One of the five types of brand stories I discuss in my latest book, Magnetic Stories, is Community Stories. This is when companies share stories of their employees doing great things in their community. The global professional services firm EY do this by sharing stories in different formats about employees that are making a difference.

Faith Buhle Moyo

One such story is about Faith Buhle Moyo from Zimbabwe. Her Community Story is featured on the EY website in written and video format. She shares her own experience of being an entrepreneur in Zimbabwe and not having access to knowledge or help to sustain her small business. Faith’s story highlights the challenges of running a business in Zimbabwe that she experienced when she opened up a successful coffee shop with her father. An extract of her story is as follows…

She believed her business had potential; but, like most Zimbabweans, Faith and her father lacked the business acumen or financial management skills to manage its growth. When the shop closed two years later, Faith wondered what could have been if there was a professional service organisation to help her and her father through their growth.

Now working in the EY member firm office in Zimbabwe, she’s determined to help her country’s entrepreneurs access the kind of professional support she and her father needed. She helped launch the EY Business Accelerator program in 2017 and currently acts as the project manager.

The Outcome

Faith’s story was also featured as one of the global winners of the EY award ‘Better Begins With You’. While researching my book, I interviewed Faith to find out how winning the award, but, more importantly, EY sharing her story has helped her and her cause.

Faith told me that the opportunities that have come about because of the award and subsequent sharing of her story have been overwhelming. She said that the most significant impact from EY sharing her story is that she has been able to reach more people and have a greater impact.

Benefits of Sharing Community Stories

The real benefit of companies sharing employees’ stories of the good things they do in the community is demonstrated in the final story Faith told me. Soon after EY shared her story, and before she’d had any public speaking experience telling her story, she received a call from a preacher who went to the same gym as her dad. The preacher asked her to come and speak to the young people at his congregation. It was her first ever public speaking experience. She said the feedback from those young people was so inspiring, helping her realise that…

‘nothing inspires me more than inspiring the youth’.

In sharing her story, EY gave her a platform to do more of that. This was recognised recently, when Faith was listed in the Top 50 Most Inspirational Women in Zimbabwe for 2021.

Sharing stories about the good work employees undertake in their community, not only does wonders for your employees’ personal brand and reputation, but by association it also reflects well on your brand and reputation.

How many Faith’s do you have in your company and how could you share their story?

Want to know more about Faith?

I am conducting a live interview with Faith this Friday 3rd September at 4pm AEST. You can tune in via LinkedIn, Facebook or YouTube.