InSPiration

Nonprofits and foundations make a difference not just through what they do. They also make a difference with what they say. Is your organization using its credibility on behalf of your community? Here’s how one national nonprofit stepped up to advocate for—not just serve—its families.

Context and opportunity

When Family Equality Council came to LightBox Collaborative for communication guidance it was poised to jump to a new level of work on behalf of families. The organization was approaching its 30th anniversary, emerging as a national organization after a history dotted with name changes and periods of rapid growth. Its programs were rock-solid; they had built a strong constituency by providing connections, information, and resources for families. Well-attended events allowed families with moms and dads who are gay to network, share, and learn from each other, just like any gathering of parents. On the strength of these programs, they were ready to accomplish more.

Strategic approach

Effective communication rests on alignment of words, deeds, and intentions. LightBox Collaborative looks at this as a pyramid. The Family Equality Council was doing a lot of things right. They have a strong foundation of BEing, and were DOing great work. The challenge was finding ways to SAY all of that in a consistent and unified way.

We focused on creating overarching, foundational messages that keep the spotlight on results and not just the day-to-day work. It is clear that Family Equality Council’s sizeable constituency, solid programs, and long standing in the community earns the organization a great deal of credibility. This gives them the opportunity to step up and be an effective advocate for social change—not just for parents who are gay and their children, but as a voice for all families, no matter who is part of the family. They recognize they can use their strong voice to influence policy and culture. We worked with them to create messages that would resonate in the public square.

Results

Steve Majors, director of communications for Family Equality Council, calls the work with LightBox Collaborative “transformative.” “We now have functional, aspirational, and relevant messaging about our work and the impact of our work. We have been able to infuse that into all of our communications to every possible stakeholder you can imagine—board, staff, media, public education campaigns, and partners in the movement. For the first time in our history, we speak clearly and concisely about why we matter and what we do.”

By taking a stand and speaking up, Family Equality Council and its families have advocated for and won state and federal policy changes in the areas of foster care and adoption, relationship recognition, safer schools, health care, employment, housing, and immigration.

What about your nonprofit or philanthropic organization? Talking about the difference you make in the world can help create lasting change for the people that your programs serve. Like Family Equality Council, is your organization ready to take a stand and speak up?

Cynthia Scheiderer is a LightBox collaborator who for years has worked with people in and from foster care and adoption, and also with people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender—which makes Family Equality Council one of her favorite organizations ever. Cross posted at LightBox Collaborative.

“A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

We expect that most of our readers know exactly whose tagline that is. That’s why we were intrigued to read this article in The New York Times, prompted by this one from The Chronicle of Philanthropy, that the United Negro College Fund (now known as just UNCF) is tinkering with its slogan after more than 40 years. A public service campaign rolling out this week expands on the tagline, using “A mind is a terrible thing to waste but a wonderful thing to invest in.” The expanded statement was created by Y&R, the same agency that helped craft the original in 1972.

As consultants who have helped a variety of organizations—including nonprofits, colleges, and government agencies—with their messaging, we recognized the challenge UNCF faced. You want to be fresh and current and have a tagline that truly expresses and helps advance what the organization is accomplishing today, but you don’t want to throw out four decades of investment in what is arguably one of the most known and successful taglines in the the history of taglines.

The Times quotes Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF, as saying the fund proceeded with “great caution” and did not want to undermine the original tagline, but rather to express that UNCF is more than a charity, that contributions to the fund are investments that pay off for individual students, the workforce, and the U.S. economy and global competitiveness. The Times reports that the claim is backed up by a study commissioned by Y&R which found what numerous other studies have concluded about the benefits of higher education: college graduates earn more money, live healthier lives, pay more taxes, are less likely to commit crimes, and use fewer government services. College is a great investment for everyone.

