Eleven essential insights from the 2025-2026 Nonprofit Storytelling Survey

by Matt Pearl, Pearl Impact Media

It's critical that we learn from each other.

The nonprofit space can be isolating at times. And while every nonprofit is different, we can gain great strength by learning how others operate, particularly around subjects that aren't our expertise.

That's why I created the Nonprofit Storytelling Survey.

Storytelling isn't everyone's favorite subject. But it's essential to communicating, fundraising, and nearly everything we do as nonprofits.

I put out the survey in late fall of 2025 and received dozens of responses. While there are limits with a smallish sample size, there are clear takeaways that should guide our actions as we move forward as nonprofits.

Let's begin:

1. The diversity of responses was outstanding. We heard from nonprofits from across the country, dealing with more than a dozen issues of focus. And the majority of respondents - nearly 75% - came from nonprofits with annual revenues below $5 million. If this seems high, it's actually the opposite: In real life, it's 97%. Similarly, roughly 60% of respondents had a staff of 15 or fewer.

2. The vast majority of respondents devote resources to marketing – to a point. More than 80% of respondents devote between 1 and 4 staff members to marketing, communications, or social media. Hardly any go beyond that; most of the rest simply don’t staff that work.

3. Most nonprofits have a storytelling calendar. Far fewer have a strategy. We asked the question, "Which best describes your organization's approach to communications and storytelling?" The choices:

• REACTIVE: We post when we can
• PLANNED: We have a calendar but not a strategy
• STRATEGIC: We follow a communications plan
• INTEGRATED: Communications drives our fundraising strategy

The good news? Barely 20% of respondents answered "REACTIVE," which means most nonprofits at least use a calendar to plan their social media posts, email blasts, and other forms of content. But fewer than half follow a designated strategy beyond "PLANNED."

4. On the hierarchy, social media far outweighs email marketing. It’s interesting: so much conventional wisdom about nonprofit communication stresses the importance of building an email list and contacting your funders and followers directly.

Yet in this survey, 92% of respondents said they post on social media at least once a week (nearly 1 in 5 said they post daily). In contrast, just 11% said they send out weekly marketing emails. (The majority opt for monthly.)

5. Why do nonprofits use storytelling? The answer is two-pronged. This response was expected yet still important. Nearly 80% of our respondents said their most frequent goal when using storytelling in their marketing was either fundraising (41%) or awareness (37%).

(I can confirm this from my clients. Most who reach out for my video storytelling services have these exact needs.)

Other responses included building community, communicating information about their issue of focus, and recruiting volunteers.

6. Nonprofits use photos a lot … and video far less. Nearly 90% of respondents said they use photos in their storytelling at least monthly. Fewer than half do so weekly, and 15% do so daily.

Contrast that with video, where not a single respondent said their organization uses it daily. 11% said weekly, 26% said monthly, and 63% said either rarely or never.

7. But when it comes to what they find effective, video ranks at the top. It’s close: 41% said video, and 37% said photos. But that’s such a stark change – and demonstrates how even minimal video use can be extremely effectively when done right.

8. Why does video work? Take your pick. We included an open-ended question: “Where do you find the greatest value in video?”

The responses varied, but a few phrases kept bubbling up.

Some mentioned the ability for outsiders to “see the work in action.” Others spoke about video’s ability to build “empathy through storytelling and experience-sharing.” Several mentioned its value on social media, while others mentioned its power at events.

At the core? One person summed it up best: “Stories!”

9. What frustrates people about video? Time and tech. Many fear they simply don’t have the time to collect videos – and quality-control them when they do. Equally concerning for others was the lack of technical know-how.

10. Nonprofits recognize the power of video … but doubt their ability to use it right. Respondents answered a series of “On a scale of 1-5” questions regarding their organizations’ ability and potential for video.

When asked to rank the strength of their nonprofit’s video strategy, more than half gave a 1. When asked the organization’s level of expertise with video, more than half said 1 or 2.

And yet … when asked to rank their confidence that video will achieve their storytelling goals, the highest response by far was 4. And when asked of their desire to use video in fundraising campaigns and events, two-thirds of respondents gave a 5.

As a video storyteller, this buoys my spirits - I believe in what I do, and I love that others believe in it too (and see the results) - but also hurts my heart. It shows a huge gulf, one underscored by the 11th and final insight below ...

11. One question – perhaps the most important one – received a near-unanimous response. We asked respondents to “rank your belief that nonprofits need to do a better job of informing others of their value and necessity.”

More than 90% responded with a 4 or 5 – and nearly 80% gave a 5. (Nobody gave a 1.)

Clearly, nonprofits struggle with storytelling for many reasons, but they almost universally acknowledge its value. Particularly in this moment, nonprofits need to be more vigilant than ever about asserting both their importance and the urgency of their work.

This underscores that the building blocks of storytelling (marketing, communications, social media, and effective use of photos and videos) should not be a tangential part of the process.

They should be essential.

-

Matt Pearl is a nonprofit video storyteller and former journalist who’s worked with organizations nationwide to elevate their stories with clarity, dignity, and impact.