking. This isn’t simply an opinion, it’s evident in the sheer number of organizations ‘going social’. But more importantly, a smaller number are demonstrating how selectively tailoring these tools can make online storytelling come alive.

Check out these five Vancouver innovators:

1. Vancouver Aquarium

Come on, you can’t tell me the Otter and Beluga cams didn’t have you at hello. Combining the irresistibility of animal behaviour with education and conservation goals, the Aquarium is engaging all senses via video, trivia, updates/news and photos. Their social media extends physical exhibits and education with virtual ones.

2. Vancouver Opera

We’re told transparency and accountability are the foundations of effective social networking. Check out how Vancouver Opera makes this a reality through voyeuristic backstage tales of set construction, rehearsals and more through blogging, podcasts, videos and the staples – Facebook and Twitter. Kudos on their animation contest garnering over 2000 views. Growing a love for opera now happens well before the first ticket.

3. Rick Hansen Foundation

Disease and injury were once perhaps dry topics. Dynamic use of archived imagery and blogging powerful moments from the 1985 Man in Motion tour are the tip of the iceberg for vitalizing the dream of a cure for Spinal Cord Injury and global accessibility.

4. Arts Club Theatre

It’s not about the hard sell. Arts Club Theatre has found a way to evolve current productions into a variety of video, blog, Twitter and Facebook topics. And when in the history of live theatre have audiences been able to preview a play by video?

5. Preventable.ca

Making death and injury prevention hip and sexy is a tall order. With the Preventable campaign, health organizations have joined forces to extend their reach on social media. Their witty Christmas jingle video captured over 700 views.

Think your organization is doing something we should know about? Email me at: peter@smartsavvy.ca

The next organization on our list of effective storytellers is Bulembu.

Bulembu is a town in Swaziland, Africa with the heart and vision to redefine and rebuild itself.

In 2001, the mining company that had built and operated Bulembu for more than 60 years, closed its doors and walked away.  With no jobs for the people of Bulembu, the town was soon abandoned, even as Swaziland was and continues to be ravaged by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the resulting orphan crisis.

But in 2006, a team of entrepreneurs and social developers saw the potential in Bulembu and the spirit of the Swazi people. Today, Bulembu has a vision to become self-sustaining by 2020, restoring health, education, and commerce to the community while providing care for thousands of orphaned children.

The team at Bulembu have been tremendously effective at keeping the Bulembu story of hope  front and center in their donors minds. Through initiatives like the Voices for Bulembu project (featuring the Canadian Tenors) they have shared the stories of restored individuals (2000 Orphans by 2020) and  a revitalized town that is pumping life into an entire country.

The following video does a great job of setting the stage for the work to be done in Bulembu.

Something that you can’t escape seeing or hearing about if you live or visit anywhere in Metro Vancouver.  Much-debated as the 2010 Olympics came to town. Some days, it seems as though the problem is simply too large to address effectively.

I was introduced to Streetohome Foundation a year ago, when their founding President, Jae Kim, addressed a group of young professionals.

What caught my attention?

Their goals –
To provide permanent stable housing, to prevent the most vulnerable from becoming homeless and to gather a broad base of support for permanent solutions to homelessness.

When you have a few minutes, take a look at Streetohome’s video, where many voices contribute to this conversation of hope, and a solution.

I have been a supporter of International Justice Mission for over a year now.  There was something about their story  that gripped me — and, their work, that inspired me.  I have three daughters — the thought of a your girl having to grow up in circumstances like the girls in this video compels me to want to make a difference.  I first heard about IJM on this W5 episode on Sexual Tourism.  Shortly after that I heard Brian McConaghy, a Forensic Scientist with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for 22 years, share the story of how he participated in the prosecution of a Canadian child predator as a result examining video footage that had been collected by IJM in Cambodia.  He partnered with  IJM Canada to solve the case.

More about IJM…

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems.

The following video is one of many produced by IJM that illustrate the terrible injustice of human trafficking. A hard story to watch but one that must be told.

On February 28, 2008 Karen Armstrong won the TED Prize and made a wish: for help creating, launching and propagating a Charter for Compassion. Since that day, thousands of people have contributed to the process so that on November 12, 2009 the Charter was unveiled to the world.

The following video is a narrated version of the Charter for Compassion.  It uses a compelling format to call upon people everywhere to join in the movement for a more compassionate society.  I think the project is noteworthy and I encourage all to experience the Charter (and sign it).

As a 7-year-old, I remember being glued to the t.v. as Terry Fox set out on his Marathon of Hope. His goal: to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. What began in relative obscurity grew exponentially as Terry made his way across eastern Canada. By the time cancer forced him to stop, he had captured the heart of a nation.

Let me introduce you to Feature Organization Two in our Online Storytelling series – The Terry Fox Foundation
They are doing fantastic work re-telling Terry Fox’s story, in ways that inspire and involve Canadians today. Take a look at their homepage, where you have immediate access to several videos.

Watch and recall the familiar images and sounds that have made Terry Fox a Canadian hero.

I want to dedicate the month of April to the topic of Online Storytelling, why it works, how to do it well and who is doing a bang up job of it. To kick things off — Some well established facts about storytelling:

• Stories communicate vision
• Stories create pause, reflection and foster empathy
• Stories provide an authentic, rubber-meets-the-road representation of the valuable work your organization is involved in
• Stories engage both head and heart and draw people into your mission, challenges, needs and successes
• Stories inspire and serve as continual reminders of the good work your organization is involved with (even to your own team members)
• Stories serve as legacies to be passed on from generation to generation and perpetuate the good work you do

In a nutshell, storytelling is (to quote Steve Denning, author of The Leader`s Guide to Storytelling) quick, powerful, free, natural, refreshing, energizing, collaborative, persuasive, holistic, entertaining, moving, memorable and authentic. Stories help us make sense of organizations and the good work they do.

Bottom line — storytelling works. Stories move people to act.

Feature Organization One – Invisible Children

Invisible Children does a phenomenal job of informing, inspiring and transforming apathy into activism.

Their story:

In the spring of 2003, three young filmmakers traveled to Africa in search of a story. What started out as a filmmaking adventure transformed into much more when these boys from Southern California discovered a tragedy that disgusted and inspired them, a tragedy where children are both the weapons and the victims.

After returning to the States, they created the documentary “Invisible Children: Rough Cut,” a film that exposes the tragic realities of northern Uganda`s night commuters and child soldiers.

The film was originally shown to friends and family, but has now been seen by millions of people. The overwhelming response has been, “How can I help?” To answer this question, the non-profit Invisible Children, Inc. was created, giving compassionate individuals an effective way to respond to the situation.

Have a look through the media section of their website. You`ll want to spend a bit of time there to watch how well they illustrate need, celebrate victories and inspire change. This months feature highlights their partnership project with Charity Water in Haiti.