The Simple Power of a Story
A Story from Jake Engel | Co-founder, Artifactual
Some moments circle back with a kind of quiet significance – the kind you only recognize once you are standing inside them again.
About six years ago, I sat on a grant-making committee inside a large financial institution in Indianapolis. We had designed a pitch process to request project funding that felt polished and efficient – ten minutes, clear criteria, and a hopeful line of nonprofits waiting to make their case. Most arrived with the usual tools of persuasion: slide decks, printouts, and rehearsed pitches.
Then one man took a seat at the table with nothing but his own lived experience. A retired professional who saw older adults in his neighborhood struggling to age safely in their homes. Dave had gathered $5,000 of his own money and rallied a few friends to start a small nonprofit that offered free critical home repairs. His voice carried the steady conviction of someone who had looked directly at a problem and decided to take responsibility for it.
That single story moved the room. It created clarity, trust, and a sense of purpose that lingered even after he left. It also reshaped my own path. I personally kept in touch with the founder, drawn to the honesty of his mission, and eventually joined the Board of Directors when I was still in my early twenties.
Since then, the organization – now Home Repairs for Good – has grown into a citywide force with a staff of fourteen and more than 6,000 completed repair projects for older adults across Indianapolis.
And this week, I walked back into that same building. Only this time, I was there to accept a donation on behalf of the organization I once voted to support. The moment felt full-circle in the best way – a return shaped by a simple story that never lost its power.
For those of us who work in marketing, communication, or storytelling, the lesson stays sharp. Complexity can feel comforting. It gives us something to hold. Yet audiences often find their way to us through something much simpler — a human account of why the work matters. The truth told plainly. A moment that carries meaning because someone lived it.
The story of Home Repairs for Good began with one person sharing what he saw and choosing to act. That story grew into a mission, and the mission grew into a community.
And today, I get to bring many of the stories of our organization to life by being part of our Communications Committee and social media outreach. What started as a small, quiet story has become nationally recognized, including a recent feature on the Kelly Clarkson Show, Fox59’s Indy Now, and highlights in local media across the circle city.
Sometimes the most effective thing we can offer as leaders, marketers, communicators, and neighbors is the courage to tell a clear, honest story and let it do what stories naturally do: move people.
Moments like this remind me how far a clear story can travel. So if you are building something — a brand, a mission, a message — return to the human truth at its center. Tell it. Share it. Let it guide your decisions.
The power of Dave’s simple story has changed thousands of lives — including mine.
If you want to explore new ways to tell your brand’s story, reach out anytime to Jake Engel at jake@artifactualagency.com or 812.528.3117.
