POSITIONING FOR FUNDING | NATIONAL NON-PROFIT
How do we inspire the support we need to lift those who need
it most?
Result: Vision and strategy for an organization that mobilizes and trains men to keep their communities safe from drugs, gangs, and violence
The Need
We worked with a local chapter of a national non-profit that creates safety in communities through direct engagement with those who live there. The communication challenge was that they offered a range of services that took three pages to describe. This made it difficult for funders to value or track the group's work in a measurable way.
How can we represent the value of our work in a way that funders, community leaders, supporters, and clients understand?
The Work
Interviews with the leadership team, workers, and clients helped us understand what interventions looked like and what they achieved. We found that, more than by material outcomes, success was measured by a client's shift from a state of despair to one of agency. While crisis and follow-through responses were unique to each situation, we were able to distill the range of services under three delivery platforms: Help you out, Hook you up, Watch you thrive.
The Outcome
Working with psychologists, we identified assessment tools that track feelings of despair, confidence, hope, and responsibility. Such success metrics were critical for all concerned and, most especially, for funders. Working with the board and community partners we developed a vision and strategy they could own, and a message that was soon emblazoned on buses, posters, and brochures across the country.