by Matt Pearl, Pearl Impact Media
Last week I flew to San Diego for a conference of nearly 1,000 nonprofit storytellers.
I flew back with 12 pages of notes.
The best gatherings bring energy, and the 2025 Nonprofit Storytelling Conference overflowed with it. As a video storyteller for nonprofits across the country, I loved the energy. I loved the optimism and enthusiasm for what nonprofits can accomplish. And I loved the dedication of those in the room to both do their storytelling jobs – raising money, raising awareness – and do them ethically.
I’ve distilled my 12 pages into five key takeaways for nonprofit storytellers everywhere:
Storytelling must be organization-wide.
Lisa Sargent gave one of the most compelling presentations of the conference. And she recited a quote that should live on Post-It notes and wall posters in nonprofit buildings everywhere:
“A moment unmarked is lost forever.”
Nonprofits’ missions are built on moments. But those on the outside rarely get to see them. As storytellers, we must work to recognize and capture those moments without disrupting the services – and honoring the stories – that create them.
That starts at the top. Leaders must underline the importance of capturing these moments. They must ensure providers that those moments won’t be exploited. And all should be trained on storytelling techniques with humanity, dignity, and empathy.
When I give workshops on video storytelling, we cover these topics repeatedly. I appreciated seeing them highlighted at NPSC.
Embrace AI (analog intelligence).
Sargent also espoused another philosophy I embrace:
We’re leading with the wrong kind of AI.
ChatGPT and the various forms of artificial intelligence can generate content in seconds. Often that content feels like a sea of sameness. It can shortcut us away from what makes our organizations so compelling in the first place: our stories.
Sargent preached analog intelligence. Don’t be afraid to use your gut, she said, when it comes to identifying moments that could make powerful stories. Think of specifics, and use your senses.
When I start a creative endeavor – a client video, a LinkedIn post, even this essay – I always write my own thoughts first. I might bring in AI after the fact for feedback, but it never replaces my gut. That’s what makes me unique. It’s what makes all of us unique.
And for nonprofits, who must work so hard to distinguish themselves, we should lean into what makes us unique, not what steers us toward sameness.
Amidst times of change, don’t stray from the basics.
Kiersten Hill of Firespring gave a powerful breakout session that covered a variety of topics, from email newsletter personalization to crisis management.
But it was an almost throwaway line at the start that got me.
When times are uncertain – as they are for many nonprofits today – stay steady with your storytelling approach.
This is deceptively simple advice. Because it’s so easy to do otherwise. It’s easy to pivot, or to abandon storytelling altogether, when things get difficult and funds get tight.
In my experience, both on the inside of a nonprofit and now as a video storyteller, organizations sustain when they think long-term and embrace the tactics that have succeeded in the past. The speakers at NPSC provided a mountain of foundational storytelling principles. Those hold true whatever the weather.
Ethics must be central to nonprofit storytelling … and it doesn’t stop at consent.
Last year, when I left my 20-year career as a journalist and pivoted to nonprofit video storytelling, I was pleasantly surprised with how often clients raised questions of ethics.
They wanted to use video to fundraise and share their work, but not without compromising the dignity of those they served.
This heartened me. As a reporter, ethical questions and self-reflection were built into my DNA. I carry them in my work today. And within the nonprofit space, there’s a movement that puts ethical storytelling at center stage.
Diana Farias Heinrich. Maria Bryan. Frank Velasquez Jr. Natalie Monroe. All either spotlighted or incorporated tenets of ethical storytelling in their presentations. They focused almost entirely on consent – and receiving it through the process from those sharing their stories.
(Heinrich’s EquaStory Scorecard is an excellent framework for any nonprofit in need.)
As this movement builds, I’d love to see more about how ethical storytelling looks *within* the story. For example, in several video examples I watched during the conference, I saw shots or storytelling decisions I would have pushed back against if the story were my own. The videos and those shots weren’t ill-intentioned. But just as consent requires a framework, I hope we begin to focus more on the language of storytelling, verbal and visual, and ensure we use it properly to lift our story owners.
There’s still so much to teach about long-form video.
Nonprofits nationwide understand the power of video. And various speakers showcased ways to build a library of quick-hit, short-form videos.
That’s a wonderful thing.
But when it comes to the videos like what I produce – the three-minute clips that highlight events or grace the front of web sites – there’s still so much mystery and uncertainty on how to approach them.
An example: one presenter mentioned a half-hour TV production that a nonprofit produced. They casually noted that this production cost between $300,000-500,000.
Those numbers elicited grumbles from those around me. (Someone behind me even muttered, “Oh, God …”.)
Most videos cost nowhere near that much. But this example is part of a larger issue. There’s so little knowledge about what to look for in outside vendors, which questions to ask, what makes long-form videos uniquely effective (it’s not just doc-level cameras), and how to approach long-form storytelling in general.
Why does this matter? Because impact videos, when done right, can be the signature tool for a nonprofit’s marketing.
And to be frank, with most nonprofit videos, we can do much better.
That’s a big reason I got into this space. I love working with clients and capturing those beautiful moments that, as Sargent said, “are all around you.” I love crafting stories that move people emotionally but treat all involved with humanity and dignity. And I love seeing the impact, from awareness to huge donations, the right video can bring.
I hope we continue to lift ourselves up in this essential work we do. I hope my 12 pages of notes have brought some meaningful insights. And I can’t wait to move forward.
Happy storytelling, friends.
Matt Pearl is the founder of Pearl Impact Media, where he specializes in nonprofit video storytelling and production. A nationally award-winning journalist with 20+ years of video storytelling experience, he now helps organizations turn their stories into signature assets used across fundraising campaigns, donor communications, and major events and galas.