What is Narrative Ethnography?
Photo by author. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2012.
Most purpose-driven organizations aren’t struggling because they lack a mission. They struggle because their narrative is scattered, inherited, or stuck in “impact jargon” that doesn’t feel like them.
Narrative ethnography helps organizations return to the truth at the center — the lived experiences, values, tensions, and aspirations that shape who they are.
When most people hear me say, “I’m an anthropologist,” it’s usually followed by, “So you dig up bones and stuff like that?” It’s frustrating to hear that in 2025, anthropology is still mostly associated with fossils and artifacts. The other day, I even came across a reel on Instagram listing college majors by highest unemployment rate, and anthropology ranked number one.
That stung a little.
But it also reminded me why I feel called to this work — to show how anthropology is not just about studying the past but understanding the living, breathing present. Especially within mission-driven organizations, anthropology offers tools for meaning-making, empathy, and internal clarity, all the things an organization needs before investing in external strategy.
Before we get into what narrative ethnography is and why it matters for organizations, let’s start with a brief overview of anthropology itself.
Why Anthropology Matters for Modern Organizations
Forever grateful for the guidance and mentorship of Dr John Burdick, who introduced me to the world of anthropology, for taking me on my first plane ride ever to Brazil, for shaping me who I am today.
In the field, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, 2009
Anthropology focuses on human behavior, culture, and the ways we create meaning — why we believe what we believe and do what we do.
Ethnography is one of its core methods: studying people and cultures through participation, observation, and listening. At its heart, ethnography asks: How does the world look from the inside?
After more than a decade in nonprofit marketing, I realized that anthropology offers something the sector urgently needs but rarely accesses:
A way to understand its own internal identity — before trying to communicate it.
How Narrative Ethnography Works
Narrative ethnography is ethnography with a specific focus on stories — the stories people tell, the language they use, and the meaning they attach to their work.
In practice, this looks like:
interviewing staff and leaders
sitting in on meetings
observing daily rhythms
listening to informal conversations
noticing patterns in language, symbols, and habits
Narrative ethnography reveals not just what an organization does, but how it understands itself from the inside.
It’s where culture, identity, and communication meet.
Why Narrative Ethnography Matters for Organizations
Every organization has two versions of its story:
Emic: the internal story — how your team understands its purpose
Etic: the external story — how funders, partners, and outside audiences perceive you
When those two stories don’t align, confusion follows.
When they do align, clarity follows.
Narrative ethnography helps bridge that gap. It uncovers the fire — the authentic, culturally-rooted truth driving your work — and distinguishes it from the smoke — the generic language, jargon, and borrowed messaging that hides it.
Let’s take an example.
A Real-World Example (Workforce Development)
Imagine an organization focused on workforce development for high school and college students. Many team members have lived the mission themselves — maybe they were first-generation graduates, maybe they came through similar programs, maybe they grew up in the same neighborhoods the organization now serves.
When I come in as a narrative ethnographer, these stories surface.
They reveal:
the personal motivations fueling people’s commitment
the shared values quietly shaping daily decisions
the cultural heartbeat of the organization
the meaning staff create around their work
In other words: the fire beneath the smoke.
And once a team sees itself clearly, once people feel reflected in their story, internal alignment strengthens. People rediscover their “why.” Communication feels more natural. Innovation grows from within because the organization finally knows itself again.
During graduate school at The New School for Social Research, I spent three months doing fieldwork with a youth development center in City of God, Rio de Janeiro.
“If your team can’t clearly articulate what makes you different,
no amount of external marketing strategy will fix that confusion.”
Why Organizations Need Narrative Ethnography
Organizations like B Corps and nonprofits are constantly asked to differentiate themselves. But differentiation without self-definition is impossible.
Narrative ethnography gives organizations the ability to:
articulate identity from within
build internal alignment
strengthen culture
create communications grounded in lived values
A narrative ethnographer doesn’t walk in with templates or pre-written brand language. They walk in with questions. They enter your world. They observe. They listen.
The result is not “better messaging.”
The result is a truer story — one your team feels, believes, and can communicate consistently.
Narrative Ethnography vs. Traditional Marketing
After years in nonprofit marketing, here’s my clear takeaway:
External consultants — strategists, brand experts, communications teams — are essential.
But their work is only as strong as the foundation they’re building on.
If:
your board says one thing…
your staff says another…
your funders hear something else entirely…
…then your narrative isn’t ready for external strategy.
It’s not a failure. It’s a signal.
Narrative ethnography is the work you do before the campaigns, the redesigns, and the visibility efforts.
Clarity first.
Execution second.
When the story is rooted, everything else becomes more powerful.
Narrative ethnography doesn’t replace marketing — it prepares you for it.
Rediscovering Your Fire
Narrative ethnography is more than research. It’s a discovery process that helps mission-driven organizations see themselves fully — their history, their culture, their values, their voice, their fire.
Your organization’s fire is unique.
Your story belongs to you alone.
My work is helping you reclaim it — so your team feels it, and your community does too. When your internal narrative is clear, everything external becomes more honest, more resonant, and more compelling.
Want to discover your organization’s fire?
Learn more about The Fire Framework →