A small education nonprofit proudly shares its annual impact report. The report celebrated a 5% increase in test scores, a clear win, on paper. But for Maria, a teacher who’s been with the programme for three years, that number felt hollow. Just last week, she watched another promising student, Leo, drop out to support his family. Parent meetings that were once full of energy now feel empty. The exhaustion she sees in the classroom doesn’t match the optimism in the report.
This is the paradox of data-driven storytelling in the nonprofit world. Numbers are supposed to build trust, show results, and move donors to act. But when misused or misunderstood, they can do the opposite. They can flatten human stories, mask deeper problems, or mislead audiences altogether.
Let’s take a closer look at five common mistakes nonprofits make when using data in storytelling and how to avoid them.
1. When numbers take over the narrative
Data is powerful, but only when it complements, not replaces, the human story. A major mistake many nonprofits make is leading with numbers and letting them do all the talking.
The nonprofit storytelling firm Tellwell, in its January 2025 storytelling frameworks report, warned: “We often see organisations flood audiences with numbers without context. But the best data-driven stories don’t start with stats. They start with a person.”
A major mistake many nonprofits make is leading with numbers and letting them do all the talking.
That person might be a mother who finally got clean water for her child, or a young girl who stayed in school thanks to a scholarship. The number, whether 1,000 or 10,000, only becomes meaningful when we understand what that figure represents in human terms.
Lesson: The story is the cake; the data is the icing. Use data to support and validate, not dominate.
2. Turning the Organisation into the Hero
It’s easy to fall into this trap: “Our organisation reached 5,000 people. Our programme led to a 40% increase in literacy.” These aren’t bad statements, but they can subtly shift the focus from the people served to the nonprofit itself.
In a widely read blog post, the Taproot Foundation identifies this as one of the top mistakes nonprofits make: “Don’t make your organisation the hero of the story. Make the people you serve the hero, and show how your organisation helps them on their journey.”
Make the people you serve the hero and show how your organisation helps them on their journey.
This approach aligns with what Bloomerang’s fundraising strategist Steven Shattuck also recommends: telling “you-focused” stories that invite supporters in, rather than just narrating what your nonprofit did.
Lesson: Your organisation is not the protagonist, it’s the mentor. Let the community take centre stage.
3. Cherry-Picking or Misrepresenting Data
Nonprofits are often under pressure to demonstrate success, especially to funders. But selectively sharing only the best metrics, or massaging data to tell a better story, can erode credibility fast.
The team at NextAfter, a research institute that studies nonprofit communication, warns: “Cherry-picking data is one of the fastest ways to lose donor trust. People can sense when something doesn’t add up.”
Cherry-picking data is one of the fastest ways to lose donor trust.
In one of their audits, NextAfter found that organisations were omitting drop-off rates or glossing over context like programme start dates. One report showed “increased engagement” but failed to mention the change in measurement methodology.
Lesson: Context matters. Share success but also be transparent about the gaps, limitations, or evolving processes behind the numbers.
4. Overcomplicating With Jargon and Visual Noise
We’ve all seen those charts that look like they belong in a finance report, overwhelming, data-heavy, and filled with acronyms.
Bloomerang and WildApricot both stress the same point: nonprofit data storytelling must be accessible. Furthermore, a 2016 roundup of infographic research referenced in a HubSpot marketing report found that visuals with colour can boost a person’s willingness to read content by 80%.
Visuals with colour can boost a person’s willingness to read content by 80%.
Don’t throw in a pie chart because it “looks smart.” Use visuals that clarify. Swap jargon for language your audience understands. Not “programme attrition rates,” but “how many children stopped attending.”
Lesson: If your data needs explaining, it needs simplifying. Tell your story like you’d tell it to a friend, not a funder.
5. Forgetting the Call-to-Action
You’ve told a powerful story. You’ve backed it with compelling numbers. But now what?
Many nonprofits end their reports or campaigns without a clear invitation to act. According to Tellwell’s 2025 guide, “The story moved me, but I didn’t know what to do next” is one of the most common feedback points they hear from audience testing. Your audience wants to help. But they need to be asked, and told how.
Your audience wants to help. But they need to be asked, and told how.
Lesson: Every story should end with a clear, actionable next step: donate, share, volunteer, advocate. Good stories move hearts. Great stories move people.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
In today’s digital landscape, stories compete with newsfeeds, algorithms, and attention spans measured in seconds. That makes honest, emotionally grounded, and data-supported storytelling a nonprofit’s superpower, but only when done right.
Telling real stories, with integrity, makes data more than just a requirement for reports. It becomes a tool for connection. It shows that you’re listening, adapting, and genuinely accountable, not just to donors, but to the communities you serve.
Telling real stories, with integrity, makes data more than just a requirement for reports.
As data scientist Brent Dykes writes in his book Effective Data Storytelling: “Data finds meaning when placed within the context of people’s lives. Stories without data can be anecdotal. Data without stories can be forgettable. But together, they can change minds—and move mountains.”
Rethinking What We Measure, and Why
This reflection also invites a deeper question: are we measuring what really matters?
Many nonprofit experts now advocate for right-fit evidence systems, a term coined by Mary Kay Gugerty and Dean Karlan in their Stanford Social Innovation Review article. Rather than rigid impact frameworks, they suggest data should be Credible, Actionable, Responsible, and Transportable (CART), serving learning, not just proving.
Data should be Credible, Actionable, Responsible, and Transportable (CART), serving learning, not just proving.
Similarly, the Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF) calls for community-led indicators: what success means should be defined by those who experience the outcomes, not only those funding the inputs.
In this model, metrics like “felt safety,” “trust,” or “access without shame” can carry just as much weight as enrolment numbers or website clicks. And while these aren’t always easily quantifiable, they are deeply meaningful.
A Final Thought: Stories That Stay
The most powerful stories are the ones we remember weeks later. The ones we retell over dinner. The ones that don’t just impress us—they move us.
And in the nonprofit world, where the goal isn’t profit but impact, the stories we tell, and the data we use to tell them, should honour that responsibility.
So ask yourself:
- Are our numbers clarifying or confusing?
- Are we highlighting people or praising ourselves?
- Are we telling stories that spark action?
- Are we measuring what actually matters?
If we get this right, storytelling becomes more than just a communication tool. It becomes a way of practising accountability, transparency, and trust.
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