Helping organizations improve communication with their audiences is a painstaking and thoughtful process that requires lots of conversation and careful listening. It’s not something to be analyzed over a news article read at breakfast. That said, we’ll go out on a limb and say that it was smart to keep “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” It will be interesting to see how well the refined communication effort helps UNCF accomplish its goals of attracting greater investments in higher education.

Washington MESA is a Scheiderer Partners client and we were pleased to participate last night in the organization’s 30th anniversary celebration, which drew a big crowd of supporters to Cedarbrook Lodge in SeaTac.

MESA—Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement—provides enrichment opportunities and inspires students underrepresented in STEM fields to pursue education and careers in STEM. For those not steeped in higher-ed-speak, “underrepresented” translates to women and students of color, particularly African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic/Latinos, and Pacific Islanders. MESA students participate in enriched educational experiences and receive practical help preparing for university-level work in STEM fields. MESA’s programs are designed to intervene in the cycles of minority isolation, low self esteem, low teacher expectations, and poor academic performance, and they counter the underdevelopment of minority students with strategies designed to break down the obstacles to achievement in scientific and technological fields.

What is most impressive about MESA, beyond its fantastic success rate, is that it’s a true community partnership, with parents, students, teachers, MESA staff, higher education, and industry all pushing for the same worthy cause. In fact, the MESA list of corporate sponsors is literally an A-to-Z of top Washington firms from AMGEN and Amazon to Intel and Zymogenetics. Boeing, Microsoft, Weyerhaeuser, and PNNL all are represented on MESA’s board of directors.

It was inspiring to hear from alumni of MESA programs who have gone on to success in STEM fields. A great example was the evening’s emcee, Justin Saint Clair, who started out in MESA as a high school sophomore. He went through “the cycle”, serving MESA as a tutor, teacher, volunteer, and board member. Now the past board chair, he’s a project manager at Microsoft.

It’s not all just academics and advising. One student told a story of how a MESA staff person at the UW let him sleep on her couch while he resolved issues with a bedbug-infested apartment in the U-District. That kid from Prosser, once on the verge of quitting, will graduate this spring in a STEM field and is poised to pursue medical school. He hopes to come back as a doctor to his Yakima-Valley town, providing both desperately needed services to the community and inspiration to a new generation to get into STEM. Sometimes the smallest act of kindness or concern can tear down an obstacle and clear the way to success.

Scheiderer Partners will be helping Washington MESA secure stable funding for its programs. It’s good work worth doing, and we’re honored to be part of the team and the MESA community.

I had breakfast this morning at Saint Martin’s University with its president, cabinet, and members of the university’s reaccreditation steering committee. We enjoyed sharing the morning with some special guests—a team of evaluators from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), who arrived on campus to begin a three-day comprehensive evaluation of the university and its qualification for reaccreditation by the commission.

A photo of Old Main at Saint Martin’s University, shot back in June when I was on campus working on the university’s comprehensive self-evaluation report for the NWCCU. Photo: Greg Scheiderer.

I was there as a hired hand; I spent much of the summer working with the steering committee and many others in the Saint Martin’s community preparing the university’s Comprehensive Self-Evaluation Report. This was quite an undertaking; the word “comprehensive” in the title of the report may well be an understatement. The report, at 246 pages, covers everything from the big pictures of the university’s core themes and primary objectives, and touches on university governance, academic programs, student support, and physical infrastructure. It’s a report to the commission about what the university is about and what it sets out to accomplish, and how the university evaluates itself.

My part of the project was to be the primary author of the chapter of the report that covers the university’s resources and capacity, and to edit the entire document for consistent voice and style.

The whole process is like a performance review on steroids. It was so much work to get ready for these three days that I sensed most of the university staffers were relieved that the time for the visit had finally arrived.

Most colleges go through this process. It’s voluntary, but independent regional accreditation is a key that unlocks federal funding for teaching, research, and student aid. But more than that, the process of thorough and rigorous peer review helps institutions work through questions about what they do well, what needs to improve, and how to get there. Accreditation is the stamp of approval that helps us have confidence in institutions of higher education. It’s good to know that so many people put so much time and effort into quality assurance and institutional improvement at our colleges and universities.

