Increase donor base by communicating agency strengths
The headlines for nonprofit agencies have been pretty grim lately.
Let’s begin with, “Public Confidence in Nonprofit Groups Slides Back, New Survey Finds.” How about this one: “Half of Charity Employees Report Seeing Ethical Lapses.” This one also grabs your attention: “More Than Half of Nonprofit Executives Report Observing Unethical Fund Raising Practices.”
Other areas of nonprofit work haven’t been spared. There has been media coverage of missed opportunities to save young lives, children who have been failed, and preventable tragic outcomes. According to some pollsters, nonprofit leaders and their agencies now have a lower trust factor than even elected officials—even in New Jersey. Now that is downright frightening.
Paul Light’s research at New York University, which was recently reported in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, suggests that 56 percent of Americans believe that charitable organizations waste money. The research further suggests that only 10 percent believe that charities are “very good” at spending money wisely, and maybe about 17 percent of nonprofits are “very good” at providing services and programs.
My response—and I hope your response—to all of this is: What a fantastic opportunity to differentiate ourselves within our respective communities. I want our agencies to be recognized as one of those 10 percent of wise spenders and one of those 17 percent great providers.
Yes, I am saddened by the sector’s beating, and I would love to turn that around. But, lacking a real or united voice for the sector we can only do it one agency at a time, and that effort begins with my agency and your agency. With general expectations so low and the regard so unremarkable, the opportunity to differentiate from the pack and to capture the attention of the public is quite significant—and imperative.
Let’s begin with the obvious questions. Are you doing a good job? Are you managing resources wisely? Are you operating in an ethical manner? Those are questions well worth some thought and careful verification. Hoping that the answers are all in the affirmative, what next? Do you have a clear and compelling message? Do you have strategies for its delivery? Are your outcomes measurable? Is your community impact meaningful? Are you getting that story out to your constituents and the wider public?
The scandals and lapses all ring so loudly and make an imprint in the public’s mind. The betrayal of trust by members of an alleged “community of caring” is shocking and makes an impact on the public’s memory. Almost everyone remembers the United Way of America scandal more than 15 years ago.
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Make the Even though the U.S. Postal Service is one of the safest employers in the world, to this day if a person flies off the handle they are “going postal.” Balance that image with facts from a study which asked young inner-city children who they would go to if they were frightened and alone on the street. Most answered the postal worker.
Perception is heavily influenced by emotional shock. Clergy abuse of children would certainly be yet another example. Yet, in the examples of the perception of postal workers and the clergy, most people can separate the general bias from the specific individual. And so it is with our sector. Overall confidence is low, it is a dark night in that regard, but there are still some very bright and shining stars. Are you one of them? If not, are you prepared to become one?
Despite scandals making an imprint in the public and weighing heavily on our agencies, staff, and boards, there is so much good news to build upon. It is simply a matter of the lens chosen and the message we craft and deliver.
Do you have good outcomes? Is the impact of your presence in the community meaningful? Are you running an efficient and effective operation? Is your organization transparent and your audits clean? Are you providing care at a best practices level? Are you accredited? I hope the answer to all these questions is yes. If it is, the next question is: Are you telling your story in an effective and compelling fashion? Are you differentiating yourself from that mass of agencies that the community believes to be subpar?
To put it simply, if you are a quality operation, and you are providing quality services, you have one tremendous opportunity to position your agency as part of your community’s asset base and as a solution provider that brings value to the community. You have the opportunity to capture the hearts of volunteers (who are often your best donors) and the ability to make the case for support of your organization’s “capacity to deliver” rather than just your individual programs.
Because discussions of communications tactics take me a tad out of my area of expertise, I would value input from communications and marketing professionals. Contact Malcolm McIntyre, the Alliance director of communications, and make his day by flooding him with suggestions, questions, and ideas for your community and the network.
He and his staff members operate a Marketing and Communications Community of Practice with an online discussion group.
Crafting your message is an art and a science. I greatly value those who have communication skills and expertise. We are blessed at Children’s Aid and Family Services with an extraordinary communications team. If communication strategies and tactics are new to you, I encourage you to link in with McIntyre and his community or to seek support within your local community.
Some fundamental building blocks of the message that we must deliver are obvious. It is imperative for us to lead with a genuine and compelling mission that quickly moves the communication to a focus on results, outcomes, and community impact. As one of our board members was fond of asking: the “so what” and “who cares” questions.
Further, we need to get in front of the perceptions, manage the messaging, and not be defined by the general images and dissatisfactions. It is important to drill down on specifics within certain of our constituencies and with segments of our audience.
For example, the delivery capacity of the organization is invisible to the average funder and donor. If you want unrestricted support you must make clear the benefits of that support and be upfront and clear about administrative costs needed to make it effective. A very hard part of this process is to not compromise on seeking support of mission commitments.
Surely, we all seek multiple supporters when possible, but in the end we need to have the ability to make clear why we must say, “No, it can’t be done well at that level of support.” Sadly, this is a skill and discipline that few in our sector have developed. And thus, the inability to perform on a high level due to resource scarcity further erodes confidence in the sector and our capacity to delivery quality. Control of our data and messaging is vital to controlling our image and charting our future.
Other recent studies on volunteerism found that the number of Americans who volunteer continues to rise and that those who volunteer are more inclined to give generously to the charities with which they volunteer. But, the aspiration to do volunteer work is more than twice the reality. Plus, 56 percent of individuals who make $75,000 or more find it easier to make a donation than to make time to volunteer (although they wish they could).
Why is this important? Because it is clear many in America want to be part of meaningful and effective solutions. They want to make a difference with their time and their money. In addition, they may be skeptical about the effectiveness of many in our sector to make that difference, but when they find that organization in which they believe, they will indeed invest.
Put another way, there are a great number of people who are favorably inclined; we need to make the case and close the deal.
All of this leads back to the simple reality that philanthropy rests upon a solid bedrock foundation of communication. Without strong and effective communications strategies, philanthropic efforts will falter and fail, or at best be mediocre. With all of the bad news for the sector, we are thus presented with the opportunity to differentiate ourselves from those the community distrusts, to trumpet our impact and outcomes, and to invite participation in our efforts via volunteerism and donation.
Let’s get thoughtful and strategic about our message and its delivery. In today’s context of skepticism, the “shining stars” of the sector are going to be quite remarkable and bright. What a wonderful opportunity for us to be recognized as a community asset, a problem solver, and an effective investment for bettering the lives of families and communities.
It has been said that “if you can’t fix it, feature it.” This is one of those moments. Study the causes of the sector’s sad image problems and the sinking confidence level of the community, lean into it, and respond. Craft a message that differentiates your agency from those general impressions; develop a delivery strategy and plan that repeatedly and effectively communicates the strength and impact of your agency. Do it with passion and with a clear and compelling message.
Invest in and work your communications plan with persistence and tenacity. In the end, our survival and effectiveness is not really just about funding. It is about the fabric of relationships that make the support possible. Don’t take your relationship with the community for granted. Don’t let a negative message control you; get out in front of it and steer. In a word: differentiate.
Be one of those that are perceived to be excellent in all areas and get recognized for being the best.
Bob Jones is chair of the Alliance’s Resource Development Services |  |
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