TEAM TASK: Taking your behavior-led Results Framework and the sample outline for a strategy narrative, draft the narrative for your program’s strategy.
Step Output: Strategy Narrative
Tool Needed: No tool, but see a sample narrative outline on our Resources page
In these step description pages we give you a breakdown of everything you need to do to get started with program design. Completing all the steps (5 per phase, 15 total for the whole process) will round out phase two of the Think | BIG approach, called Design and Manage. Steps for each phase match the goals for that phase of behavior integration guidance (BIG). We also tell you what tools we have to help you with each step and the main task for your team. Time to move forward!
Strategy narratives capture all your program decisions:
It tells your partners, your organization, and your donors why money should be spent on this goal and this program. You need to give it the appropriate amount of effort and TLC. It’s your sales pitch!
Donors want to know not only what you plan to do, but how you plan to do it. BIG helps you construct behavioral language that shows them what and how. Take a look at some proven, effective sample language that can be copied to clipboard and used directly in your narrative. We work hard to help you get as far as we can and make sure that you can keep behaviors at the heart of your program. Be sure to leverage our expertise and experience by using our samples and examples.
You’ve been spending your sweat equity working through the BIG process. So, by this step, you have all the pieces. You just need to pull them together into a persuasive narrative. A good strategy narrative contains the following set of standard aspects:
The language and order of parts in your specific strategy narrative will vary, depending on what organization you are submitting this to. Also, if you hope to fund your program from a specific pot of money, then those donors will probably provide you with narrative content specifics. Make sure to use them!
Let’s talk a little bit about some parts of the strategy narrative, where your previous work and the behavior-centric approach will really shine.
The Context or Background section
BIG has already pushed you, from the beginning, to make all your behavioral decisions based on evidence. You can highlight here what evidence is most important to your goal and your priority behaviors, like the causes stopping you from reaching your goal. You can also illustrate how you used your evidence to guide your decisions and that you came prepared to:
all while looking at the evidence through a behavioral lens.
You would highlight here, based on your evidence, what other issues or country aspects might be of concern in carrying out any program. For example, an upcoming election, remaining repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, or a shift in environmental conditions (more rain than usual, less rain than usual, etc.). Remember, donors want to see that you know the environment in which you will carry out your program.
The Current Situation section
Again, you can strongly demonstrate how your evidence is guiding your decision making. You can showcase a solid understanding of your priority behaviors –
Don’t forget: donors hate overlap and redundancies. So, BIG helps you demonstrate: (1) how you have considered the whole ecosystem of the current situation and (2) that you made your choices of priority behaviors, factors, and supporting actors based on this consideration.
The Approach Used section
Here you will first present an overview of behavior integration – what it is and what’s the value-add of behavior integration, especially in keeping behaviors at the heart of your program. Then you need to provide a few specifics on how behavior integration works: the steps, the outcomes, and the tools used to arrive at your decision. This is basically what you did in Step 1 through Step 7 of BIG. Now, you just need to capture what you want to emphasize.
For example, do you want to emphasize more on the Behavior Profiles and less on the Behavior Summary because this analysis has really resonated throughout the design process? Or does putting a spotlight on the selection and prioritization of behaviors bring the most value in your context because it’s so different and cutting edge for your country? Or perhaps you’d like to draw attention to the Behavior Summary because it demonstrates your understanding of how to create program synergies, maximize your resources, and reduce redundancies?
You know your context best and will decide where to place the right emphasis. But BIG gives you the information you need to go in the right direction. Keep in mind that most donors aren’t as interested in the process as we are (unfortunately!). Try to keep this section to one page or one and a half pages maximum.
The Project Specifics section
When using BIG, your project specifics section is already written! You did this with your great work developing Behavior Profiles and your Behavior Summary. Instead of writing the traditional long sentences, showcase your behavioral thinking by presenting your decisions in a table following the pathways to change. It will show donors how you selected your interventions and why you believe these interventions will make a difference: How they will address your critical factors, change your priority behaviors, and lead to the achievement of your goal.
Most donors are only really interested in what activities you are going to carry out and how much that will cost. You need to show them those activities. But also highlight the value of thinking of those activities as stemming from behaviors. Not as activities in isolation. That’s the way you can achieve the best results.
Again, refer to the sample language to see what we might have already written that could be used in any of these sections. (Who doesn’t love a good free sample…)
In the end, your strategy narrative should reflect:
Putting your passion, evidence, and thoroughness in writing to engage funding, buy-in, and support is always one of the toughest parts of being at the leading edge of new approaches. You can rely on Think | BIG and our suite of behavior-led tools to equip you with everything you need to get others on board and get your program off the ground.
You’re down to the last mile before implementation. Time to design more specific activities and represent those in your strategy work plan.
Still have questions on Step 8 before completing the drafting of your narrative? Then check this out!
Or let us hear from you so we can help. We’re Team You all the way!
Think | BIG was developed under the ACCELERATE project, which was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by The Manoff Group, Inc. in association with Howard Delafield International, OneWorld UK, Social Impact, Inc., and Sonjara, Inc. The information on this website does not necessarily represent the views of USAID or the United States Government.
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