You can read the Saint Martin’s report here—it’s a whopper of a PDF file. Best wishes to our clients at Saint Martin’s; we know the week will go well. And if you know of any other colleges that could use some help with their comprehensive self-evaluation reports, send them our way!

The New York Times “You’re the Boss” blog about small business ran a piece Friday by MP Mueller about a stunning new social media tactic: handwritten notes.

The timing of the article was interesting. I was wrapping up a week of business and sales coaching with a personal mentor when Cynthia sent us the article. The coach and I had actually been talking earlier in the week about handwritten notes as a way to get noticed, to stand out in an increasingly digital world, and to demonstrate your commitment to and the value you hold for your clients and colleagues.

A handwritten note can have a big impact, and a nice-looking card with your logo might stay on a contact's desk, bookshelf, or windowsill for a while, keeping you in mind.

Several recent examples help illustrate why we think handwritten notes are a good idea. A friend was surprised and delighted to receive my handwritten thank-you for her introduction to a friend who is a magazine editor. The intro led to a coffee and, soon thereafter, an article assignment. I was making the rounds at a local university when I spotted our distinctive notecard on another client’s windowsill. She had hired me to write a couple of magazine articles and referred me to a colleague who subsequently tapped us for some internal writing work. When another potential client called to offer a gig, the first thing he said was, “Thanks, I received your card” sent in appreciation of the opportunity to interview.

It helps that Scheiderer Partners has a beautiful and memorable notecard designed by the fabulous Jen Pennington of Rhizome Design & Images in Seattle. We think our logo-based card is an eye-grabber and hope its recipients will keep it on display on their desks or bulletin boards for a long time, and that it helps keep us on top of their minds the next time they need the writing, research, strategic communication, or public affairs services Scheiderer Partners offers.

As we wrote previously about making true contacts out of Twitter connections, it takes some effort to cut through the constant chatter of social media and electronic communication in order to successfully reach your audiences. It can help to go old school and put pen to paper. Do you still have a mailbox? Don’t be afraid to use it, and to keep the handwritten note in your communication toolbox.

Seattle-area nonprofit organizations won big May 2 thanks to the Seattle Foundation’s brilliantly conceived GiveBIG event. It was gratifying to watch the online effort unfold during the day as more than $7.4 million was donated—more than twice as much as came in last year. Nearly 38,000 separate contributions were made to the 1,200 nonprofit organizations profiled on the Seattle Foundation website. While the bulk of the donations came from the Seattle area, it’s fascinating to note that contributions came in from all 50 states and 23 foreign countries.

The concept is simple yet effective: get everyone buzzing about a day of giving, and offer to “stretch” any contributions made with a pool of dollars from the foundation and other contributing organizations.

The former certainly worked. Anyone with an email, Facebook, or Twitter account was bombarded over the last week or so with pitches from organizations and friends of organizations looking for support. We were part of that, as we spent the day re-tweeting requests from the many participating organizations we like and follow. The #GiveBIG hashtag was among the Twitter leaders for Seattle all day. The stretch worked better than anyone realized; the day after GiveBIG, donors kicked in an additional $300,000 to the stretch pool, bringing the total available to $800,000. The stretch was a big draw that allowed every donor’s buck to do more.

It also is interesting that arts and culture organizations received the largest dollar value in donations, $1.66 million. Scheiderer Partners contributed to two theater companies, GreenStage, a client for which we’re doing marketing work, and Balagan Theatre, where Greg serves on the board of directors. Even though few of us have the resources to support every deserving group we like, the beauty of GiveBIG is that it gets donors energized and everyone seems to get a good bit of support and recognition.

