Narrative IP, Part 4: A Reflection Guide for Nonprofits
In the last installment of my Narrative IP series, I’ve designed a series of reflections questions for nonprofit leaders and communicators who are ready to uncover their positioning and develop a big idea that clearly communicates the irreplaceable value of their work.
For the last 2 months, I’ve been developing and writing about narrative IP, a big idea that positions your organization with clarity in the minds of your audience. I wrote extensively about its three essential pieces: naming the broken status quo, articulating a compelling alternative, and defining your unique difference.
Whether you’re confident in your current positioning or just starting out thinking about it, this is a perfect exercise for reflecting on your own or convening a small group of trusted advisors to talk through during a strategy session.
Let’s get started.
The broken status quo
Strong narrative IP starts by naming the problem you exist to solve. Articulate what’s not working and do it in a way that creates urgency and clarity. These questions help reveal the deeper systems, assumptions, and consequences that your work is responding to.
What is the current issue, domain, or system that you work in?
What feels broken or insufficient about the status quo in your issue or domain today? Be specific. (For example, instead of “the criminal justice system is broken,” say “the criminal justice system is an evolution of chattel slavery and continues to discriminate against and over-criminalize Black people at consistently higher rates than other ethnicities.”)
What urgent and specific problem does your organization exist to solve? Try to nail down one overarching problem, broken down into 2-3 sub-problems.
What are the 3 most entrenched obstacles you run up against when trying to tackle this problem?
What’s the most harmful belief or value that keeps the status quo intact?
What does this broken status quo say about us as a society? How have we failed? Who are we failing?
A compelling alternative
Hope is the most powerful motivating force. Your vision, if well-articulated, doesn’t just inspire people towards something better, it instills them with a sense of possibility.
If you faced no constraints or obstacles, what would be your most ambitious articulation of a better future? State it in 2-3 sentences.
What are the key pillars of your compelling alternative? Tip: make each pillar a direct answer to the subproblems you previously mapped out.
What new values would need to underpin this world that you’re building? How would we need to shift what we care about and prioritize in order to get there?
Are there bright spots and early signals you can point to as early examples of hope and possibility?
Your difference
This is where your organization steps into the story. What makes you unique and indispensable to the work. How do you bridge the gap between the broken present and the better future? These questions help surface your distinct contribution, why you matter, and what your indispensable role in the space looks like.
Pretend you’re behind closed doors. Answer this question: when you’re at your very best, what are you doing better than anyone else in your space?
How would your peers, funders, external advisors, and collaborators define your distinct edge?
If you don't have a traditional edge (like bigger, better, faster, etc.), then where can you draw asymmetric credibility from? You may be small, but maybe you’ve been embedded in a community for a long time. Maybe your founder has lived experience that translates into a unique point of view and insights.
Think back to your compelling alternative. What piece of that future that you can credibly contribute to?
If your organization disappeared tomorrow, how would your absence be felt? Who would notice and why?
The work of defining your Narrative IP is no small task. But asking the right questions can help you shift your thinking about how to communicate your work and what is possible. Once you’ve landed on a clear and compelling positioning and narrative IP, you’ll not only notice more confident and resonant storytelling, but also sharper decision-making and greater clarity about how and where to lead.
Curious about developing your own positioning? I help mission-driven organizations define their unique value and develop their narrative IP. Reach out to me here.