Shape your narrative, or be shaped by its gaps.
Mrs. Baughman told our class we were going to elect a classroom president. Someone nominated me, and I had an opponent as well, though I can’t remember who it was. I guess the point was to teach us fourth graders how democracy worked. The ballot was secret, and when I got my piece of notebook paper out, voting for myself felt boastful. Of course I lost the election — by one vote.
I think many cause leaders similarly undersell themselves. Sometimes modesty is the culprit, but more often it’s because they haven’t prioritized communications. The National Council of Nonprofits just launched an ad campaign this week, called “Nonprofits Get It Done.” It’s a digital campaign asking people to “Tell Congress we need our nonprofits.”
Factions of our government are increasingly accusing nonprofits of being corrupt and politicized. So, I’m thrilled to see the council speak up on behalf of the sector. But it shouldn’t have to. Like universities and government agencies, nonprofits and foundations have neglected to adequately invest in communications.
If you don’t control your narrative, someone else will.
I know the reasons why communications isn’t a priority. I also know the most frequent mistakes nonprofits and foundations make. Here are four angles on how we can improve, plus a process that reveals an easier way to do so.
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Doing the work is not enough.
It makes me sad I didn’t know that, until its closure, USAID had prevented more than 90 million deaths over two decades, including 30 million children under 5. I also had no idea that 14 million people would die between now and 2030 if USAID were shuttered. If the American people had a clearer picture of its impact, our representatives in Washington would have been afraid to take aim at USAID.
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Explaining the work you do isn’t sufficient.
I’m aware of our sector’s reservations about marketing. There’s no appetite for anything “slick” or persuasive. I’ve long championed NPR, so I took note when they took to their own airwaves to ask loyal listeners to contact lawmakers about proposed cuts. NPR’s appeals tended to focus on their reporting and programming. They were preaching to the choir instead of reaching new, like-minded audiences with a more compelling and emotive appeal.
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Advocacy is only part of it.
I know that policy changes could reshape the issue you champion. If only we could all be like The Innocence Project, whose high-profile exonerations and bipartisan lobbying led to criminal justice reforms. Their work helped pass legislation guaranteeing post-conviction DNA testing in all 50 states.
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Compassion alone won’t break through.
Emotional messages usually work better than rational ones, and most of you can frame your issue in ways that can make the toughest skeptic tender-hearted. But be careful. There’s a difference between empathy and compassion. Compassion is caring with a desire to help. Empathy involves emotional mirroring. Sustaining it can result in empathic distress, a precursor to burnout and compassion fatigue. Sadly, the humanitarian crisis in Darfur is a well-documented example.
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Positioning your cause is essential, and it takes time and resources.
None of this is easy, but having a formula helps. That’s why I developed a process called the Core Narrative Reframe. Let me oversimplify it a bit.
First you need to address what behavioral science biases are influencing what you want to change. For example, a lack of support for music education would involve an availability heuristic, basing the importance of something on how easily one can recall examples of its value or success. Then, use that heuristic to reframe downstream consequences, making them relevant right now: “Without music in schools, more kids will disengage and drop out, starting this semester.” That message is followed by a call to action that solves the problem, e.g., “Contact your district and let them know our kids can’t afford to lose music in school.”
I know it’s not as simple as my example, but getting it right may soon be table stakes. Don’t be like 9-year-old me, too modest to champion yourself or your cause. There’s clearly an appetite for systems change. Let’s answer that by demonstrating the changes we’re upholding and all the promise that comes with them.
Take care,
Kevin
