Interview with Connie Kwan
Nonprofit storytelling videos that connect donors to a feel-good product.
Connie Kwan is all about storytelling. Her path to Doing Good started in tech product and people management as Chief Product Officer and CEO. Connie brings those skills together in a unique beta app called StoryGive that she created to help nonprofits tell their stories in powerful, short videos.
I’m a firm believer – and this is something I always tell the community college students and job transition seekers in my fundraising classes – that there are only two skills you need to be a great fundraiser: storytelling and project management. Connie has bundles of both. So what can we all learn from her tech-meets-storytelling work?
What is your philanthropy goal and how long have you done this work?
I created StoryGive to help nonprofits tell their stories in 30 seconds. Often people are too busy doing the work to take a breath and tell you about it.
So I asked myself, how can I create a solution that is not expensive, but allows them to scale and spread the story to their fans?
I’ve been a donor to different organizations for a long time, and every cause I support sends an annual appeal asking for money. For me, it is so much more compelling to hear about someone they helped or something creative they’re doing. There is a lot of storytelling time that is lost between the “asks.”
Tell us about something funny, crazy or unexpected that happened in your world of Doing Good.
The cost of participating in the beta for StoryGive is $20. For that $20 we produce several short videos of you (staff, board or client) telling a story about the impact of your work. At that price point, I didn’t think it would be a big decision to decide go or no-go. But in the nonprofit world, it is.
I’m used to the tech culture, where everything moves at lightening speed. A nonprofit’s decision to try something new often involves a committee, because many of these leaders are volunteers and have busy lives. Two weeks can turn into two months. We thought we were creating insane value for $20, but I learned that it can still be difficult for participants in our pilot just to give it a try.
If you could change one thing in the process of fundraising, what would it be?
I’m a product person, so I think in product terms. The product that nonprofits “sell” is a feel good – the chance for me, as a donor, to be part of something bigger. So naturally, I’m interested in seeing the result.
When I pay for a product, most arrive at my door and I can touch and play with them. There’s the gap.
For a nonprofit it’s what happens before I give. That story is what they need to share. I should be bombarded by emotional videos showing impact. Feel good is their product.
It’s very personal. We know that nonprofits have sensitive and private issues around their clients, but they can still tell the story in a visual way. We’ve had StoryGive participants cover their faces on screen and just do audio, or have a staff person tell the story using an alias. This can be just as compelling, because they’ve worked with and really know the client.
Think of your favorite funder or donor. What makes them great?
I’m a big fan of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Their model tries to solve very specific areas of problems.
I also pick an issue and try to support a variety of nonprofits doing that kind of work. I think of it as an ETF-like investment in Doing Good. Why couldn’t we have a diverse portfolio of organizations, so we can invest in multiple solutions and approaches to solving a problem? It’s hard for me to choose which are the best nonprofits doing the work – think about something as complex as climate action or poverty reduction. There are so many moving pieces and different strategies for impact.
What is one thing you’d like all donors to know about a nonprofit’s world?
Nonprofits have to do a lot of paperwork, especially for funders. But when you’re doing the work, there’s a lot of emphasis on heart. So there is this strange head/heart, either/or dynamic.
In the nonprofit world, managers run into this problem all the time. They discount salaries because of the feel-good element of the work, when they should be paying market rate just like other businesses. There is tremendous economic value to the services that nonprofits provide – it should be valued at a premium, not a discount.
Mind Over Money has a chapter on the psychology of giving and this surprised me: people give more when they get nothing back. There is a psychology around a transactional relationship. Am I being a business person and getting a good deal? Compare that to asking, Am I being a good human?
To participate in the beta for StoryGive, complete the online form and tell Connie about your interest. You can connect with her on LinkedIn here.