December 7, 2020

Tonight, The Fedcap Group celebrates its annual Celebration of the Power of Possible Gala. The theme this year is Stories That Ignite the Heart!

I find myself thinking a lot about stories and their impact.

In a piece by Mark Minelli entitled Science Behind Storytelling he states, “While our ancestors sat around the campfire listening to the tribal storyteller, we now sit in cinemas, theatres or in front of TVs, computers and mobile phones to share the stories of our lives. In fact, the universal nature of storytelling in part explains our shared, evolved human psyche.” It’s one of the reasons many of us are such voracious readers.

We seek out stories that stimulate our intellect and engage our emotions. Across every culture, organization, family and group of friends, stories are what connect us. According to Minelli, “Over the centuries we have used narrative story structure as the most elegant way to communicate our messages, passions, vision and who we are.”

While data and analysis are the lifeblood of The Fedcap Group, the stories—of our staff, board and clients—are our heart. It’s our own story that brought us to the organization and creates interest in our work. While we rely on numbers as evidence of the value of our work and to guide us in our decision making, without a corresponding story about human impact, the data doesn’t resonate. It’s the story that makes the data matter.

So, as we virtually gather tonight, reflecting on our 85+ years as an organization and the impact that we’ve had on the lives of millions, we’ll hear both old and new stories. We’ll be moved and inspired. We’ll remember why we do what we do every single day.

And I believe we will all be the better for it.

I invite you to join us tonight for our 2020 Celebration of the Power of Possible Gala. If you have not already registered, you can do so right here.

The preshow will begin at 5:30pm ET followed by the virtual event, promptly at 6pm ET.