The Challenge
The Matriots, an Ohio-based organization dedicated to increasing women’s representation in politics, found themselves at a pivotal moment after seven years of remarkable growth and impact. With three separate boards, multiple entities, and diverse stakeholders, the organization struggled to maintain a cohesive story and clear direction.
“What we realized is that there were so many people who were telling different stories about who the Matriots are, who we were, who we serve, why we’re here,” explains Emily Schriver, CEO of The Matriots. “That was diluting our story. It made it really difficult for us to give a cohesive story across this ecosystem.”
The organization had expanded beyond its founding purpose of endorsement and funding of women candidates to advance women’s equal participation in all aspects of political life. This mission growth created challenges in communication, fundraising, and organizational structure that needed to be addressed.
“It was getting more complicated in the way we were trying to describe our organization to funders and to our members, but then also to the general public,” Schriver notes. “That was a real tipping point for us in saying we need to get someone on board with us to help narrow the story, focus what we’re doing, help us understand why we’re here [and how to communicate that] in a clear way with the right words.”
That’s when board chair, founding board member and “original marcher” April Zimmerman Katz stepped in, engaging Storyforge CEO (and founding Matriots member) Haley Boehning: “You take this swirling vortex of words, emotions, thoughts, and brainstorming, and then you just pluck the perfect words right out of the air and make it succinct and lovely.” April said, “Everyone’s like ‘yes, that’s exactly what we were trying to say.’”
Creating clarity by aligning everyone in the organization with one meaningful story – of vision, beliefs, purpose and mission – empowered the organization’s leadership team to simplify and focus, from the inside out.
The Results
The work with Storyforge produced transformative results for The Matriots:
- Streamlined Organizational Structure: “When we started, we had three boards that never talked to each other. What this made us realize is that that is too much administrative work… Now we actually have two, still a small staff, still really engaged members, but we did not need to have three boards to meet our missional work,” said Schriver.
- Clarified Values and Decision-Making: One of the Matriots’ values is women supporting other women. “Now we actually have a value that is around that piece of our work and would allow us to really critically think about: How do we see our women behaving in the world of politics?”
- Improved Fundraising: “We had not been able to effectively fundraise for one of the three entities …we couldn’t say what it was doing, why it was doing it. We’re now on our second match campaign for that particular entity. And those matches have been successful, raising more than $100,000 in support of the advocacy work.”
- Strategic Clarity and Direction: “We took the Storyforge framework and we used those three mission elements […] to filter and create our one-year plan, our three-year plan, and our five-year plan… Instead of feeling a little ‘seat of our skirt’, we are able to push our thinking through those mission elements.”
- Confident Leadership: “This framework and the work that we did together gave me clarity in order to say, this is who we are and this is who we’re not,” Schriver explained. “It gives me something to stand on while still being clear and candid with the person across from me that their viewpoint is valid. It just might not be what we’re doing right now.”
The Approach
Storyforge began by listening to the voices of the organization’s diverse stakeholders (from board members to staff to the founders) to establish a foundation for the work ahead.
“Having a neutral, external, knowledgeable individual come in and facilitate conversations – when there are such passionate engaged individuals around the table with their own viewpoints – was super helpful,” says Schriver. “By having a neutral party come in, set up ground rules, set up a parking lot for issues that we’re not here to discuss… it really moved us through the process.”
The process included:
- Stakeholder Interviews: We gathered perspectives from diverse groups including donors, candidates, and former supporters.
“The first thing was asking really different populations how they interact with us, what they see as our strengths, what they see as some of the challenges. That allows us to get a 360-degree view,” Schriver explains.
- Collaborative Workshops: Storyforge spoke with the organization’s founders and brought together the multiple boards to align on the organization’s purpose, mission, and values.
“If I, as the CEO, did not include the founders or the boards in this discussion, it would have led to a bifurcation and a splintering of the mission of the organization,” notes Schriver. “It needed to have that element of the founders there, and the individuals who are deep in the work as board members in collaboration with me.”
- Strategic Framework Development: Alongside key decision makers Storyforge crafted a clear, actionable framework that defined The Matriots’ purpose, mission, and values.
“We went on a really long journey together to [pressure test] purpose, and we came back to where we started, everyone believing that the reason why we exist is the same,” Schriver reflects. “But what has changed is that next layer down, that’s how we get to the world that we envision.”
The Value of Storyforge’s Work
For organizations facing similar challenges, Emily Schriver offered this perspective:
“I thought it was a communications plan [that we needed]. And it’s not a communications plan. This work is instead the foundation on which the organization stands. If you have not built a solid foundation for who you are and what you will do and what you won’t do, then you’ll do just about anything to make sure that your organization survives.“
She continued, “If there was somebody in the same place as me last year who is looking at a set of circumstances where they’re feeling like we don’t know exactly where we’re headed and what problem we’re trying to solve, and how we’re going to get there… I don’t see how you’re able to navigate that water without that external voice, that moderator of the conversation, that level set.”
The strategic framework Storyforge created for them has become an essential tool that guides The Matriots’ work, helping them achieve greater impact in their mission to increase women’s representation in Ohio politics.
“We look so different internally than we did a year ago because we’ve been able to be so strong in this story that we’ve told to ourselves and now that we’re sharing externally,” Schriver concluded. “It’s just fantastic.”
About The Matriots
The Matriots was founded in 2017 after the Women’s March in DC by six women determined to increase women’s representation in Ohio politics. While women represent about 50% of Ohio’s population, they made up less than 30% of elected officials when the organization was founded.
The organization invests directly in women candidates, helping them overcome financial barriers to running for office. With over 400 candidates supported across more than 550 races, The Matriots has achieved remarkable success, including a 75% win rate for their candidates in local elections.
Beyond funding candidates, The Matriots has expanded to create an ecosystem for women in Ohio politics—helping women understand how to participate in politics, supporting them through the campaign process, and amplifying their voices once elected.
To learn more about how Storyforge can help you forge your meaningful story and get everyone and everything in your business on the same page, contact us by clicking the button below.
