Choose to Write a Bigger Story

nonprofit

Everywhere I go—from villages outside Kandy, Sri Lanka, to community centers in Amman, Jordan, to offices at the State Department in Washington, D.C.—I find people with a similar story. When thousands of people discover that their story is also someone else’s story, they have the chance to write a new story together. —Eboo Patel

On Wednesday, October 17, I will be watching a performance by my dear friend and neighbor Francesca Peppiatt at “Choosing to Be Here” a Storytelling Festival in a series of one-night-only performances about living in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood—my neighborhood.

Each night a different combination of storytellers, accompanied by live music, will weave tales of community, neighborhood, fitting in, and how we connect—sometimes successfully, sometimes not.  Every night culminates in Julie Ganey’s acclaimed one-woman show “Love Thy Neighbor . . . Till it Hurts,” directed by Megan Shuchman.

A long-time Rogers Park resident, Ganey, asks: “What does it mean to be a good neighbor in a diverse community?” It’s a tenacious look at how we misunderstand, mistake and misjudge each other—and choose to live together anyway.

Sound familiar? I think these artists are on to something. It’s not just about the neighborhood. It even goes beyond community. In my view, the bigger picture is about empathy—walk in my shoes as I walk in yours.

Let’s think of ourselves as a neighborhood of philanthropists, social innovators, and changemakers. It doesn’t matter how large or small, young or old our organizations are. Each of us is fighting for a worthy cause. We’re all trying to do work that truly matters. But why does it seem like too many nonprofits still go it alone? Why are there still only a few who, like a good neighbor, reach out to the agency a few blocks away and see what they both can accomplish together? Instead, why do we misunderstand, mistake and misjudge each other?

The household of a single mom with an infant and aging parent is most likely being served by three separate agencies. If they can weave their energies together to mirror the story of this household, only then will they start to realize greater desired outcomes. When organizations understand each other deeply and discover a similar story, only then will they be able to write a new story together that can profoundly change their community.

The Side Project Theater Company is hosting the festival which runs Sundays through Wednesdays until October 31st.  The Side Project is located at 1439 W. Jarvis (just east of Greenview) in Jarvis Square of Rogers Park.

For more storytelling:

The Power of Symbols
Symbols have been used to inspire change throughout history. They have embodied powerful ideas, stories, people and societies. This session uses the graphic arts to stir creative thinking about your organization’s identity and develop your own visual language that translates your story into compelling and memorable images.
Key take-away: Are the colors and pictures in your communications effectively delivering the intended message?
Teaching Artist: Lindsay Obermeyer
Thursday, October 18, 2012 – REGISTER

Write Your Story for Video
Let’s face it: The media landscape has been forever changed by the internet. Aside from social media, video is a major component in engaging your audience. Today, Youtube is the second largest search engine next to Google. When used effectively, video can not only help you rank in searches but can also compel viewers to ‘share’ your story across the web and give you and your organization the potential to reach hundreds to even millions of people interested in your cause or service. This workshop focuses on the best approach to creating content for your video campaign.
Key take-aways: (1) What aspect of your organization’s story can be best communicated through video, and (2) how do we streamline the message into a brief but memorable narrative.
Teaching Artist: Jessica Christopher
Tuesday, November 13, 2012 – REGISTER

Grantmakers and the Nonprofit Ecosystem: Part 2

nonprofit

In my last post, Grantmakers and the Nonprofit Ecosystem: Part 1, I shared my views on the findings of the Donors Forum 2011 Economic Outlook with regard to long-term sustainability on the nonprofit sector.

Today in Part 2, I present highlights of the panel discussion at the recent Breakin’ It Down Fundraising Program, where the speakers talked about how nonprofits can create new ways to deliver on their mission in the midst of the economic recession and government cutbacks to services. Valerie S. Lies, President and CEO of the Donors Forum, moderated the panel which consisted of Karina Ayala Bermejo, General Counsel of Metropolitan Family Services, Jonathan Brereton, CEO of Accion Chicago, and Andrea T. Mills, Director of Fiscal Management Associates, LLC.

Mills began her talk by asking the question, “Can our programs have stronger impact if we strengthen other parts of the organization?” She followed the logic of how program effectiveness cannot stand on bad financial management. Nonprofits seem to have their hands tied to proving that all funds raised goes to programs. According to Mills, we need to invest in the infrastructure that will support all efforts to create significant outcomes. Mills also mentioned what turned out to be the overarching theme of the day – collaboration. Organizations should share resources to realize efficiencies and volume savings from vendors.

