We have scientific evidence that telling one person’s emotionally compelling story through an appeal video can be the single most powerful way to inspire donors to give generously. But how can we help people share their stories in ways that empower them and inspire donors, without exploiting anyone’s struggle and pain? How can we make storytellers feel safe and trust that their stories will be told with the utmost respect and in a way that they would want them to be told?

As professional video storytellers who work almost exclusively with nonprofit organizations, we continue to learn every day the best, most ethical ways to approach storytellers, how to build trust and establish a safe space for stories to unfold, and how to create a thoughtful storytelling process from beginning to end. In this presentation we will outline key strategies for ethical storytelling, along with specific guidelines on best practices for the full appeal video production process.

Learning Objectives

• How to approach potential storytellers respectfully, compassionately and successfully.
• How to build a culture of trust at your organization and establish a safe space for storytellers to share openly and honestly.
• Specific best practices to consider in order to create a sensitive and thoughtful storytelling process from beginning to end.

About the Presenter

Zach Putnam, Creative Director | ZP Productions

Zach Putnam has been telling moving video stories for nonprofit organizations for over 15 years. He and his team are experts at the most effective and empowering approaches to creating appeal stories and more that move donors to give generously. Clients of ZP Productions include Habitat for Humanity Portland Region, Special Olympics Oregon, ACLU Oregon, Providence Foundations, Transition Projects, DoveLewis, SMART Reading and many more.

Cost of Event

WVDO will be implementing an accessible sliding-scale admission fee structure. For those who are able, the Community Builder admission fee helps cover the costs WVDO incurs to host and develop the training. If you are able to contribute more, please consider the Equity Builder admission fee, which will increase attendance accessibility to WVDO programming.

If you are wanting to pay an admission fee that doesn’t fit the current sliding-scale, please contact [email protected].

Sliding-scale for non-members:
$40 - Equity Builder
$20 - Community Builder
$10 - Capacity Builder

Sliding-scale for WVDO members:
$20 - Equity Builder
$10 - Community Builder
$0 - Capacity Builder

To view the recording:

1. Log into your MyWVDO account: https://wvdo.memberclicks.net/login#/login
2. Be registered for the course: https://wvdo.memberclicks.net/20220526
3. Refresh this page