POSTPONED
A program in Philanthropy New York’s TELLING OUR STORY series.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND: CEOs, trustees, program officers, communications officers, and other funders interested in advocacy as a tool to further their mission. Please note that, while the session will focus on children’s issues, the suggested strategies apply to many areas of advocacy work.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Child advocacy groups and their funders across the country face immense challenges in mobilizing support for disadvantaged children and youth. They ask passionately, “As state budget deficits soar and competition for resources mount, how can funding for basic services and structures be preserved, let alone expanded?”
But they often cue up the wrong responses by emphasizing only problems. New research proves that we must not assault people with a litany of problems or talk of a crisis. We must learn to mention problems within the context of solutions.
Solutions stories are crafted to:
- Make a strong connection to the role of the community;
- Keep people focused on the big picture;
- Emphasize the necessity of programs, how they work, their effectiveness and;
- How citizens can become engaged in change.
This interactive session of presentation and discussion will provide a framework for creating solution stories based on strategies and messages – those that have been shown to work, as well as those that should be avoided – when advocating for children. The recommendations are based on a comprehensive research project conducted for Child Advocacy 360 Foundation in late 2009 and early 2010, in the depths of the “Great Recession.”
In addition to language and message recommendations, the program will provide a checklist for creating a narrative to increase support for your programs and motivate people to act.
PRESENTER
- Jennifer Hahn, Principal, Douglas Gould & Co.
- Douglas Gould, President, Douglas Gould & Co.