Outcomes Audio

When Crisis Hits

Your response becomes your story.

What many Christian nonprofits haven't prepared for is what happens when someone else starts telling your story for you. A crisis is, among other things, a challenge to authorship that introduces a competing version of your organization’s story.

Nathan Burchfiel is a senior vice president at the strategic communications firm Pinkston, where he leads the crisis communications practice. A former journalist and ordained deacon, he advises the executives, boards, and legal counsel of Christian nonprofits and churches through reputational crisis. Learn more at www.pinkston.co/crisis-communications.

Your Website Tells Your Story

Don’t make your visitors work to understand it.

Every organization has a story, and your website needs to tell it well. For most donors, a website is the validation visit: the first stop and often the last word before someone decides to give, volunteer, or walk away.

Mike Lenda is Chief Relationship Officer at 5by5 Agency, a full-service marketing agency serving changemakers. He leads the client experience team focused on driving growth for purpose-driven organizations through research, brand strategy, digital, public relations, and creative services. Learn more at 5by5agency.com.

The Greatest Story

Witnessing the gospel at work through the local church.

If you truly want to understand Compassion, you have to understand the local church. The church is where the gospel is lived, taught, embodied, and extended. It’s where people are known by name, where poverty is confronted with courage, and where transformation unfolds through the saving grace of Christ.

Tim Glenn is the Director of Global Public Relations for Compassion International, where he has served for 22 years. Before joining Compassion, Tim spent 14 years in television news as an award-winning producer and anchor. He and his wife, Jennifer, live in Colorado Springs with their two sons, Morgan and Grayson. You can contact Tim at [email protected]

Hidden Under a Bowl

Why we know our story matters — and still won't tell it.

The organizations most convinced that storytelling matters are often the very ones least likely to do it. This is not a skills problem. Nobody needs another workshop on the anatomy of a good narrative. Our sector suffers from a knowing-doing gap. Until we name what holds us back, we will keep nodding along at conferences and driving home to say nothing.

James Misner is founder of The Kipos Group, which helps leaders of direct-service nonprofits raise more money through strategic, story-driven fundraising. He has spent 25 years helping mission-driven organizations turn their impact into sustainable revenue. Reach him at [email protected].

The Leadership Story You Should Tell

Sharing how God formed you as a leader

Every leader has a story. Not the polished version we think we should have because we watched other successful leaders. Not the version we post because it sounds impressive or garners favor. The real story—the one that explains why we lead the way we do.

Tricia Bell has more than twenty years of experience in the corporate setting, primarily dealing with legal, compliance, and operations issues. In her current role as Chief Risk and Legal Officer for Christian Care Ministry, she leads the legal, procurement, compliance, and public relations/affairs teams. Tricia is from Ohio, lives in Michigan, and is a proud alumnus of Ohio State University. She obtained her law degree from Capital University Law School in Columbus. Tricia is also a board member for Global Christian Relief.

A Story from the Heart

Joni and Friends’ Donna Lucas shares insight on the power of storytelling.

Christian Leadership Alliance President and CEO Tami Heim, recently interviewed Donna Lucas, Chief Marketing Officer for Joni and Friends. In this edition of Outcomes, we explore the power of storytelling—and why it matters now more than ever for Christian nonprofits seeking to communicate with clarity, compassion, and conviction.

Learn more at joniandfriends.org

Structuring Successful Storytelling

Applying insights from the SUCCES framework.

There are as many frameworks for storytelling as there are stories to tell. We enjoy sharing “the SUCCES framework” from Chip and Dan Heath (from their phenomenal book Made to Stick, Random House, 2007), but there is not one framework that rules them all. However, a framework of some sort is non-negotiable.

Brock Anderson is Vice President of Content and Shelley Komoszewski is Vice President of Strategic Engagement for Sightline, a ministry of Cru. Sightline exists to cut through cultural confusion, so people see Jesus clearly. Connect with the ministry at sightlineministry.org

Can You Tell Your Ministry’s Story?

What Pray.com is learning about using AI to serve, not replace, the storyteller.

We built a system we call Pray Production Studio, a pipeline that uses AI tools to move a biblical story from written script to finished video far faster than a traditional workflow allows. It handles the labor-intensive middle of production, the part that historically ate the calendar and the budget.

Max Bard is Vice President of Content at Pray.com, a faith-technology platform serving more than 17 million people through prayer, Scripture, and biblical content. He leads content strategy and built Pray Production Studio, the company’s AI-powered video pipeline for ministries and content creators. Learn more at https://www.PrayProductionStudio.com

Do Donors Know Their Role in Your Story?

It is vital for flourishing in fundraising.

What if your fundraising problem is actually a storytelling problem? Do your donors truly feel connected to the mission? Do they understand how their giving directly impacts hearts, lives, and eternities? Most importantly, do they realize they are a central character in your organization’s impact narrative?

Justin Eklund is founder and Chief Brand Strategist at Grove9 and author of Brand for Impact (Tela Publishing, 2024). With over two decades of marketing experience, he blends strategy and creativity to help faith-driven organizations and leaders clarify brands, grow revenue, and make a greater impact. Justin can be reached at www.grove9.com or [email protected].

Stewards of the Story

Every ministry inherits a story it didn’t start. How we tell it is our stewardship.

Our ministries have stories of calling, sacrifice, failure, provision, and faithfulness. Telling our stories well is more than a communication technique. It’s part of caring for what God has entrusted to us.

Jason Fox serves as executive director of marketing and communications at Dallas Theological Seminary (dts.edu), where he leads enterprise marketing, brand stewardship, and institutional communications. Drawing on his background in ministry and design, he helps the seminary steward and share its story. He can be reached at [email protected].