Are "Client Stories" Exploitation?

Buzz Lightyear had to put his ego aside to serve Andy. That's when he became a true hero. (Photo by Lotte de Jong)

A couple months ago, I tuned into a school board meeting following an incident that involved really horrible racist language as part of a student presentation at a local school. I wanted to hear what the board said, but I also wanted to be there to support the people who were brave enough to stand and tell their stories. As I listened to parents talk about their own experiences with racism in our district and how seeing those words in a presentation impacted their children, I was struck with one thought over and over: 

"Why do we keep making people prove their trauma to us?"

Then a friend shared this article about using low-income student stories for donor engagement. How that impacts people being asked to tell their stories so what, a donor can pat themselves on the back? 

These experiences have me questioning the role of "mission moments" or "success stories" in grant applications and reports. Certainly, being able to demonstrate the impact of a gift is important. I am not doubting that. But when we think of the racial and gender disparities borne of systemic marginalization that underscores so much of the charitable work in the community, and the fact that most high-level donors and grant makers are white, something feels wrong.

I don't want to diminish the role of storytelling in grant writing. Storytelling techniques are a great way to connect your reader's heart to your mission. (I, personally, like using the Pixar rules).

But certainly we can do that without asking our clients to parade in front of donors. When positioning your organization and your donors as the hero of the story, it is easy to relegate those you serve to background characters and plot devices. And when you do that, you center your work on your organization, not those your mission is about. A very slippery slope into White Knight syndrome indeed. 

More and more, I am choosing to avoid stories unless a funder specifically requests one. Here are some of my alternatives:

• I talk about the issues faced by the people served by my clients by talking about systemic and other barriers they face.
• I use research to backs up the need I am talking about.
• I use person-first language whenever possible--with everything, not just disabilities. I especially avoid words like "disadvantaged", "at-risk," and "minority" when talking about people. Instead, I say "face disadvantages," or "are more likely", and refer to specific identities (capitalized when appropriate) and why it matters. 
• I make sure the way I am referring to clients is the way they refer to themselves, and I use their own language or words to describe the problem. 
• Whenever possible, I highlight how the people served are part of shaping the solution offered.
  

If I must, I use stories that position clients as their own heroes and protagonists in their own stories. In these stories, the client is not rescued or saved by an organization (or its donors). Instead, they solved their own problems by taking advantage of the resources provided to them. They are not a stand in for an organization's or its donors' preconceived notions or personifications of their mission; they are autonomous, individuals telling their stories, which organizations had a supporting role in. 

If we are going to follow the disability rights movement saying, "Nothing About Us Without Us", we must be prepared to do de-center ourselves in our stories and from the successes of those we serve. This takes some ego shifting (particularly hard for nonprofit organizations used to saving people). But certainly we believe the people we serve owe us nothing because we are helping them out of the goodness of our hearts and not to serve our own egos. Right? 

Update (7/22/22)

I posed this question to fellow grant professionals, and I wanted to pass on some links for further consideration! What I learned solidified and gave me some good framework for ethical storytelling moving forward.

More tips from fellow grant pros and others focused on ethical storytelling and community-centered fundraising: 

• Be mindful and intentional about the impact the story being told will have on the people being served
• Avoid "poverty" or "tragedy porn" - when we treat stories of suffering as entertainment 
• The way we tell the stories must not perpetuate stereotypes, include microaggressions, and further harmful narratives. 
• Involve the people whose story is being told in every process of gathering and telling their stories, and compensate them for the rights to tell their stories. 
• Be thoughtful about the images used and make sure they do not reinforce existing stereotypes.

I invite you to read this powerful piece about how storytelling, when done incorrectly, dehumanizes the very people it is supposed to lift up, as well as tips for avoiding falling into the same trap. Then, read this piece about the systemic issues with storytelling, as well as the issues of tokenism and saviorism and the problem with empathy in fundraising.

Finally, check out this organization, Community Centric Fundraising, and it's work to shift fundraising to equity and social justice, and to "prioritize the entire community over individual organizations, foster a sense of belonging and interdependence, present our work not as individual transactions but holistically, and encourage mutual support between nonprofits."  Their Ten Principles are ones I will be printing off and working towards from now on. 

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