“GiveBIG brings together two of our region’s greatest passions—technology and philanthropy—in a way that truly excites and unites the people of King County,” said Norman B. Rice, president and CEO of The Seattle Foundation. “I have never seen a stronger display of generosity and community spirit than what I witnessed today with GiveBIG.”

Congratulations to all of the organizations that won big on this day of philanthropy, and to the Seattle Foundation for making it all happen. Let’s break that record again next year.

Cynthia Scheiderer wrote this item for the LightBox Collaborative blog

All of us working for social justice are seeking good answers to this question: how can we influence changes in attitudes toward values we hold dear, like love, community, family, freedom to be our best selves, and equal opportunity under the law?

The good news is that there is a way to tap into these values to increase acceptance of people who are part of an “out group.” The social science literature is clear: conversations in the context of friendship reduce prejudice. And it’s not just correlation; there is strong evidence that these interactions cause attitude change.

(Image courtesy Flickr user Chris Blakeley, Creative Commons)

That’s the good news. The challenge is, these conversations aren’t always easy to have. They can be awkward, difficult, or risky. In the movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality, we have seen how difficult it is to engage people to have these conversations. As Matt Foreman of the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund says, it’s like we’re working toward equality with one hand tied behind our backs.

The Haas, Jr. Fund engaged LightBox Collaborative to research these thorny questions. Together we wondered: how can we motivate, engage, and support gay people in having these conversations with their straight friends and family? And what are the results of conversations, not just on the straight person’s attitude, but on the quality of the relationship and the gay person’s well-being?

We dove deep into these questions and learned enough to create a model mapping the conversation path toward greater acceptance and openness. Here are just a few of the highlights of what we learned about the journey:

Many gay people are no more motivated or influenced by appeals to rights and public policy than “movable middle” straight people are.

Instead, strong motivations for gay people to have these conversations include:

• Living openly and authentically
• Having better relationships with the straight people in their lives
• Concern for young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning

The conversations may be easier than we thought. Not only are casual conversations about ordinary life as a gay person easier to have than conversations that make being gay a big deal—these casual conversations also work better at increasing understanding and acceptance.

We heard from gay people who have had these conversations that their relationships with the straight people in their lives are better than ever, and that the discomfort of potentially awkward conversations is well worth gaining greater well-being and the freedom to be yourself.

Holly Minch and Cynthia Scheiderer have just returned from Creating Change, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s annual organizing and skills-building conference for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and their allies. While we were there we did a workshop on our research findings. What we heard back is that this line of research, learning, and strategy is necessary for creating the change we envision: a culture that is safe, welcoming, accepting, and fair for all people, including people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. Several people told us how meaningful it was to see themselves and their experiences reflected in a study like this.

A 90-minute workshop—or a 500 word blog post—just scratches the surface of this research. We are grateful for the enthusiastic feedback we heard at Creating Change, and we are looking forward to the next steps: taking what we’ve learned and turning it into tools and strategies for action. If you are interested in reading the full report, subscribe to InSPiration or sign up to have the LightBox blog delivered to your inbox. We’ll be blogging about our findings when the report is released.

Pay attention to your audience. It’s a good way to learn if your message is getting through.

One of the ventures of Scheiderer Partners is the Seattle Astronomy blog. Last week I attended the annual confab of the Northwest Science Writers Association, and during the evening had a conversation with one of the blog’s regular readers. This reader expressed appreciation for our coverage of a variety of local space and astronomy events, but lamented the lack of a central calendar through which he could learn about such events in advance.

Finding the information you want on social media can be tough, no matter how closely you look! Greg Scheiderer, left, and Northwest Science Writers Association president Sally James were captured on camera at a recent event at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle.

Alas, I thought. I had, in fact, just recently created such a calendar on Seattle Astronomy. I wrote one post about it and backed that up with three or four tweets and several notices about it on the Seattle Astronomical Society’s Facebook page. Yet one of my loyal readers still had no idea!

