Focus, people!

Image by Truthout.org via Flickr

Watching the nightly news recently, I saw a sweet story about a private school where the students were helping the homeless by contributing new sheets for a shelter. The reporter was interviewing adults about how important is was for children to learn about those in need and to contribute. I totally agree. But is it really about giving things that don’t really help?

I don’t mean to pick on just the sheets for the shelter campaign. Let’s talk about food banks. People rush to empty their cupboards of cans they haven’t used in years or go to the grocery store and snap up two for one items to contribute. Yes, the thought is appreciated but food banks would rather have the money. That’s because they have access to purchase lots more food with $1 then a contributor can buy at the local grocery.

Yes, cash is always king for a nonprofit but there are times when nonprofits could use help from the general public through advocacy. Emails, letters, tweets to elected officials about government funding or changing a law can be just as valuable as the dollars to create the campaign.

It may sound like I’m griping but it really is more about focus. People don’t take the time to really investigate an issue and find out what they can do that will really help. Nonprofits are not good at prioritizing what they need and making the case for it. And most nonprofits don’t want to offend anyone or turn away anything even if it doesn’t work well with their goals and/or mission.

As for the homeless, please advocate with your elected officials about concepts like daycare facilities and permanent affordable housing with services. There are many organizations that desperately need cash donations. As for the food banks, remember cash is king and they can stretch a dollar in more ways than you can.

Words vs. jargon vs. actual meaning

I attended a great conference in Minneapolis recently that was a retreat for LISC offices from the Southeast and Midwest. One of the sessions featured a panel discussion about the use of marketing, advertising and public relations to help build a donor base.

In the question and answer period, one attendee asked about the negative connotation of a phrase that is important to the housing redevelopment industry – affordable housing. On its face, affordable housing means just that – housing that is affordable for all people. Unfortunately, in today’s world, to many people, the term affordable housing conjures up the image of dilapidated buildings that warehouse people and serve as a haven for criminals. No, it’s not the truth but it’s the perception.

My advice to the attendee was to not use the phrase. Use something like ‘workforce housing’ or ‘housing for teachers, retail workers, and medical office workers.’ Paints a totally different picture, doesn’t it.

Yes, it’s sad that we live in a media world where estate taxes have become ‘death taxes’ and being ‘liberal’ is a bad thing. But there is a way around it. Nonprofits need to take special care with their words and not use jargon that is tied to their industry (that’s simple – because most people won’t understand what it really means). Your positive perception and a possible donation could be riding on it.