3) How does it work?

GETTING STARTED This toolkit is designed to help your organization develop stories that demonstrate the powerful impact and unique value that your organization brings to UBC. To help you get started, here are some tips for how to develop a good story. http://www.ncg.org/s_ncg/bin.asp?CID=10969&DID=43474&DOC=FILE.PDF

A good story….

Is short, easy to read and not too technical.
Includes a beginning, middle and end.
Introduces a specific problem in very basic terms and shows how that

problem was solved.

Highlights the role your organization played in solving that problem.
Shows an impact on people and places in the UBC community.

A good story isn’t….

A detailed description of your organization and the issues that you support.
A catalog of every grant your organization has ever made on a certain issue.
A fact sheet on a specific topic or issue.
Focused on new area or strategy that your organization has just started to

pursue unless you can point to concrete results and/or outcomes.

About another part of the community. It needs to show impact at UBC.

BRAINSTORM YOUR STORY IDEAS List 4 potential story ideas below: 1. 2. 3. 4.

TELLING YOUR STORY CREATING THE OUTLINE Pick one of the ideas from your brainstorm. Answer the following questions to create an outline for your story. NOTE: If you are having trouble answering these questions, your idea might not be the best topic for a story. Try another one of the ideas on your brainstorm list.

What was the problem?
Why did your foundation decide to get involved?
What role did your foundation play in solving this problem?
What was the successful outcome?

TELLING YOUR STORY NOTE: See sample story at the end of this toolkit to illustrate how this template works to create a good, easy-to-read story that highlights philanthropy’s impact on people and places in northern California.

DRAFTING YOUR STORY Using the information in your outline as a guide, develop a rough draft of your story. Here’s a basic template that can help you organize the information.

I. INTRODUCTION.

Set the stage for the reader.
Describe the problem in basic terms.

II. INTRODUCE THE FOUNDATION.

Who are you? Keep it brief.
Why did your organization pick this problem?

III. TELL THE STORY.

What happened?
What role did the organization play in the story?

IIII. DESCRIBE THE OUTCOME.

What were the results of your work?
How did you solve the problem?

After you’ve developed your draft, add the following elements:

TITLE.

Your story should have a short title that describes your impact on an issue.

QUOTE.

To add a personal touch, you can include a short quote at the end of your

story from foundation staff , a grantee or someone involved in the story. DESCRIPTION OF THE FOUNDATION.

Because there is only room for a brief description of your foundation in

the actual story, you can add a short paragraph describing who you are and what you do at the end.

TELLING YOUR STORY EDITING YOUR STORY Use the following checklist to edit and finalize your rough draft: Watch the length. Stories should be snapshots of what happened; not in-depth narratives. Try to keep your story to 700 words or less. Use a storytelling tone. Does it read like a story or more like a fact sheet or information guide? Try saying “once upon a time…” and then read the first sentence of your story. Work on keeping that tone throughout the story.

Simplify details and descriptions. Can you summarize or simplify sections? For example, instead of listing every meeting that happened, say “Through a series of meetings….”

Watch out for lingo. Use basic terms and avoid long acronyms and technical language.

Clarify the organization’s role. Is your role clear? If someone read this story, would they say, “Wow! I have a much better understanding of how departments are having impact on UBC faculty and students!” Highlight the solution. Is the outcome clear? Does your story have an ending?

SNAPSHOTS OF PHILANTHROPY SAMPLE STORY LANDS END, A NATIONAL PARK AT THE EDGE OF SAN FRANCISCO that is Restoring A Jewel in the Golden Gate

National Parks System SAN FRANCISCO TITLE: Short title that describes your impact part of the Golden Gate National Parks system, attracts more than one million visitors each year. Its trails and rocky coastline off er breathtaking 30-mile views stretching from the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands and Point Reyes to the Farallon Islands and Pacific Ocean. The area attracts many local visitors as well as out-of-town tourists because of its close proximity to a large residential neighborhood and easy access by public transportation. Unfortunately, by the late 1990s, the Lands End area had fallen into disrepair as a result of years of wear and tear, vandalism, landslides and overgrown vegetation, making it a dangerous and less attractive recreation destination.

I. INTRODUCTION: Sets the stage and describes the problem in simple terms At the same time, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, a private family foundation with a long history of supporting restoration projects in the Golden Gate National Parks System, was exploring new opportunities for improving local parks for the people of San Francisco.

II. INTRODUCE THE FOUNDATION: Explains why you got involved The Goldman Fund reached out to the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy for help in identifying places where restoration eff orts could make a real impact. Lands End caught their attention. The project was attractive because the area was used by a diverse group of San Francisco residents, and the Parks Conservancy knew they could mobilize strong volunteer support from the community for the eff ort. In addition, the Goldman Fund knew that the Parks Conservancy had a strong track record of leveraging private philanthropic funds to increase federal funding for improving these parks. The two groups formed a partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and launched an eff ort in 2004 to restore and revitalize the trails, forests and native habitats at Lands End.

III. TELL THE STORY: What happened? Include the role of the foundation SNAPSHOTS OF PHILANTHROPY FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: The Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund www.goldmanfund.org The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy www.parksconservancy.org The National Park Service www.nps.gov/goga “Thanks to the support of the Goldman Fund and the tireless energy of volunteers in the community, Lands End is once more a treasured jewel in the Golden Gate National Parks system” —GREG MOORE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVANCY Since then, the Goldman Fund has donated $8.6 million to this collaborative undertaking. The area has been transformed with paved parking areas, a new scenic overlook with benches THE RICHARD AND RHODA GOLDMAN FUND: Since its establishment in 1951 by San and safety walls, expanded trails, improved visitor amenities, and restored views of the ocean by trimming back trees and other growth. The restoration eff orts have also attracted robust community support through a volunteer program run by the Parks Conservancy and NPS called the Lands End Stewardship Program which has close to 900 community members working to take care of the park. Along the way, other organizations such as the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation and the California Coastal Conservancy have off ered support to the project as well. In 2010, the project was honored with an award from San Francisco Beautiful for improving the quality of life in San Francisco. There is more work to underway to continue to enhance this special place, but the project has made huge steps towards restoring Lands End to a beautiful, safe recreation area for all to enjoy. IIII. DESCRIBE THE OUTCOME: How did the story end? QUOTE: From foundation staff , grantee, or someone else involved in story LINKS: For more information Francisco philanthropists and civic leaders Richard and Rhoda Goldman, the Goldman Fund has contributed more than a half-billion dollars to a variety of charitable causes in San Francisco, as well as nationally and internationally. The Fund supports programs that focus on improving the quality of life in the San Francisco Bay Area, the environment and Jewish aff airs.

Anne-Rae Vasquez‎