What it costs when your organisation goes quiet

Silence is never neutral. When an organisation stops telling its stories, someone else fills the space, and rarely with the truth.

Most organisations don't decide to go quiet. It happens gradually. A busy quarter, a staff change, a worry about getting something wrong. Then a year has passed and the only stories about your work are the ones other people are telling.

This guide is for charity leaders who have noticed their organisation has gone quiet, or are worried it might.

What I saw on the streets

Through the summer of 2025 I photographed a lot of marches and protests in London. What struck me most, more than the banners or the size of the crowds, was the stories people carried: about their homes, their families, their safety, their rights.

Those stories made people stop and listen. They turned headlines into human lives. And it reminded me why silence is so costly. When we don't tell our stories, the human side of the issue disappears, and other voices define it for us.

What silence costs

• Trust. Funders and supporters can't see what's changing, so they assume less is.

• Influence. Policy and public debate move on without your experience in them.

• The narrative. Others, including people who don't share your values, tell the story of the issue instead.

• Your own memory. Stories that aren't captured fade. Two years later nobody can remember the details, or prove they happened.

Why teams hold back

When I work with charities, CSR and social impact teams, I hear the same three reasons again and again:

• "We don't have the confidence."

• "We're waiting for permission."

• "We're afraid of getting it wrong."

These are real, especially when you work with people who are vulnerable. Dignity and consent matter. But holding back completely leaves the space to others, and protects no one.

Ask for: a clear statement from leadership that sharing the organisation's work, with consent and care, is part of everyone's job.

Three steps to keep stories flowing

1. Capture as you go. A voice note, a few written lines, a photograph with consent. If you have a smartphone, you have everything you need. I've set out a simple system in why your best impact stories disappear.

2. Put dignity and consent first. Involve people in how their stories are told, and respect their limits. The Naz Rule is a good test.

3. Share regularly, in small pieces. One honest story a month, told well, does more than a long report that nobody reads.

Ask for: one story a month, captured and shared with consent, as a minimum for the organisation.

Six questions to ask your leadership team

1. When did we last share a story about the change our work makes?

2. Who else is telling the story of the issue we work on?

3. What stops our team sharing?

4. Who gives permission, and do people know that?

5. Where do captured stories go?

6. What's one story from this month that should be told?

Where to start this week

Answer the last question. Get consent, write it in a few sentences, and share it. Then put the next one in the diary.

If your team needs the confidence and the method to keep telling stories, that's what my social impact storytelling workshops are for.

Questions people ask

Is it risky for a charity to speak publicly about contested issues?

It can be, so agree in advance what you'll speak about and who signs it off. Staying silent carries its own risk: others will define the issue without you.

How often should a charity share stories?

Regularly enough that people can see the work. One story a month, told well and with consent, is a good minimum for a small organisation.

What if we don't have stories ready to share?

Start capturing them. The stories exist in your frontline team's week. They just need a simple way to be noted down before they're forgotten.