How to Tell Powerful Stories, Ethically with Carly Euler Artwork

Nonprofit Nation with Julia Campbell

Ready for some real talk about nonprofits? Julia Campbell sits down with industry experts and practitioners to get advice on the best ways to build a thriving movement and a vibrant, passionate community around a cause.

Topics include fundraising, storytelling, and marketing of course - but it also dives into mental health issues, leadership strategy, digital wellness, and much more. Julia's guests share practical wisdom, entertaining stories, and real-world tips that will help you strategize, plan, and grow your nonprofit.

You never know exactly what you’re going to learn when you tune into Nonprofit Nation, but you can be assured that it will be worth your valuable time and attention.

Nonprofit Nation is hosted by Julia Campbell, digital marketing and fundraising expert, nonprofit consultant, and author of Storytelling in the Digital Age: A Guide for Nonprofits and How to Build and Mobilize a Social Media Community for Your Nonprofit in 90 Days.

Julia helps nonprofits build movements, and in her work she teaches nonprofits how to build community, audience and raise influence on social media channels.

Be sure to click the subscribe button on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

All Episodes

Nonprofit Nation with Julia Campbell

How to Tell Powerful Stories, Ethically with Carly Euler

September 17, 2025 • Julia Campbell • Season 2 • Episode 202

How can nonprofits tell powerful, compelling stories without compromising the dignity of the people they serve?

In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, I welcome Carly Euler, Marketing Director at MemoryFox and creator of the Ethical Storytelling Report. With a rich background in fundraising, marketing, and communications across organizations like the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester and the BOMA Project, Carly has seen firsthand how storytelling can both uplift and unintentionally harm.

We dive into Carly’s recent article, “I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me: Stories Can Be Ethical & Still Raise Funds,” and unpack the fundraising industry’s overreliance on trauma-driven narratives. Carly shares a powerful personal moment that reshaped how she approaches storytelling, and offers tangible strategies for nonprofit professionals who want to center consent, agency, and dignity while still driving results.

🎧 In This Episode, We Discuss:

Why “trauma-forward” storytelling is so common—and so problematic
The key elements of ethical storytelling
Highlights from the 2023 Ethical Storytelling Report
How to give story subjects real agency (even on a small budget)
Building trust and long-term relationships through dignified narratives

🧰 Resources & Links

🪷🪷 This episode sponsored by Bloomerang! 🪷🪷

What if we named things for what they're not? We'd give teachers non-apples and fly non-cars. Ridiculous, right? So why is your world-changing organization called a "nonprofit"? Truth is you're for-purpose. And the more you raise, recruit, and retain, the more good you can do.

That's where Bloomerang comes in. Bloomerang's Giving Platform is built for purpose, with easy-to-use tools and powerful insights that help you understand your donors better than ever and unleash generosity! (Slightly faster, more energetic) Imagine... spending less time on admin tasks and more time on what matters: your mission. Bloomerang customers raise an average of 26% more!

Ready to join them?

Take my free masterclass: 3 Must-Have Elements of Social Media Content that Converts