It was a great reminder about the fleeting nature of social media messages. Bit.ly did an analysis that found the typical “half life” of a tweet—the time it takes a tweet to receive half of the clicks it will ever attract—is just under three hours. Facebook posts have a little more staying power, and YouTube entries a bit more, but not much.

Think about it: if you are away from Twitter for a couple of days (Horrors!) do you go back and carefully read all of the thousands of notes that have piled up in your feed? For most people, the answer is no. It’s easy for a message to get lost in the constant chatter.

I went back and set up a schedule for more tweets about the calendar from @SeattleAstro. I put another note out on Facebook. And I’ll be mentioning the calendar in all of my event-related posts from here on out.

My audience tells me they’re interested in that content. But, like an undiscovered comet or a tiny, distant dwarf planet, it can be difficult to spot in the social media universe. Provide your audiences with the tools they need to find what they want.

Sometimes we have the right answers but ask the wrong questions. “Is the news release dead?” is one of those wrong questions.

I was reminded of the debate—which has been going on in public relations circles for at least 15 years now—at lunch yesterday with a friend who is the communication director for a large institution in a large city.

Ivy Ledbetter Lee, said to be the founder of modern public relations, issued the first press release in 1906. Rumors of the form's death may be greatly exaggerated.

“We have stopped doing media relations,” he said over the salad course, “and we’re getting more coverage than ever.”

That’s not a commentary on the quality of his PR staff, but a reflection of the way the news business has changed. A decade ago at least eight daily newspapers in the State of Washington had beat reporters covering his industry. Today one of those papers doesn’t even exist, and only one reporter remains dedicated solely to that beat at any of the others. So my friend turned all of his media relations staff into content developers, stopped sending out news releases, and started using their website and other online tools to tell their own story directly to their target audiences.

Now, instead of a boring archive of news releases, they have a rich collection of compelling stories online, augmented with top-quality photos, interesting video, charts and graphs, and other multimedia content. Facebook and Twitter and RSS feeds help share those stories with their audiences. And guess what? Though the beat does not go on, traditional media go to the site now for story ideas.

The news release still has its place. But I shake my head when I’m reading an organization’s website and find a page that starts out, “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—The Very Large Corporation announced today that…” An interesting story told in vibrant language with a strong lead that informs your audience about the impact your organization has on the community is much more valuable than another boilerplate news release. It takes a little more work to tell a good story. But it’s worth it.

Flip through the profiles of your Twitter followers and you will find that many of them, even the non-celebrities, have thousands or even tens of thousands of followers. How do you get noticed in a crowd like that? We received a great example yesterday that made use of an old-school tool: snail mail.

There was a big envelope bearing a New Mexico return address in yesterday’s Scheiderer Partners mail. As I walked home from the postal box I racked my brain to recall who I knew in Santa Fe. I couldn’t come up with anyone. Getting home and opening the envelope didn’t help. It contained a hard copy of a publication called GreenMoney Journal, which covers green investing and business. I’m good with that, but still wasn’t sure how a copy of the journal wound up in my mailbox. Then I noticed the photo of Cliff Feigenbaum atop the “publisher’s note” column. I recognized that man. I’d just seen his mug on a Twitter avatar. We’d begun following each other on Twitter just a few days before.

I dropped Feigenbaum a note to thank him for the journal, and asked how he found me. He replied that he saw a note from Scheiderer Partners in the Twitter feed for the upcoming Net Impact conference. “It seemed like a good fit to send you an issue so I did,” he wrote. “Pretty simple.”

Simple, indeed. For three postage stamps, an envelope, and a spare issue, Feigenbaum and GreenMoney Journal are now totally on my radar. I’m on the train to Portland for the Net Impact conference as I write this, and plan to read the journal—on paper, not online—as soon as I finish this item.

What are you doing to cut through the noise and stand out among the masses of your Twitter followers?

Follow Scheiderer Partners at @TheScheiderers and Cliff Feigenbaum at @CliffGMJ.