The Impact Story System
Turn the impact you see every day into a system of storytelling materials.
the work you’re doing at your organization is powerful.
Capturing it is another story.
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Your work is hard to explain in a few sentences.
You shouldn’t have to re-explain your programs from scratch every time someone new encounters your organization. Your programs, services, and campaigns often have layers of context that are difficult to squeeze into a social caption, newsletter, or quick conversation.
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Your best stories deserve more than a quick post.
Between limited staff time, thoughtful consent, and the nuance that gets lost in a newsletter or social post, some of your most powerful stories never get told as fully as they could.
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You’re always hunting for the right visual.
Your website, social media, fundraising materials, and presentations all need strong imagery. But staff are often pulling from the same handful of photos or piecing things together as you go.
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You’re feel like you're always starting from scratch.
Every campaign, post, presentation, and appeal seems to require another new piece of content and the photos you have to use are…lacking.
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You know video works, but the idea of production is overwhelming.
You have a major campaign, event, or initiative coming up and need it to look as important as it is.
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You’ve invested in video before, but barely used it.
It played at the event, went on social once or twice, and then quietly disappeared into a folder or it sits on a lonely youtube link.
One strategic production can do a lot of heavy lifting.
The impact story system
We reimagined the typical fundraising video to make it work overtime.
Instead of creating one video for one moment, you leave with a visual storytelling system your team can keep putting to work. That means a compelling flagship video plus a reusable library of visual and written content for fundraising, social media, your website, presentations, outreach, and more.
And we do it all within 60 days.*
It starts with a 1-hour strategy workshop with your leadership team to clarify the audience, message, and story direction before we ever pick up a camera. And if you don’t approve the story strategy before we film, you get a full refund—and keep the audience research and messaging framework.
*Most projects are completed within 60 days of the Roadmap Strategy Session.
more than a fundraiser video
The Impact Story System includes…
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Strong storytelling starts with understanding who you’re trying to reach. Before the strategy session, we’ll review your organization’s (anonymous) donor and CRM data, conduct independent audience research, and gather perspectives from across your organization so we can enter the conversation with context—not assumptions.
CRM + donor data review to identify useful patterns in your audience while protecting individual identities
Independent audience research to better understand your supporters, community, and the broader context around your mission
Three short stakeholder questionnaires sent to a leadership team member, client-facing staff member, and volunteer to capture different perspectives
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Once the research is complete, we’ll bring your leadership team together for a focused 90-minute Roadmap Strategy session to turn what we’ve learned into a clear storytelling direction. We’ll align on what the story needs to accomplish, who it needs to reach, and how we can tell it in a way that supports the larger fundraising effort.
Review audience insights from our donor research, independent research, and stakeholder questionnaires
Clarify the objective of the video and the action you want audiences to take
Identify the strongest story direction and the human experiences that can bring your mission to life
Select interview subjects and perspectives that can tell that story authentically
Establish key messages and themes we want audiences to understand and remember
Plan how the story will support the larger campaign across video, written content, social, email, and other touchpoints
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The centerpiece of the Impact Story System: a professionally produced hero video built around the people and stories that make your mission matter. We handle the interviews, storytelling, filming, editing, music licensing, captions, and basic motion graphics so your team can focus on the bigger campaign.
Designed around your fundraising goals rather than simply documenting what your organization does
Human-centered storytelling that helps audiences understand and emotionally connect with your mission
Professional interviews and cinematography that reflect the quality and credibility of your organization
Versatile enough for multiple settings including fundraising events, campaign pages, donor meetings, presentations, and your website
Captions, licensed music, and motion graphics included so the final film is ready to share
Instead of another informational nonprofit video, you get a story designed to give people a reason to care—and a reason to act.
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Sometimes your audience only has time for a short, bite-sized video. That’s where social videos come in. We'll turn key moments from your Impact Story into two shorter edits designed to extend the campaign into the places your audience is already spending time.
Short-form versions of your core story that are easier to share across social platforms
Built from the same professional footage so your campaign stays visually and emotionally consistent
Creates additional touchpoints for people who may never see the full-length film
Helps drive audiences toward the full story, campaign, or donation page
Gives your communications team ready-made content without another round of planning, filming, and editing
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There are usually dozens of great moments captured during production that never make it into the final three-minute film. Rather than leaving that footage on the cutting-room floor, we'll deliver ten polished clips your team can continue using in future communications.
Professionally captured footage of your people, programs, environment, and community
Ready for future social content without scheduling another video shoot
Useful for website banners, campaign pages, presentations, and digital advertising
Helps replace generic stock footage with imagery that actually represents your organization
Builds a growing visual library your communications team can draw from throughout the year
Think of it as a small stock-footage library—except it's entirely your own.
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We don’t stop with a video. Your audience learns about your mission from a variety of content. After the video is approved, we’ll take your Impact Story and create a written version, saving your team time and resources.
