EP 8 Telling the Story

Summary

Planet Reimagined’s team discusses storytelling as a practical tool for explaining the organization’s work, building support, and moving climate solutions toward implementation. Their core message is: lead with a personal story and an ambitious vision, then support that vision with evidence and concrete steps.

Storytelling playbook

• Start with personal motivation, not outputs or data. People are more likely to connect when they understand why someone cares and how they came to the work.
• Connect individual stories to the organization’s mission. Team members across programs and functions can share their own experiences; they do not need to speak only from the founders’ perspectives.
• Frame the organization as an “incubator.” This familiar concept helps explain how Planet Reimagined can support multiple projects progressing at different speeds under a shared strategy, without having to describe every project from scratch.
• “Sell the dream,” then show how it can be achieved. Begin with the change you want to see, but pair the vision with data and practical steps. A vision without evidence can seem unrealistic; data without a compelling purpose can leave people asking, “So what?”
• Tailor the story to the audience. Find the overlap between what a partner or donor cares about and the organization’s broader goals. Offer a focused “mini version” of the dream—for example, emphasizing technology, policy, federal work, or local work, depending on the audience.
• Use stories across organizational needs. The team describes storytelling as useful for fundraising, partnerships, recruiting, and everyday conversations with potential supporters.

Examples

• Megan’s evacuation from the Lake Christine wildfire helped motivate her climate work and her interest in an organization focused on speed and implementation.
• A team member’s experience in international development highlighted how climate affects livelihoods, health, education, food, and income.
• Planet Reimagined’s founders were frustrated that valuable research—including PhD research—was sitting unused. The organization’s response is to move existing knowledge toward implementation.
• For Common Ground, the team can emphasize the technology, policy, federal, or local aspects, depending on a partner’s interests. Team members working on projects such as Amplifying can share firsthand field experiences.

Metrics and targets

No revenue, growth, fundraising, or other quantitative targets are stated. The discussion focuses on communications and organizational strategy rather than KPIs.

Presenters and sources: Megan, Adam, Mila, and Jackie of Planet Reimagined.