Know Your History: Building an Origin Story
This is Part 4 of our End-of-Year Checklist Series. See Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
This story was written using methods created or honed by Clarity Channels Communications.
It’s the holiday season, and for many of us, it’s a time of traditions and a time to remember where we came from and connect with our roots. We do this in many ways like telling our best stories, cooking the family favorites, and engaging in time-honored activities.
Just as families rely on traditions to stay connected to their roots, it’s important for organizations to do the same. After all, it’s hard to know where you’re going without understanding where you’ve been.
Documenting your organization’s history – your origin story – is a powerful tool for strategic planning and communications. And, just like the stories we pass down, it’s a unifier that instills pride in your team and stakeholders.
December, the season of nostalgia, is the perfect time to set aside a moment to capture some of that history. Here’s how to do it:
Go back to the beginning.
Spend a few moments documenting the answers to these questions:
Why was your organization started? What challenge did the organization set out to solve?
Who started it and when? Who was part of the original effort?
Where did your initial funding come from?
What were those first few months (or years) like? What were some challenges and successes of note? What points of evolution needed to happen?
What were the original mission, vision, and values? Are they the same now as they were then?
Where did the organization’s name and logo come from?
Come back to the present.
Now compare the “then” to the “now.”
How has the organization grown since that point?
What progress have you made on that initial mission/vision? If those principles have shifted, why? What was the catalyst?
What challenges are you solving now and what have some recent successes been?
What do the founding lead/s think of where the organization is now?
Add the color.
Now that you have the facts, it’s time to make the story shine. If available, talk to the people who were there at the beginning! Get their personal anecdotes and quotes to add interest and fill in knowledge gaps. Find photos, videos, and news stories from the early days. Create visuals or infographics that highlight the growth between the beginning times and now.
Pull it together.
Origin stories are wonderfully flexible pieces of content. Once you have the information, you can craft it into multiple mediums for your use. Here are a few:
Create a blog post or “about” page on your website that tells your story. This can be shared in emails, on social media, and linked to in an infinite number of ways.
We love this article on Nike’s website that shares the story of one important person in their history: Bill Bowerman, Nike’s original innovator. It’s a simple, but beautifully written narrative that contains quotes from original employees, photos of his shoe prototypes, and vintage ads.
It’s a snapshot of how you can take a piece of your full story and turn it into articles and blog posts. The piece is entertaining and inspiring.
Source: Nike.com
Turn it into a video! We love how Communities for Kids brought their origin story to life by bringing together the team that started it all for an interview-style video produced by Three Pillars Media.
Source: Avenue Scholars
Develop a printed piece. A one-sheeter, brochure, or report are all great ways to show the impact your organization has had since its founding.
For their 15th anniversary, Avenue Scholars created a printed piece that shared their history and impact. It’s a versatile piece that can be used for meetings with donors, onboarding staff members, and educating the public.
Documenting your origin story is not just about preserving the past; it’s about using that past to guide the future and to measure collective impact. By staying connected to your roots, your organization can grow with intention and purpose, ensuring your legacy is carried forward for years to come.