STORYTELLING TO MOTIVATE DONORS

Voucher Modell 1+1: Storytelling to motivate donors

Everyone loves a good story – we enjoy them and we remember them. Through storytelling a context is set in a scene. For our project partner Diakonisches Werk in Württemberg (The Social Service of the Evangelical Churches in Württemberg) this was something worth trying for finding donors / private investors for their Voucher Modell 1+1. This December, they posted a new story with a clear concept every Sunday on Facebook, giving this way the reader the possibility to become a donor just before Christmas.

At the beginning of each story,  a struggle is described. A person is facing challenges on how to become active on the labour market. In his or her challenging situation, he or she receives support from a potential employer or an organisation / institution offering vocational training. This partnership is the first step towards a solution. But in order to reach the common goal, a financial gap needs to be covered. Here is where 1+1 steps in. 

The following examples are success stories that give insight into the personal struggle of persons making use of 1+1, as well as into how they managed to overcome these challenges.

Mohammed from Gambia is now working as a carpenter in Germany.

Mohammed from Gambia is now working as a carpenter in Germany. Thanks to 1+1, he was able to finish his vocational training and to find a job.

 

Today, the single mother Gina is a professional gardener. Thanks to 1+1, she is now active on the labour market.

Today, the single mother Gina is a professional gardener. Thanks to 1+1, she is now active on the labour market.


Fadel, a former agricultural science student from Syria, needed to rethink his future as a refugee in Germany. With support from 1+1, he was able to finish his vocational training and to become a farmer.

Fadel, a former agricultural science student from Syria, needed to rethink his future as a refugee in Germany. With support from 1+1, he was able to finish his vocational training and to become a farmer.

For full (and further) stories, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/DiakonieWuerttemberg

For the reader, the setting is clear: Most people would like to have a secure income and look towards the future with confidence. But the long-term unemployed, older unemployed people and young people with biographical breaks are particularly in need of help in order to be able to gain a foothold in the labour market and in society. 

This is where Diakonisches Werk Württemberg sets an example with its 1+1 campaign. For more than 30 years, Diakonie has been using this aid fund to promote jobs and training positions for people who are unable to find employment on their own. Aktion 1+1 is based on the fact that diaconal institutions create suitable training and workplaces in addition to the donations given for this purpose.

Finding a job or a training position, especially after a difficult phase in life, is not easy. This is why European cooperation projects like Interreg SIV are needed, as well as local initiatives, such as 1+1.