Stuart Matthews
Writer specialising in charity, nonprofit & social enterprise
Getting people to believe in your purpose as much as you, by writing compelling copy about your work
services
Story
Communicate with clear and persuasive stories. Let the people you help explain what it means to them. Build commitment to your purpose within your community.Strategy
Identify your strategic story. Create a single guiding narrative that makes your purpose and impact clear. Find the right places to make your story heard.Support
Copy projects supporting your work: speeches, scripts, email campaigns, landing pages and websites. Every place words go is a chance to tell your story.Detail: Maunga Tapu by Nikau Hindin.
About
I write for people with a purpose. This is how I got here.I was 33 when I found out my dad had tried to write a book. A western. It was an odd choice for a guy who had only lived in Liverpool. But Hollywood's Old West had come to him.He typed out his manuscript while sitting on an RAF base in Lancashire. A picture I have of him in uniform is stamped December 27, 1946. He was 18 and a half.He never mentioned his book. Not once.Not when I turned out to be good at English. Not when I earned my degrees. Not when I got my first writing job. Nor when my craft got me around the world. Not once.When my uncle told me puzzle pieces snicked into place. People had said 'you're creative', but I'd never felt it. The long-lost western tale added a reason. I had my origin story.The knowledge gave me contextual confidence. A crowd of strangers is my worst nightmare, unless I have to interview them. Writer mode goes on and I start asking questions.Speaking to people, writing down what they say, is a simple job. Telling their story is harder. They have to want it too. This is where a purpose gives people an advantage.People with a purpose have a story to tell. And telling it helps you make a difference. You want people to hear.Being heard enlivens people.The most enthusiastic interviewees I ever spoke to were former slaves. They wanted to tell their story. They wanted people to hear. They wanted people to know.Listening to them changed my perspective. Their stories are part of the reason I want my work to have a social impact.That's the power of a story, told by someone who wants you to hear them. And it's why I write for people with a purpose.
