Nobody Wins Alone: Rich Greif on Nonprofit Storytelling and the Bigger Movement

Rich Greif started out as a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters and decided he wanted to put his marketing and communications skills to work for children and adults in need. He's done that at organizations including Make-A-Wish, Read to a Child and Big Brothers Big Sisters, and at the time of this recording he was director of communications and development at the Guild for Human Services, which serves youth and adults with intellectual disabilities. He also taught a business writing and communications class at Boston University.

Rich and I have known each other a long time, and I've followed his work from one organization to the next. In this episode of The PR Bunker Podcast, recorded during the pandemic, we talk about how a small nonprofit team covers everything from the website to fundraising, and why some of the best stories come from staff.

A few takeaways from the conversation:

Start with the why, not the activity

Rich said it's easy for a nonprofit to feel productive just by posting and sharing, but the work has to come back to goals and strategy. At the Guild that meant more than human interest stories about the people it serves. It also meant being a thought leader on the issues that matter to those families and to the Guild's staff, including where the organization stands on racial and ethnic justice. Audiences expect that kind of clarity now, he said, and nonprofits are competing for the same eyeballs as everyone else.

Suitcase Stories put staff at the center

The Guild partnered with the International Institute of New England on a project called Suitcase Stories, which helps immigrants tell their personal stories. Guild staff, who come from many different countries, were being trained to tell their own stories, and the plan was to videotape them and roll them out. Rich also talked about how hard COVID restrictions were on the people the Guild serves, with some families unable to see their children while other parents were fighting to get kids back on the soccer field, and why those stories need to be told in a human, honest way.

You're part of a larger movement

Rich's advice for nonprofit communicators was to stop thinking only about your own content and remember you're part of a broader movement. The Guild belongs to networks in its community, and he said every organization is stronger when it advocates alongside others toward the same goal instead of staying insular. I agree with him. You may be competing for dollars and attention, but the power of many usually carries more weight than any one organization alone.

To learn more about the Guild for Human Services, visit guildhumanservices.org. Rich said listeners could also find him on LinkedIn.

Listen to the full episode above.

Reading is the hello. SBGA is where we get to yes.

FAQ

What does the Guild for Human Services do?

The Guild helps youth and adults with intellectual disabilities lead high quality lives through educational, vocational and residential support. At the time of this episode, Rich said its adult residential programs were a relatively new effort that meant planning for services across a person's whole life.

What is Suitcase Stories?

It's a project run by the International Institute of New England that captures immigrants' personal stories. The Guild partnered with it to train staff to tell their own stories on video.

How should a small nonprofit communications team decide what to focus on?

Rich's answer was to start with your goals and the strategy behind them rather than activity for its own sake, and to connect your organization to the larger movement it's part of.