The Ethical Storyteller: Capturing Impact Without Exploiting

Have you ever looked at a charity campaign or impact report and felt uncomfortable with how they portrayed the people they're trying to help?

That feeling in your gut isn't random.

It's your ethical compass pointing north while the storytelling compass points south.

As a charity CEO, I've spent over a decade leading Naz and Matt Foundation , carefully documenting the impact stories of the vulnerable adults we work with.

Now, as a social impact photographer and storytelling consultant based in London, I've captured everything from the lives of service users at a women's charity in Camden to corporate ESG initiatives. Throughout all this work, I've witnessed firsthand how organisations struggle with the same fundamental tension:

How do we show our impact authentically without exploiting the very people we're serving?

The truth is, many purpose-driven brands get this wrong. And it's costing them - not just in reputation, but in real human dignity.

The Dignity Dilemma in Social Impact Communication

Let's be honest about something.

When we document social impact, we're often capturing people at their most vulnerable moments. The homeless person receiving a meal. The refugee family settling into temporary housing. The struggling teen finding community support.

These stories matter. They show real change happening in real lives.

But they also come with enormous responsibility.

I remember photographing for an organisation several years ago. The director asked me to capture "sad faces" of people receiving food parcels because "that's what donors respond to." I politely refused.

That approach might raise short-term funds. But it reinforces harmful stereotypes, strips away dignity, and ultimately perpetuates the very problems we're trying to solve.

There's a better way.

The Power Imbalance

Understanding power dynamics is crucial to ethical storytelling.

Those with cameras, platforms, and audiences hold tremendous power over how stories are told and shared. That power imbalance doesn't disappear just because your intentions are good.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations ( NCVO ) in the UK, led by the wonderful Jane Ide OBE HonDUniv , has highlighted this issue, noting that 'portraying people as passive recipients of aid can reinforce negative stereotypes rather than empower communities." You can read their full ethics guidance at https://www.ncvo.org.uk/help-and-guidance/safeguarding/

As storytellers, we must acknowledge this imbalance and work actively to correct it.

Some questions worth asking:

• Who gets to decide which stories are told?

• Who approves the final images and narratives?
• Who benefits from this storytelling?
• How would I feel if I were in their position?

These questions aren't just philosophical - they're practical guides to more ethical storytelling.

5 Signs Your Storytelling Might Be Exploitative

Before you publish your next impact report or social media post, check for these warning signs:

You're focusing solely on suffering to evoke emotions.

The most powerful storytelling shows both challenges AND resilience. If your content only captures despair, you're missing half the story - and likely exploiting emotional responses.

You're using identifiable images of vulnerable people without proper consent.

Meaningful consent goes beyond a hastily signed form. It means ensuring people truly understand how their image will be used, for how long, and in what contexts. This is especially crucial when working with children, refugees, or anyone in crisis situations.

You're oversimplifying complex situations for emotional impact.

Poverty, homelessness, and other social challenges have complex roots. When we reduce these to simple narratives with easy solutions, we do a disservice to the truth - and often to those we're trying to help.

You're reinforcing harmful stereotypes or saviour narratives.

Is your organisation positioned as the hero swooping in to save helpless victims? This narrative disempowers the very communities you're supporting and ignores their agency and resilience.

You're prioritising donor emotions over subject dignity.

The WaterAid charity in the UK has pioneered a dignity-first approach to storytelling. Their "Untapped" campaign focused on the strength and resilience of communities working to improve their water access, rather than just showing suffering.

The campaign was highly successful both in fundraising and maintaining dignity.

The Ethical Storytelling Framework: RESPECT

Over years of working in sensitive environments, I've been using a framework that helps guide ethical decision-making in storytelling.

I call it RESPECT:

Recognise power dynamics

Acknowledge the inherent power imbalance in storytelling and work actively to address it.

Ensure meaningful consent

True consent is informed, enthusiastic, and ongoing. It can be withdrawn at any time.

Share leadership in storytelling

Invite subjects to participate in how their stories are told and shared.

Prioritise dignity over drama

Choose approaches that maintain dignity even if they're less emotionally provocative.

Emphasise agency not victimhood

Show people as active participants in their own lives, not passive recipients of help.

Consider long-term impacts

Think about how this story might affect the subject in 1, 5, or 10 years.

Tell the whole story

Capture complexity, context, and the full humanity of everyone involved.

This framework provides a practical guide for making difficult decisions about what and how to document social impact.

Practical Tools for Ethical Decision-Making

Beyond the framework, here are three questions I ask before sharing any story or image:

1. Does this maintain the full dignity of everyone involved?
2. Would I be comfortable if I or my loved ones were portrayed this way?
3. Does this show the complete humanity of those involved, not just one dimension?

If the answer to any of these is "no," it's time to reconsider your approach.

Creating ethical guidelines for your organisation doesn't have to be complicated. Start with a simple one-page document outlining your commitments to dignity, consent, and representation.

The most ethical storytelling also involves subjects in the process. This might mean:

• Showing them photos before publication
• Including them in editing decisions
• Letting them tell their own stories directly
• Compensating them for their participation where appropriate

Sometimes, the most ethical decision is walking away from a potentially powerful but problematic story.

That takes courage.

But your organisation's integrity matters more than any single piece of content.

PS. Follow Bahja's work in the community

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In next week's edition of The Social Impact Storyteller I'll be discussing new approaches to visual storytelling that go beyond 'poverty porn'.

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Who am I?

About Matt Mahmood-Ogston

I'm a social impact photographer, storytelling consultant and award-winning charity CEO based in London. My "Social Impact Storytelling Formula" eBook provides a comprehensive framework for creating stories that drive real change while maintaining dignity and authenticity.

Download it free,

Work with me

Book a one off consultation and I'll help you transform how you document your organisation's impact with dignity and authenticity. My approach has helped brands like Google, and charities like Hopscotch and NishkamSWAT, create compelling visual stories that build trust and drive meaningful change. See my portfolio and client results at ogston.com.