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Storytelling
When the whole country is watching your issue, how to respond well
A march, a policy change, a story everyone is talking about. Most charities share someone else's post or go quiet. A three-step method for responding well.
Every so often, the issue your organisation works on every day is suddenly everywhere. A march, a court ruling, a policy announcement, a news story that won’t go away. For a few days, the public is paying attention.
Most charities miss it. They share someone else’s article, repost a photograph or publish a solidarity statement that sounds like everyone else’s. Then on Monday they go back to the content calendar.
This guide is for charity leaders who want to use those moments well, without being opportunistic.
I’ve missed it too
In March 2026 I photographed the Together Alliance march against the far right in central London. I posted a photo essay on LinkedIn. It got 580 impressions and barely a reaction.
The photographs weren’t the problem. I’d shown what happened at the march without connecting it to anything my audience needed from me. I reported the moment. I didn’t connect it.
Why organisations miss these moments
Most organisations have a content calendar and scheduled posts, but no process for the moments they couldn’t plan for. So they fall back on one of three things:
Share someone else’s content.
Post a statement that sounds like every other statement.
Say nothing.
All three waste the moment.
Solidarity and story
There’s a difference between “we support the march” and “thousands of people marched against the far right on Saturday. Here’s what that looks like in the community we serve on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon.”
The first tells people where you stand. The second tells them what you see. The second builds trust, because it shows your work is real and happening now, whether or not the cameras are there.
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The headlines will fade by Friday. Your work won't. That's the story.
The Moment Connection Method
Find the real connection. Does this moment directly affect the people you serve or the work you do? If the link is forced, stay quiet. Silence is more respectful than manufactured relevance.
Write one bridge sentence. Acknowledge the moment and connect it to your work in a single sentence. If it feels forced, delete it.
Bring people back to your work. Show what you’re doing today, this week, this year. End with something specific, not general solidarity.
Take up to 24 hours to decide. Then aim to publish within 48.
Ask for: a one-page plan for responding to public moments, naming who decides, who signs off, and how quickly.
Protect people while you move fast
Moments like these can be hostile. Before you share a story connected to a contested issue, check that nobody in it will be put at risk, and that the people involved have agreed to it being used in this context, not just in general.
Ask for: consent for any story used in a reactive post to be checked again for that specific use.
Six questions to ask when a moment lands
Does this directly affect the people we serve?
What do we see on the ground that others don’t?
Can we say it in one honest bridge sentence?
Who could be put at risk if we share this, and how do we protect them?
Who signs it off, and how fast?
What will we say about our work once the headlines have gone?
Where to start this week
Think about the last big news moment that touched your work. Write the bridge sentence you could have used. Keep it, because the next moment will come, and you’ll have the habit ready.
If you’d like your team ready to respond to moments like these with confidence and care, that’s part of my social impact storytelling workshops.
Questions people ask
Should charities comment on news and political events?
When the moment directly affects the people you serve, and you have something specific to add from your work. If the connection is forced, silence is often better.
How quickly should a charity respond to a news moment?
Take up to a day to decide whether you have something real to say, then aim to publish within 48 hours.
How do we avoid looking opportunistic?
Talk about your work and the people you serve, not about yourselves. Show what you see on the ground, and keep the focus there after the headlines move on.
Matt Mahmood-Ogston is a London-based social impact storyteller and documentary photographer. He founded the Naz and Matt Foundation in 2014 and has led it for more than 12 years.