Brereton told the story of how Accion had to refocus and rebuild after nine years in order to regain their strength as a high-impact microlender to small independent businesses. After doing the necessary downsizing, they began the honest conversations with all stakeholders in their community about what were essential to get Accion on a long-term sustainable path. Transparency was another recurring theme of the day. Brereton also emphasized that the efforts of the board of directors to set solid expectations in the beginning and see them through effectively got everyone marching to the beat of the right drum.

Bermejo held the attention in the room with her recounting of the conversations she participated in with Hull House in 2011. She qualified them as healthy conversations because they centered on collaboration. Hull House needed to find a new home for their critical programs and services. According to Bermejo, it was a high priority for Metropolitan Family Services to keep Hull House teams intact to maintain the integrity of their programs. Bermejo credited the due diligence of the MFS Board in matching their capacity with what came from Hull House in order to preserve the legacy of Jane Adams.

The panel discussion wrapped up with what seemed to be a shared view by many in the room: that stakeholders in finance, programs and development need to have an open dialog about their new collective narrative, what roles they can effectively play and how they can work in sync to move their story forward.

Onward to our last workshops for the year:

Take advantage of our Special Offer
Reduced rate, $45 per person and $30 for each guest you bring.
(regular rate $75)

The Power of Symbols
Symbols have been used to inspire change throughout history. They have embodied powerful ideas, stories, people and societies. This session uses the graphic arts to stir creative thinking about your organization’s identity and develop your own visual language that translates your story into compelling and memorable images.
Key take-away: Are the colors and pictures in your communications effectively delivering the intended message?
Teaching Artist: Lindsay Obermeyer
Thursday, October 18, 2012 – REGISTER

Write Your Story for Video
Let’s face it: The media landscape has been forever changed by the internet. Aside from social media, video is a major component in engaging your audience. Today, Youtube is the second largest search engine next to Google. When used effectively, video can not only help you rank in searches but can also compel viewers to ‘share’ your story across the web and give you and your organization the potential to reach hundreds to even millions of people interested in your cause or service. This workshop focuses on the best approach to creating content for your video campaign.
Key take-aways: (1) What aspect of your organization’s story can be best communicated through video, and (2) how do we streamline the message into a brief but memorable narrative.
Teaching Artist: Jessica Christopher
Tuesday, November 13, 2012 – REGISTER

Grantmakers and the Nonprofit Ecosystem

nonprofit

Last week’s Breakin’ It Down Fundraising Program, featured a panel discussion about how nonprofits can create new ways to deliver on their mission in the midst of the economic recession and government cutbacks to services. Valerie S. Lies, President and CEO of the Donors Forum, moderated the panel which consisted of Karina Ayala Bermejo, General Counsel of Metropolitan Family Services, Jonathan Brereton, CEO of Accion Chicago, and Andrea T. Mills, Director of Fiscal Management Associates, LLC.

Lies began the session by describing the current state of affairs as indicated in the Donors Forum’s Economic Outlook 2011: Signs of Recovery but Challenges Persist. What struck me from this report as potentially having the most impact on nonprofits and the people they serve is the suggestion from grantmakers for consolidation of the sector to increase long-term sustainability.

In my view, mergers and any kind of restructuring will not only change how the organization operates in its resulting form; they will also affect how sector leaders can effectively promote innovation. Real outcomes don’t come from one-size-fits-all solutions. Real social impact springs from having made choices that are relevant and specific for a person in a particular situation.

The most serious change will be on the nonprofit’s social fabric in which their mission is deeply rooted. They would have to unravel what brought them together as a community. With their identity dissolving and their voice fading, what’s left is the hope that people will keep their mission alive and continue to tell their story. On the other hand, the entire sector still has a collective narrative we need to tell. What kind of story will evolve from a culture of consolidation?

The Economic Outlook summary does end on a brighter note – one that promotes collaboration:

“…the general preference is to focus on improving the capacities of individual organizations, influencing the sector through “modeling” of “best practices,” and collaborative relationships between grantmakers and nonprofits.”

Yes, there is limited funding available. Therefore, grantmakers can make the most bang for the buck by investing strategically to change the ecosystem and make it more supportive for organizations to deliver on their mission. This is an essential role to play in the collective narrative. Only then can we begin to tell a story about real sustainability.

Next week: Part 2 with highlights of the panel discussion.

