Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Conventions of Nonprofit Storytelling
Krisitanne Clifford
Antioch University
letters
and
after
I
paroled
she
invited
me
to
facilitate
some
local
workshops.
I
have
a
tremendous
amount
of
respect
for
her
and
how
she
has
assisted
in
the
expansion
of
AVP.
My
interview
with
Pat
was
relaxed
and
comfortable.
She
sent
me
some
writing
examples
prior
to
our
meeting
that
included
a
California
Department
of
Corrections
(CDCR)
grant
application
that
quite
honestly
was
very
interested
in.
When
I
needed
to
find
someone
to
interview
Pat
was
the
first
person
that
came
to
mind.
The
reason
for
my
seemingly
quick
decision
was
that
I
knew
Pat
had
written
and
submitted
a
grant
request
to
CDCR.
The
Foundation
I
work
for
also
submitted
a
request
for
this
grant
and
while
we
were
denied,
Pats
grant
request
was
rewarded
with
$250,000.00.
That
is
exactly
how
much
my
Foundation
requested.
So
its
no
coincidence
that
I
totally
took
advantage
of
this
assignment
to
get
my
hands
on
that
winning
grant!
My
efforts
were
rewarded
right
away,
when
I
received
an
email
from
Pat
with
attachments,
one
of
them
being
the
coveted
grant.
Telling
a
story
through
facts
and
statistics
are
what
help
with
acquiring
funding
and
have
more
logos
and
less
pathos
storytelling.
When
analyzing
arguments
through
a
Logos
lens,
it
is
important,
Kinkade
(2010)
informs,
you
look
at
how
they
are
supported
by
good
reasons
and
reliable
evidence.
Telling
a
story
through
facts
can
draw
in
the
right
audience,
especially
when
that
audience
is
CDCR
and
looking
to
fund
volunteer
organizations
at
the
tune
of
a
quarter
of
a
million
dollars.
The
proposal
narrative
presents
the
needs
and
benefits
creating
a
sense
of
urgency
for
underserved
correctional
facilities.
Quotes
are
used
throughout
highlighting
the
program's
success.
AVP
was
already
an
established
volunteer
program,
which
was
just
one
of
the
requirements.
From
the
onset,
AVPs
credibility
as
an
established
program
is
highlighted
in
the
first
sentence,
Due
to
its
success
in
the
past
10
years.
The
grant
is
laid
out
in
sections,
outlining
the
need,
benefits
of
the
program
and
AVPs
years
of
experience.
AVP
was
started
in
New
York
in
1975
and
by
2013
was
offering
programs
in
28
states,
with
a
total
of
15,760
inmate
graduates.
What
a
powerful
statement
of
facts
to
blow
up
CDCRs
ass.
While
there
is
a
great
deal
of
facts
like
these
throughout
the
grant,
lets
not
leave
out
the
powerful
one-two
punch
that
is
delivered
with
the
quotes
Pat
used.
Quotes
from
an
inmate
facilitator
and
CDCR
staff
member
are
the
only
ones
in
the
14-
page
document
that
are
heartfelt
and
touching,
but
the
true
piece
de
la
resistance
was
the
references
she
used,
they
were
all
Wardens!
Pat
said
that
writing
a
grant
is
fairly
straight
forward
because
they
tell
you
exactly
what
information
they
want
and
how
to
format
it.
She
had
help
from
someone
the
used
to
be
on
the
application
committee
that
edited
and
made
suggestions.
She
also
requested
permission
from
CDCR
to
change
the
format
and
fonts.
Instead
of
double
spaced
she
was
able
to
use
single
space
and
intent
more
to
make
the
quotes
really
stand
out
to
the
readers.
She
also
used
this
when
writing
components
of
the
AVP
workshop
manual.
but
the
editing
support
she
said
made
all
the
difference.
Despite
the
tedious
work
of
crunching
statistics,
updating
the
website
and
grant
writing,
Pat
is
grateful
for
how
much
she
has
learned.
While
composing
the
grant
request,
Pat
had
many
drafts
that
she
would
pass
on
to
a
couple
people
for
editing
and
feedback.
She
hates
to
proofreading
and
edit
and
admits
that
she
sucks
at
it.
She
states
most
people
don't
know
how
to
tear
a
writing
apart
and
rebuild
it
They
look
at
things
from
either
a
grammatical
viewpoint
or
an
ideological
viewpoint,
rarely
is
there
a
person
who
has
a
fluid
balance
between
the
two.
Another
writing
pet
peeve
is
that
people
make
changes
and
dont
want
to
share
what
they
have
done
or
dont
know
how
to
use
a
tracking
system.
At
this
point
in
the
interview
Pats
tone
of
voice
went
up
and
her
body
language
demonstrated
her
irritation.
most
people
dont
even
track
changes!
She
reflects
on
a
recent
experience
she
had
where
she
wrote
something,
had
someone
proofread
and
the
idiot
didn't
use
track
changes
so
she
had
to
go
through
every
line
to
see
what
was
it
he
actually
changed.
She
is
more
than
okay
with
having
her
writing
torn
apart.
Her
writing
process
over
the
past
30
years
has
taught
her
to
set
aside
ego
and
just
let
it
go,
she
cant
own
it.
Website
appeals
to
the
egos
of
the
prison
administration,
who
have
the
power
to
allow
volunteer
organizations
such
as
AVP
into
their
respective
institutions.
The
AVP
website
provides
plenty
of
statistics
for
those
who
are
more
excited
about
the
numbers
and
outcomes.
