Write the storytelling part of your grant in 10 minutes.
A specific, well-told story moves people to give in ways that statistics do not. Yet most NGOs leave storytelling out of their grant proposals, or bolt it on after the budget is already set. This tool helps you build it in from the start.
In a few quick steps, you'll get:
- A clear answer to who you're trying to move, what you need them to feel, and what you need them to do.
- The right animation style for that emotional path, with reference videos so you know what you're getting.
- A costed list of deliverables, priced in your currency, ready to drop into your budget.
- An editable Word document with the full strategy, budget, partnership, measurement, and sustainability sections written out.
Built by ROUGE Collective, Asia's first B Corp certified animation studio. We work with NGOs and impact organisations across Southeast Asia.
Tell us about your organisation.
This is for the partnership and implementation section of your proposal. You can edit it later.
Who do you need to reach?
Not "the public." Be specific enough that you could write to them by name. The more specific you are here, the sharper the storytelling can be.
Some examples that work:
- 35-year-old urban professionals in Singapore who have never thought seriously about gender-based violence.
- Mid-level civil servants in Jakarta who handle environmental policy and feel cynical about real change.
- First-time voters in Manila aged 18-25 who follow politics on TikTok but don't show up to council meetings.
What do you need them to feel?
Information rarely moves people to act. Emotion does. Pick the feeling that drives the action you need.
This is a feelings wheel built for cause-led storytelling — six emotions chosen for the actions they tend to drive. Click any segment to select. The inner ring is the emotion family, the outer ring is the specific feeling. Once you pick one, the panel below shows an example of what your audience might be thinking when they feel that way.
Why aren't fear, guilt, or pity on the wheel? Seven emotions we leave off, and why. Optional reading, expand if you're curious.
Powerful as the interior emotion of a character on screen, dangerous as the viewer's takeaway. The inner voices below are what the viewer actually thinks when these emotions land, which is what makes them backfire.
Fear
Produces defensive avoidance more often than action.
“This is too much.”
Shame
Almost always triggers defence rather than change.
“This isn't my fault.”
Despair
Drives disengagement.
“What's the point?”
Disgust
Works by othering.
“They brought it on themselves.”
Guilt
Drives short-term action but builds resistance over time.
“I'll donate so they leave me alone.”
Pity
Condescension dressed as care.
“Thank goodness I'm not them.”
Cynicism
Defensive disengagement from being moved.
“Another sob story.”
What action do you need them to take?
Something specific and measurable. A verb someone can actually do.
Examples:
- Donate a recurring monthly amount.
- Vote for a specific bill at the next council meeting.
- Replace three single-use plastic items at home this month.
- Speak up at a community meeting.
- Tell five friends about the issue and share the campaign material.
Pick a visual style.
Three styles, each with a different job. We've highlighted the one that usually works best for your kind of campaign, but the choice is yours.
What do you need to produce?
Set the quantities. The cost updates as you go. These are starting points for your grant budget. We can adjust based on your campaign's specifics.
Why these figures? Each piece is costed by production role and hour, the way a studio actually builds it, not a single flat rate. You are paying for a full team across script, design, animation, audio, and direction, at Southeast Asia rates that sit below studios in higher-cost markets. Every line is itemised in your draft so a funder can check the maths.
Last step — where should we send your draft?
You're done. Add your details and we'll generate your draft now — you can download it on the next screen.
We'll send the occasional update on storytelling in impact work. No spam, no sharing with third parties, unsubscribe in one click.
Your draft is ready.
Estimated total: —