Re-shaping the humanitarian system: How local organizations can use narrative and stories to have better dialogue with donors
In this paper, Karolina Soliar reflects on her experience of advocating for Ukrainian local organizations during her time with the National Network of Local Philanthropy Development. The paper aims to join the dots between the concept of claiming the narrative, the role of story-telling and the need to re-shape the humanitarian system.
In humanitarian work, a story is often viewed as something soft – a case study, a testimony, a success vignette. In practice, a story could be a narrative unit that will push in one direction or another. And like any unit, it can be assembled, directed, scaled and weaponized. It has mass, momentum and political consequence – depending on who tells it, how it’s framed, where it’s staged and who’s listening.
The humanitarian sector frequently praises local organizations for having “good stories.” But this praise is hollow when not backed by resources, stages and infrastructure to scale those stories to achieve narrative power. The paper suggests a few strategies that can help local organizations to use their stories more effectively with the amount of limited resources they have.
Author: Karolina Soliar, 2024 / 2025 #ShiftThePower Fellow
Published by: GFCF
Published: April 2026