Ethical Storytelling
Storytelling holds power—but in a digital landscape saturated with misinformation, fragmented across echo chambers, and drowning in crisis content, that power cuts both ways.
Audiences are experiencing compassion fatigue and are increasingly skeptical of performative narratives. Ethical storytelling isn't just nice to have. It's how you build trust that lasts.
We help nonprofits move beyond default trauma narratives and develop stories that are strategic, mission-driven, and designed for how people actually consume content now. That means knowing when storytelling serves your work and when it doesn't. It means protecting dignity rather than inflicting pain for engagement. And it means communicating in ways that cut through noise without contributing to it.
Strategy Lab Collective focuses on clarity, accountability, and building genuine connections with audiences who desperately need organizations they can trust.
This service is ideal for organizations that:
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Tell stories inconsistently—or default to trauma narratives without strategy.
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Serve marginalized communities and avoid extractive or harmful framing.
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Struggle with passive voice, jargon, or vague mission descriptions that don't land.
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Lack of internal alignment about how the organization speaks publicly
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Want storytelling practices that protect dignity instead of performing it
How This Works
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Review how your organization currently tells its story.
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Identify what those narratives reveal about your mission and values.
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Examine how you represent the communities you support.
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Understand how your team interprets and communicates the work.
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Clarify your message and story foundation.
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Spot gaps, unclear elements, and potentially harmful patterns.
You can't solve communication problems you can't see. This process makes the invisible labor visible—and shows you where burnout is building before it becomes a crisis.
What We Look At
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How stories are sourced and whose voices are centered
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Whether narratives unintentionally reinforce stereotypes
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The balance between trauma, resilience, and system-level framing
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The accuracy and dignity of lived-experience content
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The story approvals process and where power sits
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Alignment between stories, mission, and community reality
Our Approach
We look at:
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How urgency culture shapes what gets posted
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Where extractive patterns show up
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How passive vs active voice reflects accountability
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Whether your messaging reflects real capacity and real impact
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How dignity is protected — or compromised — in your communication
Our goal is to help you build storytelling practices that honor the communities you serve.
What You Receive
A plain-language report explaining what's working, what's straining your team, and why patterns keep repeating. Includes a visual map of your communication system and realistic recommendations aligned with your actual capacity—not the imaginary team you don't have.
What Comes Next
This service pairs with a facilitated workshop where we walk through the findings and rebuild your storytelling approach together.
We create space for honest conversation, shared language, and clear decisions, so your team understands the “why” behind new story practices.
The workshop helps teams:
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Recognize harmful storytelling patterns
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Build confidence in ethical narrative design
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Align messaging across all roles
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Create momentum toward healthier storytelling practices
