Point of View

Every successful communication effort has an inherent point of view. Think of point of view as the tone, voice, style or personality for your communication.

Your point of view shapes not only what you say, but how you carry yourself. It colors how your audience perceives the messenger and how it receives the message.

Point of view can be carefully designed and cultivated, or an organic outgrowth of your organizational style. It might be brash and confrontational (PETA), intense and provocative (The Truth Campaign), or funny and self-deprecating (Grist.org). Whatever the case, even the smallest act of communication has an inherent point of view embedded in it. The opportunity lies in deciding how to maximize its value.

Much like the brand associations that consumer marketers work so hard to cultivate around products and lifestyles, point of view is also an important strategic consideration for organizations seeking to drive social change. A wealthy foundation spending down its endowment or a grassroots organization in high stakes public fight may each feel a higher tolerance for risk or confrontation than a community foundation seeking to appeal to a diverse set of donors.

Whatever your circumstance, the key to success is acting authentically. That means communicating with a point of view that is believable, appropriate and aligned with your organizational values.

by the numbers

20%

The percentage of annual expenditures that most nonprofits can spend on lobbying.

17M

The number of Ice Bucket Challenge videos that were shared to Facebook. The videos were viewed more than 10 billion times by 440 million people.
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74%

Percentage of participants in a 47-country survey who said that seeing the film An Inconvenient Truth caused them to change some of their daily habits.
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tips and insights

The limitations on lobbying by nonprofits applies to lobbying on “specific legislation.” That leaves a lot of room for education and advocacy on important issues.

Having a clear point of view starts with knowing where you came from and understanding what motivates your organization. Assembling a “sacred bundle” can help build a storytelling culture that binds everyone on your team together and strengthens your institutional voice.
SOURCE

It is difficult for people to wrap their head around large and obscure numbers. Grounding numbers in a comparison to a well-known object makes it easier to comprehend. Using a visual to communicate this comparison can be the silver bullet to effective communication.
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Voices

Foundations should be as loud as possible about issues, grantees, and grantmaking approaches that move the work forward. I think foundations should be extremely mouthy in an “it’s not about us” kind of way.

COMMUNICATION LEADER Private Foundation

I have frequently heard advocates ask us to put our name on something, because policymakers find it easier to hear it from us.

COMMUNICATION LEADER Private Foundation

One of the things we have been thinking a lot about lately is our voice. It’s tricky trying to strike the right balance between authentic, strategic, approachable, and visionary.

PROGRAM LEADER Private Foundation

Exemplars

exemplar

Skillman Foundation Asks Bing: Why Not Talk About Detroit’s Kids?

Skillman Foundation

The Skillman Foundation’s President and CEO wrote an op-ed noting that kids weren’t mentioned in the Mayor’s State of the City address. In the new mayoral administration, the Foundation has been invited to the table to talk about kids as a priority.

exemplar

Choosing Wisely

American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation

Choosing Wisely ® is an initiative of the ABIM Foundation to help physicians and patients engage in conversations to reduce overuse of tests and procedures, and support physician efforts to help patients make smart and effective care choices.

exemplar

Bolder Advocacy

Alliance for Justice

Bolder Advocacy promotes active engagement in democratic processes and institutions by giving nonprofits and foundations the confidence to advocate effectively and by protecting their right to do so.

exemplar

Putting the Right Words to Work

Tess Hart for the Communications Network

When anti-poverty programs use words like "poor" and "low-income," they're actually making their work harder.