Nonprofit leaders improve storytelling skills thanks to Life Science Cares Boston

STORIES

When done skillfully and authentically, storytelling can bring incredible benefits to any nonprofit organization.

This is why Life Science Cares Boston (LSC) turned to Stellar Story Company to train nonprofit professionals in storytelling. The philanthropic organization activates the financial and human capital of the life sciences industry and partners with nonprofits to disrupt the cycle of poverty and inequality in our communities. They make impactful grants to community nonprofits that implement solutions in the areas of basic needs, education, and economic opportunity and then partner with these organizations to provide dynamic, holistic support.

With 20 years of experience directing nonprofit programs locally and nationally, Stellar’s executive director, Cheryl Hamilton, commends LSC for making this training available to professionals.

“Many people do not enter the nonprofit field with communications and marketing backgrounds, and yet so much of the work is about sharing stories, from client engagement to fundraising and advocacy,” says Hamilton.

For their engagement, Stellar trained dozens of nonprofit employees affiliated with LSC on the importance of creating a culture of storytelling within their institutions. In addition, eight Executive Directors participated in an extended coaching program.

Several directors acknowledged that they didn’t know what to expect when they enrolled in the training, but the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Barbara Waterhouse, the Executive Director of Circle of Hope, a nonprofit providing critical support to people experiencing homelessness, found herself protecting the weekly sessions on her calendar.

“Nothing makes my pulse quicken like standing alone in front of a microphone with no notes. Wide-eyed faces anticipate an inspirational story, and I hope to remember more than my name,” acknowledged Waterhouse. “The training with Stellar Story Company strengthened my storytelling, bolstered my confidence, and I had fun in the process!”

The directors developed meaningful career stories while expanding their professional networks with other visionary leaders during the coaching program. Even Hamilton and Olu Ibrahim, CEO of Kids in Tech, discovered a special connection.

“We are both Clark University graduates,” Ibrahim shared. “It was great to collaborate with Cheryl. She helped me polish a speech Life Science Cares invited me to give, and her perspective made it better.”

So positive was Ibrahim’s experience that she invited Stellar to work more closely with employees at Kids in Tech. Based in Lowell, the nonprofit focuses on helping kids develop the necessary tech skills and aptitudes to be future leaders of the 21st-century innovation economy.

“We’ve already scheduled a storytelling training for our staff because I saw how this process bolsters teamwork, and I know Kids in Tech has stories as unique and inspiring as our students.”

“At Life Science Cares, we know our nonprofit partners have incredible stories. It was great to partner with Stellar to make sure these stories reach and resonate with others as much as they do daily with our team.”
— Sarah MacDonald, President of Life Science Cares Boston

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