Storytelling that unlocks funding, changes hearts and minds

This hands-on session gives civil society leaders a simple, powerful way to turn impact into stories that move people to act.

Struggling to show funders and the public the real value of your work? In this hands-on workshop you’ll learn a practical storytelling framework – and leave with a story you can share right away in reports, social media, or funding bids.

This half-day workshop will give you the tools to tell clearer, stronger stories about your organisation’s impact – stories that don’t just inform, but inspire. It’s for charity and social impact leaders who want to build more trust, raise their visibility, and secure more funding. The session is designed to help leaders turn the work they’re already doing into stories that move people – whether that’s funders, supporters, policy-makers or the wider public.

You will:

• understand why storytelling is a powerful leadership skill – not just a comms tool
• learn a simple storytelling framework designed for social impact
• discover how to make stories meaningful to funders, stakeholders, donors, supporters and the press
• explore how stories can build internal alignment and team motivation
• walk away with a ready-to-use story that shows your impact with clarity and confidence
  

Matt Mahmood-Ogston is both a professional documentary photographer, award-winning storyteller, and charity founder and CEO. Matt helps charities and social impact teams build emotional proof through strategic storytelling, photography and film workshops – for trust, visibility and fundraising. 
Read Matt’s blog for ACEVO: Your charity’s story isn’t working? Here’s what you can change

Speaker

Matt Mahmood-Ogston

CEO, Naz and Matt Foundation

Matt Mahmood-Ogston

CEO, Naz and Matt Foundation

As a professional documentary photographer, multi-award-winning storyteller, and charity CEO, Matt helps organisations capture the authentic moments that showcase their positive impact on communities and the planet. His work has helped numerous organisations – from grassroots charities to global corporations – demonstrate their social impact through compelling narratives. Matt’s work has been featured in campaigns reaching over 54 million people, and his award-winning films have been recognised by the Asian Media Awards and screened at the British Film Institute.

Matt has worked with organisations like Google and NishkamSWAT, helping them document everything from community leadership programmes to homeless outreach work. These collaborations have led to increased funding opportunities and more effective communication of social impact. His work through Naz and Matt Foundation has received multiple accolades, including Campaign of the Year (Bank of London's Rainbow Honours Awards, 2022) and the Outstanding Individual Award (Camden Council, 2024).