I had a recent conversation with Mike Servais, Executive Director of Marketing and Resource Development at the Nashville Area Command of The Salvation Army to hear his thoughts on the importance of storytelling as it relates to the world of non-profits.
Scott: You obviously have a heart for the mission and work of The Salvation Army. What sparked your interest and passion in the Army?
Mike: The Salvation Army rescued my father, his brother and two sisters and mother from a junkyard shack in Green Bay during the Great Depression. They became homeless when the alcoholic father was jailed for theft. He was known in their French village as “The Devil.” The Army arranged medical care and cures for my Dad’s polio and his little sister’s brittle bones due to malnutrition. The Army also placed the family in permanent housing and the kids in English speaking schools where they quickly learned to speak that language. Upon release from prison, the father accepted Christ and commited his life to the Army as an officer.
One of my grandfather’s assignments, during their 45 year officership, was development officer for the Salvation Army division headquartered in St. Louis. My parents met, fell in love and married while playing in The St. Louis Salvation Army band. I and my spark and passion were born in the Army’s Booth Memorial Hospital in 1944.
Scott: What gets you up in the morning?
Mike: Rice Krispies, two devotional readings, a stretch and swim at the Y and the possibility of making a difference.
Scott: Story is a big buzz word right now. How important is the topic of “story” as it relates to the work of The Salvation Army?
Mike: The Salvation Army is a collage of stories — like the Servais family story — experienced daily since the Holy Spirit and William Booth launched it in 1865. Of course, so is Christianity.
Scott: What is the “story” of The Salvation Army?
Mike: Friday night, an intoxicated street person will savor the full flavor and live musical sounds of The Salvation Army Soup Wagon beneath the Jefferson Street Bridge. Saturday morning, 250 children will gain the experiences of The Salvation Army’s International Youth Soccer League, less than a mile from that bridge. Sunday morning, and night, several hundred children and adults will worship at the four Salvation Army worship and service centers in Nashville. Monday morning, thirteen homeless families and eight single women will begin a new week of labor and learning at The Salvation Army’s Transitional Housing program two blocks from the bridge. Tuesday and Thursday evening, The Salvation Army Life Skills Learning program director and volunteer tutors will teach and encourage as many as twenty adult GED trainees at that same facility. The story is perpetual and reciprocating and intergenerational.
Scott: How often do find yourself sharing a story with a potential donor?
Mike: Almost every day. Donors love the Army’s stories.
Scott: Do you think individuals who work for non-profits need to fine tune their storytelling abilities? Why or why not?
Mike: Of course they do. The stories are much more important than the budgets and graphs and charts. They’re personal. They create conduits for empathy and altruism.
Scott: Has a story changed your life?
Mike: Yes. The Salvation Army’s daily stories molded my life. Grace and a sense of God’s utility for my life changed it and gave it meaning.
