6 Creative Ways to
Showcase Your Impacts

Read time: 5 Minutes

Impact is our WHY.

We’re all in this because we believe our work will make the world a little (or a lot) better than it was.

So how can we tell the story of those impacts in a way that will grab our community’s attention? And inspire continued support?

In this issue of Changemaker Mondays ☀️ ☕ 🌍, I wanted to share some creative ideas for showcasing your effort’s impacts to wow and excite your stakeholders and supporters.

​

Data is great, but people crave more.

They’re looking for connection. Stories. Meaning.

How do you put all that in your impact messaging? 😨

First step: Don’t get overwhelmed. 🙂

Here are 6 creative-and-totally-doable ways to shine the spotlight on your amazing impacts:

1. Let People Tell Their Own Stories

Nothing shows impact like hearing directly from those you’re helping.

Whether it’s testimonials from beneficiaries or stories from supporters and volunteers, this approach creates an emotional connection – and people love a good story!

Video interviews or even written testimonials with photos (where appropriate) can help people develop empathy and understanding, which can be far more compelling than a list of statistics (see: The Science of What Makes People Care; SSIR).

2. Make it Interactive

Does your nonprofit have an “impact” webpage dedicated to showcasing your latest impacts?

Why not make it interactive? 😁

People are used to text and images – but you can create some surprise and delight by including elements like maps, charts, or dynamic graphics.

Examples might include:

• A map of your local community with markers representing people, projects, or impact stories from your efforts
• Data or stories that light up when your mouse hovers over them, like this Girls Who Code 2022 impact report​
• Video stories that play when you click on them

Interactive elements can encourage your website visitors to explore your work more deeply, which can be highly engaging!

3. Use Before-and-After Storytelling (How it Started / How Its Going)

I know I love a good “before and after” transformation.

And since nonprofits are all about helping move the world from the status quo to a different (better) outcome, before and after is a great format to tell that story.

There are several ways to do this. Some ideas:

• Simple photos showcasing someone’s journey from start to finish (and where privacy for your clients is an issue, creating anonymous representations of that person could be a good stand-in strategy!)
• If your organization focuses on efforts like education, literacy, or skill-building, something like comparing before-and-after test scores or grades could be compelling!
• Pair stories of individuals served with broader impact statistics sharing how your organization’s efforts have moved the needle. (Ex: “Since starting our work in 2015, we’ve helped reduce the number of cases of homelessness in our city by 30%).

4. Make It Shareable

What if instead of one big impact report with lots of text and numbers and photos, you created a series of “mini reports”?

Maybe they’re even in a format people can easily share or download to send to others?

Examples might include social media friendly graphics highlighting key achievements, milestones, or testimonies.

5. Update in Real-Time

Real-time updates can be exciting and compelling, and they can take a lot of forms.

People want to feel like they are part of your organization’s social impact journey, so providing live or regular updates can bring them along for the ride.

This could look like:

• Live stream videos while you and your team are out in the field
• Social media posts highlighting milestones reached in a project or campaign (see below!)
• Showing fundraising progress with a donation thermometer on your site

Or a twist on the classic donation thermometer – and “impact thermometer” showing how many people served with every donation or volunteer hour logged.

6. Feature Your Donors and Volunteers

There’s a reason peer to peer fundraising is gaining popularity: People like to donate when they are asked by someone they know and trust.

Your donors and volunteers’ networks may extend far into the community.

Why not empower them to be an ambassador and share the impacts they helped create with their own friends?

You might start by spotlighting donors and volunteers on your impacts page or website, and including a brief quote about why they love your mission. Let them inspire others to get involved and show that your cause is a true community effort.

​
​What did you think?

Any creative ideas for showcasing impacts I missed?
Hit reply and let me know.
​

Resource Roundup

3 more ways I can help you

1. I have lots of free content for you! Check out my library of 250+ educational videos on nonprofits, social entrepreneurship, fundraising, and more on my YouTube channel. If you like what I'm trying to do, help me reach more people like you - who want to make an impact - by subscribing to the channel and sharing it with a changemaker friend! 😁
   ​
2. Need extra support to build or grow a nonprofit or social enterprise? While enrollment for my Changemaker Accelerator membership is now closed, you can still get on the waiting list to get an alert next time we open!
   ​
3. Need a speaker or training workshop for your social impact event? I'm currently booking 2025 speaking engagements -- check out my speaking and workshop opportunities to learn how I can help you make your event inspiring and actionable!