RESTORATIVE NARRATIVE: “If it bleeds, it leads” is the defining principle in a lot of news; stories of violence and despair take the top position in television and radio broadcasts, newspapers and other outlets. What if instead the news extended the narrative to look at how things might change, or what’s possible beyond a crisis? That’s the animating question behind the work of Images & Voices of Hope (ivoh), which has announced the inaugural cohort of journalists in its “Restorative Narrative” fellowship program. The group says that “Restorative Narratives don’t ignore the difficulties that a person or a community has endured; they explore the rough emotional terrain of the situation but focus on recovery and resilience more than devastation and despair.”

The fellows have been chosen, and ivoh is now raising funds to support the work of the inaugural class. Click here to read more about the fellows and the meaning of “restorative” narrative, or go straight to their crowdfunding page here.

STORYTELLING FOR CROWDFUNDING: In other news, the CauseVox blog offered some tips on how nonprofits can use storytelling to raise funds for Giving Tuesday; that day is already more than a week past, but the tips are useful for other crowdfunding efforts. The organization also has a free guide on using “Hollywood Storylines for Nonprofit Crowdfunding.”

HEROES AND SUPERHEROES FOR CHANGE: In my ongoing series for the online edition of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, I’m looking at examples of outstanding nonprofit storytelling. The latest column, to be published later today, Wednesday, December 10, looks at two groups invoking stories of heroism to create change. “Heroes Narrative” helps people tell their own stories as “heroes” for change, and the Opportunity Agenda features an original super-hero character as the public face of its communications toolkit — because heroes tap into deep cultural currents. Who, after all, has not wanted to save the day, at least once?