Statistics: The dementors of your nonprofit’s story

From Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog, www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com

The most important advice I can give you as a storyteller for your cause is to put a single living creature - not a statistic - at the heart of your story.

To borrow an image from a very accomplished storyteller - JK Rowling of Harry Potter fame - statistics are the dementors of your nonprofit’s story. For those of you who haven’t read the books or seen the movies, dementors are the horrific monsters that suck the souls and happy emotion out of people with a deathly kiss.

If your story stars a statistic, it will suck out the soul of your cause and wring the emotion out of your story. All that will be left is a dry, depressing shell with no heartbeat.

After making this point in a speech last week, a lovely person from a DC-based nonprofit came up to me and said: “But our statistics are so convincing! A third of children in Washington live in poverty. That’s surely the best place to begin a story.”

I said something like this: That is a very sad statistic, but it’s not a story. It’s a fact looking for a person. I encouraged her to tell the story of one child they have helped. Let’s call him Peter. Paint a vivid portrait of all Peter has faced and how the organization has given him the gift of reading and a shot at a future that wasn’t possible before. Then make the point that for every group of three children in Washington, there is one Peter. People will feel that in a way they will never feel 36%.

Numbers aren’t inherently bad, but they aren’t the place to start or end your story. You have to bring forward the living beings behind the stats to forge a true connection. Tell a good story so the facts truly matter.

Holiday Volunteer Opportunities

I know what you are thinking...HandsOn is worse than department stores. It isn't even Halloween yet and we are already talking about the holidays.

Well the truth is people are already thinking about what kind of service they will do this holiday season. I can't tell you how many inquiries HandsOn received last year from people desperate to spread holiday cheer. While many volunteers call us expecting to connect with an opportunity to serve meals to those experiencing homelessness, they are not unwilling to look at other options. So please share your holiday volunteer needs with us! Post your volunteer opportunities on the database. Are you hosting a gift, food or clothing drive? Let us know! Each Holiday Season we dedicate a page on our website to opportunities like these that are wonderful deeds but aren't volunteer opportunities.

Bring Reflection to your Volunteering Programs!

Reflection is a very important aspect of service that is so often forgotten. Check out some tips for incorporating reflection into your programs from the HandsOn Network.

Reflection doesn’t have to be a structured activity – be creative in how you include reflection into service projects!

When you’re planning how to include reflection into service, be sure to remember the following:

• Allow time for reflection. Blocking out some time at the end of a service project for reflection is important. Not just because it’s including reflection in the project, but because allows volunteers to organize their thoughts about the day.
• Directly relate reflection to the service being done. When you’re guiding volunteer reflection, try to keep it focused on the work that was done on that day and the impact that the volunteers’ service had.
• Plan for reflection from the beginning. Be intentional about including reflection from the start of the project planning process.
• Reflection is about learning. The goal of reflection is to learn more about the service that volunteers did and the impact that they have. Volunteers shouldn’t be expected to share anything they’re not comfortable sharing.
• The best reflection isn’t always planned. Be flexible and be prepared to capitalize on teachable moments that may pop up during the day. Reflection doesn’t have to happen at the end of the project.

Not sure how to include reflection into your service projects? Try these easy activities:

• Evaluation: Add a few reflection questions to your written evaluation form, like “How did people respond to you?” or “How does what you did today compare with anything you’ve done in the past?” or “What advice would you give to someone doing this project for the first time?”
• Guest Book: Ask volunteers to sign your organization’s guest book before they leave. Let them know they are free to write anything they would like about their service experience.
• Contribution Cards: Prepare a small card for each volunteer that includes information on how their service contributes to the mission of the organization and how they’ve helped the community. Link their work to broader community issues.
• Lunch Break: Provide a reflection opportunity during a meal break. Provide background material on the social issues your organization addresses on the lunch tables. Provide some sample discussion questions for volunteers to discuss as they eat.

So Who is Volunteering Anyway?

The HandsOn Network has developed a fun and easy to read graphic to sum up the Corporation for National and Community Service's report, Volunteering in America.

Click here to check it out!

*Fun Fact: Did you know Salem jumped 8 spots to be 15th in the nation for volunteerism in mid-sized cities? Pretty awesome, huh?

Make a Difference-Oregon

Make a Difference Oregon

Saturday, October 22nd

HandsOn has teamed up with HandsOn Greater Portland, Volunteer Connect in Central Oregon and HandsOn Linn Benton to promote all of the great service projects offered during Make a Difference Day. Do you have a project taking place on October 22nd or the week leading up to Make a Difference Day? Be sure to post it! We are leveraging marketing resources across the state. You never know who might recruit!

HandsOn Connect Skill Options

It was brought to our attention during HandsOn Connect Training that it is very diffcult to select skills you would like to be listed on your opportunities. We have requested that the HandsOn Network make this field a drop down menu so you can choose from a list of possible options. Until that request is filled, we have attached a list of all the possible skills you can choose from. Type the skill in and then type a * at the end of the word. That should make it easier to look up options.

HandsOn Connect Volunteer Skills List

HandsOn Connect Partner Portal Assistance

The HandsOn Network has unveiled a very special website for all of you, the partners! The HandsOn Connect Partner Portal training website contains everything you would ever need or want to know about HandsOn Connect. It offers basic, easy to follow directions for everything from posting a volunteer opportunity to extracting volunteer data. The how to's cover everything from the bare bones approach to using the database to the fancy extra features for those who are ready to learn them.

As always, remember HandsOn staff is here for you if you need help using HandsOn Connect. However, take a few minutes to check out this website as well. We hope you find it helpful!

partners.handsonconnect.com