Facilitate Means to Make Easy
Every day this virus haunts us.
It reminds us of what is truly important.
Coming together.
Helping each other.
Giving. Receiving.
Finding balance.
Finding meaning.
Being grateful for tiny beautiful things.
Acting with purpose.
Helping others act with purpose.
Bringing joy.
Experiencing joy.
Feeling what it is to be human.
To support.
And to lean.
A reminder
The life we’re given is precious
The world we’re given is precious
Let’s not blow it.
You have an important job.
You are a philanthropy facilitator. Your job is to bring people together in love of humanity. To restore balance to a world gone askew. This is a frontline responder job. Not just today, but every day.
I recently shared five tips for Clairification School students in your ‘monthly tip’ feature. I’d like to highlight one of them here for everyone. And, please, if you’re not yet enrolled now is a great time to do so. In fact, we’ll be having a LIVE Q & A this Friday. So… sign up!
Right now, in this particular time we’re in, this is what is required of you:
Clarity and Confidence
Your job is to get clarity on your reason (WHY) for sending any given message to your constituents; then assure your message is a confident expression (WHAT) of your rationale.
Make these two characteristics part of every message you create. Just because it’s a crisis doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be thoughtful and strategic. Just as in the pre-pandemic environment, don’t muddy the waters. Each message should have a singular overarching goal. If may be information, a solution to a problem, or even an escape. Highlight what it is and why it matters in all your communication channels.
Steadiness
Your job is to project that although this crisis isn’t going away soon, neither are you.
Steady, calm, and measured language will help constituents understand you’re there for them — now and in the future. This does not mean gas lighting or ignoring the elephant in the room, however. If you steadily obfuscate, or offer platitudes, you’re not offering clarity. Nor are you getting across the message your stability depends upon you and your community coming together.
Urgency
Your job is to cut through all the fundraising noise — and right now there’s a lot of it.
Don’t despair. Your mission was important pre-Coronavirus; it’s important today. That’s why you have supporters! Resist the temptation, if you’re not in the position of directly addressing problems exacerbated by the pandemic, to sell you mission short. While keeping calm, highlight the urgency of a donation in clear terms. What will a gift accomplish? What will happen if you don’t meet your goal? Help the donor visualize precisely how their gift will make an impact. And, of course, have a plan in place to report back to donors who respond to your call to action so they can trust their gifts were put to work as intended.
Normalcy
Your job, as you create and promote content, is to keep in mind many people are looking for temporary escape.
You do need to acknowledge the crisis to be credible, yet not everything you say needs to be about it. Find something about what you do that feels like what you’ve always done, more or less. Continue to showcase the parts of your mission people have always cared about and supported, even though some of the ways you’re implementing programs and services may be evolving.
When the world feels haunted, who ya gonna call?
You, that’s who!
Let me know if I can be helpful. And please join us on Friday at noon PT (3:00 p.m. ET). I sent Clairification School students the link yesterday, and will remind you Friday morning.
Images from one of my neighborhood walks. Lots of street art being applied to beautify boarded up storefronts. Always looking for the tiny beautiful things.
