A new year is an opportunity to turn lessons learned into resolutions for a better year ahead. While I’m going to lean away from weight, wine, and other wellness-related commitments (I’m literally snacking as I write this:-), I have learned a few things that will inform my words moving forward…
Focus on doing the work rather than labeling it.
I once sat in a posh foundation office and discussed the desire for an organization I was working with to build an affordable housing development. At some point, perhaps more than once, I used the term “homeless.” The foundation rep I was chatting with gently put her hand on the table in a motion I knew intended to stop me. She very sweetly told me that, after much examination, the foundation had committed to using the term “temporarily unhoused.” The room went silent. I felt…ashamed. I had spent most of my career in the nonprofit sector and somehow missed that memo. Later, when recapping the meeting with a colleague, she shared a perspective I found all too refreshing (paraphrased from memory): The person who is homeless or unhoused (temporarily or otherwise) is not concerned about the term you’ve coined for their situation. They care about changing their situation. We need meetings about solving problems, not labeling them.
This faux pas was not my first or last. Terms are constantly being developed, changed, and canceled related to ability, hunger, housing, and every other human need the sector tries to address. With my limited time and energy, I’ve opted to focus on the work of helping humans rather than the pretense of labeling their issues.
Always remember that communication is bigger than fundraising and marketing.
In 2022, I attended a nonprofit conference for a specific type of human service nonprofit practitioner. As I reviewed the agenda and integrated into the crowd, I realized something: No marketing or fundraising professionals were speaking or in attendance. There were no sessions on donors, donations, social media, or optimizing your emails or website. At first, I assumed this was a major oversight. A huge miss. This was bound to be a boring conference with little relevance to the real work of nonprofit leadership.
Instead, I heard sessions on communicating during disasters, crises, and fragile circumstances. I learned strategies for training and tactics for recruitment. I heard case studies on helping community members become aware of the resources available in their area. I realized I had been living in the fundraising and marketing funnel that much of our sector resides in.
Was it a miss to not offer sessions on these topics? Yes, I think so. Is our sector entirely too obsessed with fundraising and marketing education and training? Yes, I think so. A mentor in my life frequently quoted Peter Drucker’s assertion that “a nonprofit has one and only purpose—to grow a supporter.” While Drucker’s wisdom holds true, it’s only the first step. Even with support, if we’re not clearly and meaningfully engaged in communicating with those we serve, we fail.
Be specific.
One of my pet peeve words is “capacity.” When I hear the word used, it translates to “I need something, but I’m not sure what it is.” Capacity can refer to funding, time, brain space, talent, land, building space, training, or even energy. It communicates nothing other than a cliche nonprofit sector term used to describe any and all possible needs. We can do better. What is wrong with being specific? When did it become distasteful to tell a foundation that you need financial support? Why is it too blunt to tell a board you do not have the brain space to comprehend another project?
Unfortunately, capacity is not the only culprit when it comes to talking above and around issues. Words like “Impact” and “Challenges” are thrown around frequently without the specifics needed to make them anything less than filler. Be specific!
Cancel “Good Luck”
While “good luck” is not unique to the nonprofit sector, it is used frequently and passive-aggressively in this space. To tell someone “good luck” implies they need good fortune or a chance to succeed. They’re unlikely to make it on their own merit.
I’ve heard this phrase far too often and seldom from those I hold in high regard. At its best, it’s a cliche encouragement. At its worst, it’s back-handed and demonstratively small-minded.
Why do we use this phrase so much? Is it our saccharin-sweet method of staying in everyone’s good graces? Are we not creative enough to give specific encouragement? After all, we coin new terms to describe the world’s most painful circumstances and then update them every year (see #1)…We can’t find a clearer way to wish good on another? Next time someone sends you off with this half-hearted idiom, please pause and ask them, “What do you mean by that?”
Less is More.
Ironically, I’m closing this rather wordy blog with less is more, but let me explain…
Most of our strategic planning engagements have some elements that creep into the communications audit space. We survey members, donors, and other stakeholders, and more often than not, if they’re dissatisfied, it is due to confusion. Whether it’s a laundry list of services or member benefits or a mission statement that has to reside on its own webpage due to length, the wordiness of the nonprofit sector is something we battle daily.
Do people want options? For sure. Are more options better? Not always. The goal should always be to have a message, offering, service, or benefit—something so compelling and clear that it does not need explanation or sales.
Do your communications need an audit?
Nonprofit Nav can help! A communications audit reviews external communications to ensure they’re consistent, coherent, and compelling. An audit is a great idea before major endeavors like a new website or fundraising campaign or when stakeholder feedback tells you clarity is needed. Interested in learning more? Send us a message.
