Substance and Style

After the last year and a half, most organizations are up to their eyes in challenges. Health concerns, staff shortages, and reduced income of donors are all contributing to uncertainty in the nonprofit sector. However, the most pressing concern is that it’s harder and harder to get people to care. 

The pandemic has brought a multitude of systemic ills to the forefront of our collective consciousness, and the very perception of reality is different now than it was just 18 months ago. People are disillusioned, overwhelmed, and exhausted. The most caring among us are burnt out and are having to close down emotionally just to preserve our mental health. Problems seem insurmountable and it’s hard to decide where to put effort. Why worry about voting when the environment is in crisis and it seems like annihilation is inevitable? Why focus on saving a society that’s designed to discriminate against us or work to support employers who will never do their share? Why donate or volunteer or raise awareness when the people who want change the most have the least power to create it? A lot of people simply don’t believe in the system anymore, or the possibility of change that doesn’t start with burning the whole thing down. People haven’t stopped caring, but they are having to care about so much now that they can’t afford to care about even more. If you want to be heard in this environment, try these approaches:

1. Make sure YOU really believe in everything you’re saying. Unless you’re in the businesses of peddling propaganda (and don’t be in that business), you should not be working for a cause that doesn’t resonate with you. The more invested you are in the cause you’re supporting, the more other people will respond to your words.
2. Present solutions. While there will always be value in presenting problems, telling your story, and making your case, it’s important right now to focus on something positive. Instead of just telling the story of how things need to change, tell the story of how things can and will be when the change happens. Paint a picture of a world where this problem is solved and make it seem plausible. Convince people that the world actually can get better, and that you actually can make that happen. Remind people that they do have the power to influence and affect the future. 
3. Explain why it’s so important. Think about why this issue is as important as the most pressing issues of the day. The competition is stiff right now. People are already spread thin. They don’t have the space to hold everything. Why should you be part of what they hold? Know and be able to explain the answer to this question.
4. Keep it real. Be genuine with people and relate to real world issues. While lofty goals are important, now is not the time to use them to reach people. 
5. Keep it brief. Yes, have a website and literature that details everything that’s wonderful about what you’re trying to do and why it needs to be done. But be able to tell people the most important part of that in a couple of sentences. Think about how to make maximum impact with minimum words. 

It’s not an easy time to get people emotionally invested in what matters to you, but it’s more important than ever that people not give up. Now is the time to create the world we want.