You’ve probably heard that you need to make your supporters the hero of your story. It’s really at the heart of creating supporter-centered communications – talk about how awesome your supporters are for helping as opposed to how awesome you are.
But every hero needs a villain, right?
While you may not have a nemesis the likes of Thanos or Voldemort, you need to create something your supporters want to defeat in order to effectively communicate your mission and get your readers involved in your story.
Your enemy could be an actual person, but most likely it will be something more abstract.
Poverty, hunger, pollution, illiteracy, homelessness, etc.
If you are in healthcare, it could be a particular disease. If you work with animals, it could be animal abuse. If you are in the arts, it could be the loss of culture.
Your Assignment:
This week, brainstorm some ideas on who your enemy is. After you find your enemy, start thinking of ways to personify it. Give your enemy human attributes. Here are 50 examples of personification to help you out.
Then start writing a story around your hero and your villain. Make it as hokey as you want. You don’t have to let anyone read it, but it will get you in the right mindset to create communications that will have your readers say, “I HAVE to help!”
Tell us who your enemy is in the comment section below. Or if you aren’t sure, share what your org does and let’s crowdsource your villain!
