What Nonprofits Can Learn From A Christmas Carol

Lauren Domaszowec
Dec 28, 2025
4 min read

Every December, A Christmas Carol reappears in theaters, classrooms, and living rooms around the world. It is often framed as a holiday tradition or a moral fable about personal redemption. Its origins tell a much more strategic story, one that offers powerful lessons for today’s nonprofits.

Charles Dickens initially planned to publish a pamphlet calling attention to the brutal conditions inside London’s workhouses. His decision followed the release of a parliamentary report that laid bare the cruelty and neglect experienced by the poor. The facts were indisputable. The injustice was undeniable. The urgency was real.

Dickens changed course.

Rather than publishing a pamphlet filled with arguments and statistics, he wrote a story. That choice gave his message a reach and longevity no policy paper could have achieved.

Every nonprofit has data that proves its work matters. Many also struggle to turn that data into sustained donor engagement, long-term giving, or public support. Dickens faced a similar challenge in 1843. He had evidence, moral clarity, and firsthand accounts documenting the devastating realities of poverty in Victorian England. What he chose to do with that information changed how society understood charity itself.

Victorian-era illustration of working-class families and children in the street, reflecting social inequality and the human cost of neglect that inspired charitable reform.

Facts Inform. Stories Endure.

Dickens understood something many nonprofits still wrestle with today. Information alone rarely moves people to act. Reports can be read, acknowledged, and set aside. Stories linger. They are remembered, shared, and retold.

A pamphlet about workhouses would have circulated among reformers and policymakers. A Christmas Carol reached families, employers, workers, and children. It placed readers inside the emotional reality of poverty through Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit, and even Ebenezer Scrooge. The issue stopped being theoretical. It became human.

For nonprofits, the lesson is straightforward. Data matters. Evidence matters. Storytelling is what gives those facts meaning. When numbers are paired with lived experience, supporters understand why the work matters and why their involvement matters too.

Nineteenth-century illustration of a large crowd gathered around a seated authority figure, symbolizing power dynamics, public influence, and responsibility toward vulnerable communities.

Empathy Is a Catalyst for Change

Dickens did not shame his readers or accuse them of moral failure. He invited them into a transformation.

Scrooge begins the story isolated and dismissive. As readers witness his fears, regrets, and awakening compassion, they are encouraged to reflect on their own responsibilities. The change feels possible because it feels personal.

Many nonprofits default to urgency-driven messaging that leans heavily on guilt or crisis language. Urgency can motivate short-term action. Empathy sustains long-term commitment. When supporters recognize themselves in the story, they are more likely to give again, advocate publicly, and stay engaged over time.

Illustration of the Ghost of Christmas Present revealing hardship to a child, representing moral accountability, compassion, and awareness of systemic poverty.

Broad Reach Beats Perfect Precision

A pamphlet would have spoken to a narrow audience already inclined to agree. A Christmas Carol crossed class lines and literacy levels. It was accessible, emotionally resonant, and widely shared.

Modern nonprofits face a similar choice. Messaging that is perfectly calibrated for insiders can unintentionally limit reach. Stories that are clear, compelling, and human invite broader participation. This does not require oversimplifying impact. It requires communicating in ways that welcome people in rather than assuming prior knowledge.

The same dynamic plays out today. A nonprofit can release a well-researched report on housing insecurity and see limited response. When that same organization shares the story of one family navigating the system, donors listen differently. The issue becomes real. Support follows. This is not sentimentality. It is strategic communication grounded in human connection.

Illustration of Ebenezer Scrooge confronted in a dark interior, symbolizing personal reckoning, ethical reflection, and the consequences of social indifference.

Cultural Change Outlasts Campaigns

Dickens could not have known that his story would still shape conversations about generosity and social responsibility more than 180 years later. What he did understand was that culture changes when people internalize values rather than when they are instructed to adopt them.

Many of Dickens’ once-radical ideas about charity and social support are now widely accepted norms. That shift did not happen through a single campaign. It happened because a story reshaped how people understood responsibility and care.

For nonprofits, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. The work is not only about meeting immediate needs or closing a funding gap. It is about shaping how communities understand dignity, responsibility, and shared humanity over time.

Illustration of Charles Dickens speaking to an audience, reflecting thought leadership, advocacy, and the power of storytelling to drive social change.

The Enduring Lesson

Dickens chose narrative over report because he wanted his message to last beyond the moment that inspired it. His success offers a reminder to today’s nonprofits.

When evidence is paired with empathy, messaging gains power. When urgency is balanced with humanity, engagement deepens. When stories lead, impact travels further and lasts longer.

Impact is not only measured by what organizations do. It is shaped by how others are invited to care.

If your organization relies primarily on reports, statistics, or urgency-driven appeals, this is an opportunity to pause and reassess. Consider these questions:

Do our communications help supporters feel connected to the people we serve?
Are we telling stories that show transformation, dignity, and possibility?
Are we inviting donors into a relationship, or only into a transaction?

PhoenixFire Strategic Consulting helps nonprofit organizations make the same strategic shift Dickens made. We can partner with you to translate your impact into stories that build trust, empathy, and sustained support.

If you are ready to strengthen your donor communications, campaign messaging, or organizational narrative, we invite you to start a conversation with us.