Pat
loves
facts
and
numbers
but
says
she
realizes
that
most
people
think
they
are
boring,
except
for
the
Wardens.
There
is
a
graph
on
the
website
that
breaks
down
the
number
workshops,
graduates
and
facilitators
for
each
prison.
Each
prison
has
its
own
color
and
the
graph
itself
is
eye
catching.
The
Wardens
get
excited
about
where
their
prison
is
positioned
on
the
graph
and
how
they
rate
compared
to
other
institutions
in
the
state
of
California.
Pat
said
this
is
a
great
tool
to
gain
support
from
the
prison
for
the
workshops.
We
talked
about
how
Wardens
have
big
egos
and
if
something
helps
them
and
their
prison
look
good
to
Sacramento
then
they're
more
likely
to
support
a
particular
program
over
another.
I
called
this
blowing
ego
smoke
up
their
ass,
and
Pat
and
I
giggled
about
this
because
we
have
both
experienced
the
truth
of
this.
Although
there
is
a
big
audience
that
is
the
numbers
and
statistics,
Pat
admits
that
it
is
hard
to
remember
that
those
numbers
are
people,
just
like
the
rest
of
us..
Many
of
the
quotes
and
transformational
stories
are
the
source
for
fundraising
and
outreach,
but
where
do
these
stories
originate?
AVP
is
about
helping
inmates
transform
their
lives,
supports
rehabilitation
and
most
importantly
instills
hope
for
a
better
way
of
living.
This
audience
isnt
interested
in
the
statistics
and
numbers-they
are
more
focused
on
going
home
to
live
a
productive
life
far
away
from
prison
and
the
criminal
justice
system.
They
want
to
learn
how
to
nurture
broken
relationships
and
connect
back
into
the
community.
Storytelling
in
this
forum
is
about
sharing
specific
experiences
with
the
tools
and
processes
of
the
AVP
workshops.
The
workshops
consists
of
two
volunteer
facilitators
from
the
free-world
and
two-three
inmates
facilitators
along
with
20
new
inmate
participants.
There
are
a
couple
exercises
that
are
done
halfway
through
each
workshop,
and
are
outlined
in
the
AVP
workshop
manual
that
Pat
created.
While
everyone
is
sitting
in
a
circle,
each
person
answers
the
following
questions,
What
I
learned
most
about
myself
during
this
workshop
is..
and,
Something
you
dont
know
about
me
is
(Angell,
1992),
this
exercise
inmates
hear
others
stories
of
transformation
through
this
workshop,
a
powerful
tool
indeed.
This
creates
a
platform
where
they
mentor
each
other
and
open
doors
of
possibility
and
hope.
Pat
gets
emotional
sharing
about
this
particular
exercise
and
says
it
is
her
favorite,
it's
what
motivates
her
to
work
harder
to
help
others
find
transformation.
The
quotes
and
stories
referred
to
throughout
this
paper
are
gathered
at
the
above
mentioned
workshops.
Participants
fill
out
feedback
forms,
Pat
reads
them
and
pulls
from
statements
from
participants
like
Violence
took
my
freedom
away.
AVP
gave
it
back
Golden
nuggets
like
this
reminds
me
of
a
statement
by
Kinkade
(2010)
which
claims
that
emotions
can
add
real
muscle
to
arguments
(p
99),
since
it
is
clear
that
personal
statements
from
inmates
definitely
draw
the
community,
volunteers
and
prison
officials
in.
Inmates
are
offered
the
opportunity
to
tell
their
own
stories
and
experiences
by
writing
and
sending
them
to
Pat
for
consideration
to
publish
in
the
AVP
newsletter,
the
Transformer.
Pat
is
responsible
for
formatting
and
choosing
the
stories
that
will
be
included
in
each
edition.
She
briefly
proofreads
the
letters
to
decide
what
will
be
used
and
then
sends
the
letters
and
her
suggestions
to
someone
else,
she
says
that
the
prison
dialect,
like
cuss
words,
slang
and
sentences
that
highlight
criminal
activity,
needs
to
be
tweaked,
and
usually,
she
has
one
of
the
volunteers
to
proofread
and
rewrite.
Even
with
the
rewrite
she
states
that
it
is
important
to
maintain
essence
of
the
letter,
needs
to
be
maintained.
The
newsletter
is
finally
sent
to
the
prison
officials
and
electronically
sent
to
volunteers
and
donors.
They
are
also
distributed
to
the
inmates
who
have
participated
in
the
workshop.
These
stories
help
others
believe
that
something
other
than
anger
and
violence
is
possible.
Identifying
a
story
and
telling
it
through
different
genres
evokes
empathy
and
compassion
and
touching
the
heart
of
donors,
volunteers
and
inmates
is
key
for
fundraising.
However,
the
writing
must
have
a
balance
of
emotion
and
facts
to
support
its
claims
and
to
appeal
to
an
audience
where
the
logos
speaks
to
them
more
than
the
pathos.
Using
it
in
a
logical
way
through
graphs
and
statistics
supports
funding,
and
can
bridge
a
gap
that
rebuilds
relationships
and
reconnects
communities.
References
Angell, S. (1992). AVP, Alternatives to Violence Project: Manual, Training for trainers course.
New York, NY: Alternatives to Violence Project.
Kinkade, J., & Lunsford, A. (2010). Everything's an argument with readings: Instructor's
notes (5th ed., pp. 99-103). Boston: Bedford/St. Martins.
Note:
need
to
add
something
more
about
Conventions
and
site
it