Using stories to communicate systems change

Most organisations are rich in data, but still struggle to show what difference they actually make. Surveys, attendance figures, monitoring forms, quotes, case notes and feedback pile up quickly. Yet too often, this information sits unused or underused – reported as standalone statistics or isolated quotes that struggle to convey the real value of the work behind them.

Telling the story of what you do is vital: for funders, for partners, for communities, and for the people you want to reach next. But impactful storytelling goes beyond simply reporting activity. It turns information into insight. It helps audiences understand how change happens, why it matters, and what has been learned along the way. This is where storytelling becomes a powerful tool for communicating impact – particularly in complex systems change work, where causality is rarely linear and learning matters as much as outcomes.

There’s a science to this…

When we hear stories, the brain responds much more enthusiastically than hearing facts alone. Stories with tension and a resolution, activate emotional and memory centres, making them more memorable – and more likely to prompt action.

In systems change work, stories can be used to communicate the full complexity of the system – exploring the connections between actors, the motivations and barriers that data alone can’t depict. People remember how you made them feel, even when they can’t recall an individual statistic.

…but impact storytelling is also an art

So, how do you create a story that resonates with your audience? You need a story which has a sense of movement and progress, where the experiences of your beneficiaries are combined with the systems learning behind your data.

An approach to this, which lines up nicely with your theory of change, is the following five part story arc.

1. Who: The human connection

People connect with people. Start with a human story, even in systems work, to provide a voice through which the wider picture is revealed.

E.g., Fatima arrived in the UK after fleeing war and conflict. She was experiencing trauma, anxiety and isolation; she didn’t know anyone locally. She joined a community sports group, offering weekly walking sessions for women – the first place where she felt welcomed and understood.

2. Problem: The tension

If your story sets up, and then resolves a problem, this hooks in your readers. Create tension by describing what was happening before your intervention, the barriers or inequalities that exist in your systems and what is at stake for the individual. The goal is for your audience to understand the context you’re operating in, and why your work is needed.

E.g., Language barriers, childcare and cultural expectations often prevent women like Fatima from joining mainstream activities. Local services tend to focus on participation numbers, rather than on inclusion or belonging, so women who most need connection are least likely to engage.

3. Action: What you did, and how you did it

Now they understand the problem, your reader wants to see it resolved. In every great story, something changes over time, and this is the moment in the story to describe what you changed, and how it was achieved.

The following questions are useful prompts for this section: What approach did you take and why? How did you adapt and collaborate? What made this work effective in a complex system? Integrating quotes into this stage can bring your story to life too.

E.g., We worked together with a local partner to co-design a walking project with local women. Together we shaped women-only, school hour walk-and-talk sessions with buggy-friendly routes. Local connectors supported outreach and volunteers were trained to welcome women – in their own languages where possible.

4. Result: What changed

This is the moment to drive home the difference your intervention has made. Bring in your data and link to your intended outcomes to reinforce the point with some statistics.

E.g., Fatima now walks every day, with the group and on her own. She volunteers to welcome new members. Across the group, 74% of women report stronger social connections and 78% are more physically active. Local partners now refer women through social prescribing, increasing participation among vulnerable women by more than 50%. This is one of 200 groups we have supported to build inclusive, person-centred activity sessions and 86% say they are better able to meet community needs as a result.

5. Reflection: Learning and next steps

The last stage of the arc is one that can be forgotten, but is vital. Demonstrate how you’re learning from the change you are achieving. To frame these reflections, consider: How and why did change occur? What worked and what didn’t? What will you do differently next time?

It’s this final step which transforms your story from one which communicates your activity, to one that communicates your impact and insight.

E.g., When local people shape the activity, engagement and retention improve dramatically. We’ve helped shift partners from asking “How do we get people active?” to “How do we create spaces where everyone feels they belong?” This learning is informing how we work with other local providers to design inclusive culturally responsive activities, although the cost of childcare during these design sessions remains a challenge.

Why it matters

Storytelling does more than describe what you did. It reveals what changed, why it mattered, and how learning is shaping what comes next. For funders and decision-makers, this kind of storytelling supports better judgements about what is working, for whom, and in what contexts.

By grounding your data in human experience and structuring it through a clear narrative arc, you can transform disconnected evidence into a compelling account of impact and insight.

The data you already collect holds these stories within it, impact storytelling helps you bring them to life unlock them.