Stories are the pulse of community: how we find each other, share experiences, and build meaning together. In this episode, I'm responding to a question that came in from friend of the show Katherine Lacefield, a nonprofit consultant with deep experience in fundraising and community engagement. Katherine asked how organizations can go about collecting stories from their community as a way to build credibility and authenticity. I love this question, as it's super relevant not just to nonprofits but also the work of any human-centered organization trying to build community.

In this episode I share six of my favorite tools (some practical, platforms, some process-oriented, all actionable) for making storytelling a regular practice and a living part of how your community connects.

Listen back to Katherine Lacefield's original interview:

• Katherine's episode on Storylinking: https://www.tellstori.es/storylinking/ep03

Check out more from Storylinking:

• https://storylinking.com (the full show site)

Key moments from this episode:

00:00 Why stories matter

00:41 A community question from Katherine Lacefield

02:08 Broadcast thinking vs. community building

03:03 Tip 1: Be present in moments that already exist

04:33 Tip 2: Start a conversation

05:56 Tip 3: Interview people where they are

09:29 Tip 4: Keep talking

10:51 Tip 5: Be collaborative

12:26 Tip 6: Make it a sustainable cycle

14:14 Final thoughts