✨ Outshine 85% of competitors by doing this
This week I've been doing employee listening research with a nonprofit organisation.
I'm talking with their people to learn about their experience of work and how they feel about their job and employer. It's insightful and meaningful work — uncovering and understanding sentiment, challenges and aspirations. Having these conversations is a privilege.
We're only at the start of the project but what's struck me is the deep well of stories inside this organisation.
Stories about culture, experience, values and impact. About the purpose of the work.
These things don't live in a strategic plan or a poster on the wall. They live in stories.
Stories are the evidence of culture, values, impact and the employee experience.
This project is about employee engagement and retention — and attraction.
These stories are largely untold yet they hold enormous potential.
You see, there is a kind of magic in stories. And it's backed by science.
According to cognitive psychologist Dr. Jerome Bruner, we are 22 times more likely to remember something when it's wrapped in a story.
Stories are 22 times more memorable that facts.
While it has been questioned if Bruner actually proved this, a study at Stanford confirms the idea.
Students were asked to give a one-minute persuasive speech, with some using statistics and others telling a story. When asked to recall the content later, only 5% remembered the stats—but 63% remembered the stories.
Stories stick.
Another study showed storytelling activates oxytocin by creating an emotional connection between the storyteller and the audience, fostering empathy and trust.
So why aren't we using stories more in recruitment?
Recruitment is a marketing challenge. It's about attracting attention from the right people, creating an emotional connection and inspiring them to take action (apply, attend an interview, accept a job offer).
We did a review of more than 100 'work with us' and 'careers' sites in the nonprofit sector this week and here's what we found:
Only 15% of employers are using storytelling.
We found factual, functional and benefit-driven content:
job titles
locations
Award and salary information
leave entitlements
salary packaging and other benefits
hybrid working arrangements
contract dates.
If you want to outshine 85% of nonprofit employers and be 22 times more memorable when you're hiring, you need to uncover and tell the stories from within your organisation.
✨ Let's unleash the magic!
Flexible talent support for NFP leaders
I am deeply committed to making recruitment easier for nonprofit leaders.
I support leaders and organisations to attract the right people through:
traditional recruitment solutions
flexible unbundled recruitment support
helping you review and improve your recruitment approach
helping you understand and articulate your real EVP through employee research
leveraging this research to develop authentic recruitment content
building campaigns that reflect culture and the employee experience
consulting and advisory work to develop talent attraction strategy and capacity.
If you’re curious to know more, send me a message or get in touch for a chat.
As a communications professional and writer turned recruiter, I know modern recruitment is marketing, and I'm on a mission to share this approach with the sector.
Each Friday, I share talent attraction advice and insights. The Nonprofit Talent Edge will help you become more intentional, creative and proactive with your recruitment.
Have a great week.
Cynthia