Creating a charity campaign story that inspires action

In part one of our Campaign Creator series, you defined your campaign goal, audience and channels. Now it’s time to think about how you’ll bring your campaign to life. 

People are surrounded by information every day. What they tend to remember isn’t always a statistic, a report or a list of facts, it’s a story that helps them understand why something matters. 

This resource will help you identify the story behind your campaign, develop key messages and create a clear call to action. By the end, you’ll have the foundations of a campaign narrative that can be used consistently across your emails, social media, website and other campaign materials. 

Why stories matter

Whether you’re raising awareness, recruiting volunteers, increasing donations or promoting a service, stories help people connect with your cause. 

A good campaign story helps your audience understand: 

• What the issue is
• Who is affected
• Why it matters
• What can be done about it 

Stories can help turn an issue into something relatable, memorable and meaningful. 

That’s important because most campaigns aren’t simply sharing information. They’re trying to encourage people to think, feel or do something differently. 

Finding the story behind your campaign

When planning a campaign, it’s easy to focus on your organisation and the work you do. 

Instead, start by thinking about the people behind the issue. 

Ask yourself: 

• Whose life is affected?
• What challenge are they facing?
• What impact does this have on them?
• What change could happen if support is available? 

The answers often reveal the story at the heart of your campaign. 

Using beneficiary stories responsibly

Beneficiary stories can be one of the most powerful tools in your campaign. They can help audiences understand an issue through a real person’s experience and create a stronger emotional connection. 

However, stories should always be shared ethically and respectfully. 

Building an emotional connection

People take action because they feel something. 

That doesn’t mean every campaign needs to focus on sadness or urgency. Positive emotions such as hope, belonging, pride and community can be just as powerful. 

Ask yourself: 

• What do they already care about?
• What emotion might encourage them to take action?
• How can you help them see the difference they could make? 

Here’s an example from a fictional charity called ‘Community Connect’ which supports older people experiencing loneliness. 

Community Connect wants potential volunteers to understand the issue of loneliness. But they also want them to feel hopeful. 

Rather than focusing just on the problem, they highlight the positive impact of volunteering: 

‘A weekly conversation can help someone feel connected, valued and less alone.’ 

This helps supporters see the difference they could make. 

Turning your story into campaign messages

Once you’ve identified your campaign story, it’s time to turn it into clear messages. 

Good campaign messages are: 

• Clear
• Simple
• Consistent
• Relevant to your audience 

A useful approach is to create one core message supported by a small number of key messages. 

Types of campaign messaging

Your core message

This is the main idea you want people to remember. 

For our fictional Community Connect charity, that might be: ‘Nobody should feel forgotten in their own community.’ 

Your supporting messages

These reinforce your main message and provide additional context. 

For example: 

• Loneliness affects thousands of older people across the UK.
• A simple conversation can make a real difference.
• Anyone can help by becoming a volunteer befriender. 

Try to avoid jargon, technical language and long explanations. 

If someone only remembers one thing from your campaign, what would you want it to be? 

Don’t forget the action

Every campaign needs a clear call to action, as your audience should never be left wondering what you’d like them to do next. 

Your call to action might be asking your audience to: 

• Donate
• Volunteer
• Sign up for an event
• Fundraise
• Share a story
• Sign a petition
• Access a service 

The most effective calls to action are clear, specific and easy to understand. For example, instead of: 

‘Support our work’ 

Try: 

• Apply to become a volunteer befriender today
• Donate £10 to help us support more families 

The simpler and clearer your call to action, the easier it is for people to respond. 

Bringing it all together

Before moving on, check that your story, messages and call to action work together. 

Using our previous example, here’s a check of the story, messaging and calls to action. 

Campaign story 

Many older people experience loneliness and isolation within their communities. 

Core message 

Nobody should feel forgotten in their own community. 

Supporting messages 

• Loneliness affects thousands of older people.
• Small acts of connection can have a big impact.
• Do you have time to volunteer just 30 minutes a week? 

Call to action 

Apply to become a volunteer befriender today. 

Together, these elements create a clear and consistent campaign narrative that can be used across multiple channels. 

Identifying campaign voices

Community Connect can now start thinking about who might help bring this story to life. For example, they might approach a long-standing volunteer befriender who has already shared their experience through a case study recently. 

They could then ask whether they would be happy to contribute to a social media post, short video or newsletter feature as part of the campaign. 

Identifying potential storytellers early gives you time to have conversations, secure consent and plan your content. It can also help you make the most of stories and case studies you already have, rather than starting from scratch. 

Your campaign’s next steps

If your campaign story still feels a little rough around the edges, don’t worry. 

At this stage, you’re not writing final copy or creating finished content. You’re simply identifying the story that sits behind your campaign and the messages you want people to remember. 

Once you have a campaign story, three key messages and a clear call to action, creating content becomes much easier because you have a clear foundation to build from. 

In part three of our Campaign Creator series, we’ll look at how to turn your messages into engaging campaign content that works across different channels and formats. 

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