SEO-focused writing to help support long-term website traffic and discoverability
Photography from the interview sessions to give the story strong visual support
Portraits of interview subjects for use across web, social, and donor communications
Ready-to-repurpose content that can be adapted for newsletters, LinkedIn, campaign pages, and more
A cohesive story across formats so your written and video content reinforce the same message
It turns one interview process into another polished asset your team can keep using long after production wraps.
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Getting a folder full of videos, photos, and copy is one thing. Knowing what to do with it on a busy Tuesday afternoon is another.
The Implementation Guide is a simple playbook for putting every piece to work. It covers when and where to post your social cutdowns, the best places to share your written impact story, and creative ways to use your B-roll clips in the season ahead.
Ok how can I put this to work?
How you can put this to work:
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Anchor your fundraising event
Give donors an emotional reason to care before you make the ask.
A strong impact story can help people see exactly what their support makes possible, creating a more meaningful connection between the mission and the moment you invite them to give.
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Bring your website to life
Let visitors meet the people behind the mission instead of only reading about it.
Video can quickly build trust, make complex work easier to understand, and give prospective donors or supporters a stronger reason to keep exploring.
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Support major-gift conversations
Give development staff a powerful way to introduce or reinforce your impact.
A well-told story can help major donors connect emotionally with the work, understand the need more clearly, and remember your organization long after the conversation ends.
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Fuel social media
Turn one production into weeks or months of visual storytelling.
With a deeper library of clips, shortened interviews, and professional b-roll, your team can show the work in action more consistently, build familiarity over time, and stay visible without constantly creating new content from scratch.
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Strengthen presentations
Give staff, board members, and community partners a concise way to explain your work.
A strong video can quickly establish context, create emotional buy-in, and help audiences understand the importance of an initiative before you get into the details.
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Build community awareness
Help people who have heard your name finally understand what you actually do.
Consistent visual storytelling makes it easier for your organization to become more recognizable, memorable, and connected to the impact you’re creating in the community.
Case Study: Cascades Raptor Center
Nearly $300,000 raised in support
In 2026, Story Squire partnered with the Cascades Raptor Center of Eugene to develop a Impact Story System around their Nature for All Accessibility Initiative. With a goal of raising $250,000 to support their trail reconstruction project, the organization was looking for a series of creative assets to voice the need for the campaign.
Armed with the assets provided by our creatives, their incredible development team utilized the content to drive their campaign forward to reach a number of additional supporters…
raising a total of $293,804 (and counting!)
So what’s the process?
STRATEGY BEFORE CAMERAS
If the story isn’t right, we don’t film it.
Before production begins, we sit down with your leadership team to understand your audience, goals, message, and the stories available to tell.
Then we build the narrative approach together.
You approve the story strategy before we schedule production. If you don’t believe we’ve found the right direction, you can walk away with a full refund—and keep the audience research and messaging framework we created together.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Ideally, we recommend starting 3–4 months before your fundraiser, campaign launch, or event. That gives us enough time for audience research, story strategy, scheduling interviews, production, editing, and your team’s review without rushing the process.
Because most projects take about 60 days, the extra lead time also gives your team breathing room before the content needs to go live.
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Most Impact Story System projects are completed within approximately 60 days, depending on scheduling, stakeholder availability, and feedback. We’ll establish the production and delivery schedule with your team at the beginning of the project.
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We designed the Impact Story System to keep the lift on your staff relatively light.
Your team will primarily participate in a few short questionnaires, the 90-minute strategy session, interview coordination, and key review points. We handle the audience research, planning, production, writing, editing, and asset development.The exact time commitment will vary by organization, but we’ll outline your team’s responsibilities at the beginning of the project so there are no surprises.
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You don't need to. Identifying the right story is part of the process. Our audience research, stakeholder questionnaires, and strategy session help us determine which people, experiences, and messages best support your fundraising goals.
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That depends on the story! Interview subjects might include clients, staff members, volunteers, donors, community partners, or others who can speak authentically about your organization's impact. We'll help you determine the strongest combination during our strategy session.
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No. Fundraising events are a common reason nonprofits come to us, but the Impact Story System can also support capital campaigns, annual giving, donor cultivation, awareness campaigns, major organizational initiatives, or simply a need for stronger year-round storytelling.
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Yes. Part of our strategy is thinking beyond the premiere of the hero film and considering how the story can support your larger communications and fundraising efforts.
We’ll also provide a written implementation guide with recommendations for how to share the content and best practices. -
We don’t move into production until your team feels confident in the direction.
If the strategy doesn’t feel right, we’ll refine it together. And if we ultimately can’t develop a direction your team approves, you can walk away before production begins and keep the audience research and messaging framework we’ve developed.
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No. Some organizations come to us with a specific fundraiser or campaign in mind, while others simply know they need stronger stories and content. The strategy process helps us determine how the story can best support your broader communications and fundraising goals.
The Impact Story System
One production. One clear scope. A whole library of content.
For established nonprofits that want more mileage from a single production, the Impact Story System gives you a flagship film plus a reusable library of visual and written storytelling assets your team can keep using long after launch.
Starting at $7,500
Completed in about 60 days • Story strategy approved before filming—or your money back.