Take advantage of our Special Offer
Reduced rate on our last workshop for the year.
$45 per person and $30 for each guest you bring.
(regular rate $75)

Write Your Story for Video
Let’s face it: The media landscape has been forever changed by the internet. Aside from social media, video is a major component in engaging your audience. Today, Youtube is the second largest search engine next to Google. When used effectively, video can not only help you rank in searches but can also compel viewers to ‘share’ your story across the web and give you and your organization the potential to reach hundreds to even millions of people interested in your cause or service. This workshop focuses on the best approach to creating content for your video campaign.
Key take-aways: (1) What aspect of your organization’s story can be best communicated through video, and (2) how do we streamline the message into a brief but memorable narrative.
Teaching Artist: Jessica Christopher
Tuesday, November 13, 2012 – REGISTER

Mission driven means believing in what’s personal

nonprofit

When you have a moment, take a quick inventory of your current communication materials — brochure, postcard, poster, website, annual report — and ask yourself two questions:

1. Do these tell a unique story about my organization?
2. Does the story reveal what we believe in?

Belief systems can be viewed as being “too personal.” But then, what else would it be? Powerful stories are personal. People will care about what other people care about. Your mission becomes clear and compelling only if it’s rooted in a human struggle, the courage to take risks and faith in the choices you’ve made along the way. Which brings me to a third question:

3. How can we get someone to share our beliefs?

Your personal story is always a good place to start.

Take advantage of our October Special Offer
Reduced rate on October storytelling workshops
$45 per person and $30 for each guest you bring.
(regular rate $75)

Don’t Let Words Get in the Way
While words are important-when we are most moved, when we are touched to our very core-words often seem inadequate. Communicating without words makes your message universal. If you can clearly convey your story without speaking, it will resonate with audiences of diverse cultures and backgrounds who might otherwise be hindered by language barriers. It’s the first step to developing the essence of your story. It can also lead to a memorable campaign that maintains the same level of impact across all media: print, online, video, or live.
Key take-away: Create a strong framework for your story centered on the characters and their motivations to reveal a clear, basic message that can engage a wider audience.
Teaching Artist: Gregg Steigmeyer
Thursday, October 11, 2012 – REGISTER

The Power of Symbols
Symbols have been used to inspire change throughout history. They have embodied powerful ideas, stories, people and societies. This session uses the graphic arts to stir creative thinking about your organization’s identity and develop your own visual language that translates your story into compelling and memorable images.
Key take-away: Are the colors and pictures in your communications effectively delivering the intended message?
Teaching Artist: Lindsay Obermeyer
Thursday, October 18, 2012 – REGISTER

See you in October!

Leadership and Designing Change

nonprofit, ,

I recently volunteered at the 2012 BoardSource Leadership Forum where more than 800 nonprofit leaders from across the United States had the opportunity to network, exchange ideas and participate in thought-provoking sessions. The name of the event was Designing Change: Commit. Connect. Collaborate.

My biggest takeaway was that in order to develop true innovation in governance, leaders need to move away from their comfort zones and dare to do something they’ve never done before. From personal experience, I know I’ve made the shift when my heart beats ten times faster, palms sweat and I simply couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. It’s a combined feeling of anxiety and triumph knowing in your gut that something great is about to happen. You just have to stay the course.

We also must not lose sight of the other important part of the equation–having the right partners in your journey. We’ve heard it before and it was repeated many times during the two-day forum: Collaboration is key. Work with individuals and groups who share your mission and can easily align with your efforts. No one organization should go it alone.

During the closing plenary, Linda C. Crompton, President & CEO of BoardSource, highlighted a three-part vision that started with the question “WHAT IF?” Following is an excerpt of Crompton’s remarks.

WHAT IF: We looked at our board recruitment in a whole new way?

Getting the right people, and the right mix of people, is both an art and a science. It means going outside your comfort zone and thinking about new ways to find board members.

The Commitment:

  • Analyze your board’s skill sets and expertise and identify gaps.
  • Be open to board candidates outside of your existing network.
  • Prevent the composition of your board from becoming static by using term limits.

WHAT IF: Every board lived a culture of inclusion?

Living a culture of inclusion means bringing together a diverse group of people, then ensuring that every member’s voice is heard and valued.

The Commitment:

  • Have an honest conversation about whether or not your board is inclusive.
  • Commit to a written plan of action on how your board might need to change.
  • Seek support if training or other resources are needed.

WHAT IF: Collaborative leadership took hold in the boardroom?

In the best boards, members share leadership. Boards that share leadership and responsibility discover new sources of strength and intellect they never knew existed.

The Commitment:

  • Assess and discuss how well your board is sharing leadership.
  • Provide meaningful leadership opportunities for all board members and rotate officer positions.
  • Ensure that your executive committee is not marginalizing the rest of your board.

Crompton’s What IF’s can be summarized in what I believe to be an essential step to advance your cause with real impact: In order for change to happen, you first must change your story.