Telling a Story That’s Historically Been Hard to Tell

Sometimes being able to tell the story of a shelter or a client can be challenging. HIPAA regulations, confidentiality requirements and even personal safety can all feel like they close off avenues in sharing your work with your audience.

But even with all of those variables to navigate, it is still possible to tell an engaging and heartfelt story about your work that will speak to audiences and inspire them to give.

Raphael House is a domestic violence agency and shelter in Portland. Confidentiality about their location as well as their clients is vital for everyone’s safety. Donors aren’t able to visit the shelter. Client’s identities are kept secret so that their abusers can’t find them. It’s imperative to the long-term success of the work.

So when they temporarily relocated everyone out of the shelter over the summer for some cleaning and repair, they seized on a great opportunity and hired a photographer to come inside the shelter and photograph it to be able to share it with people who hadn’t ever been able to see it before.

They were able to capture the experience of the women and children who find harbor at their shelter by showing its comfortable spaces and cozy atmosphere. The back patio. The children’s play room. The computer resource center. The inspirational art. The spacious kitchen.

But the photographs alone didn’t tell the whole story.

Domestic violence can be a hard and, frankly, heavy topic. And finding ways to talk about it inspirationally to donors can feel daunting. We used their photos of the actual space and the hope it provides as inspiration.

The theme of their annual gala this year was, Destinations. And what could be a better destination for those escaping violence than this clean, well-lit comfortable space full of smiling faces wanting to help?

So we worked with them to take those photos and create some compelling text to tell their story of hope. This was a simple video without a ton of production made on a laptop. It didn’t require a big budget line item to do. The fusion of the visual with the text elevated both in a way that might not be accomplished on its own. And, of course, inspirational backing music is always a great way to hook your viewers.

The response of the staff and board was overwhelmingly positive, and in many ways gave them a new framework to speak about their agency. One filled with positive action and results so much bigger than can be figured on paper. The response of their audience at the event was fantastic. They grew their fundraising and pulled people into the emotional heart of their work.

And that story is the one that stays far after the event gets cleaned up.

Watch their video here: