On Saturday one of our members forwarded to his MCF colleagues a link to the latest Strib article on child poverty. The numbers, reported from The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book, show Minnesota is slipping, which does not bode well for our state’s children of color, who are already more than a few steps behind their white peers.
But my point of writing today is not to highlight poverty rates and racial and ethnic disparities. It’s to muse about the frustration expressed by our members when they can’t seem to get any traction on community issues about which they care so deeply.
Where’s the disconnect?
Are you experiencing a disconnect with your stakeholders? Connecting with your audiences is challenging, but vital.
The question takes me back to my days as a professional communicator in the for-profit sector. Marketers have long understood that consumers progress along a continuum before they make a purchase: from Awareness to Interest to Desire to Action . . . A-I-D-A. Skip any of those steps and it’s an instant disconnect, and the sale is lost.
I think grantmakers understand this idea, too. Although when consumed by passion for one’s mission, it’s easy to forget the complex process of connecting with one’s audience.
Aspects of the A-I-D-A concept seem to be summed up neatly in MCF’s “Engaged Learning” principle, one of eight “Principles for Grantmakers” to which all MCF members subscribe. The “Engaged Learning” principle states: ”To foster continuous learning and reflection by engaging board members, staff, grantees and donors in thoughtful dialogue and education.”
The juxtaposition of the two words — “engaged” and “learning” — really resonates with me. How can we really learn without discovering the personal connection between our selves and our subject matter? And how can we encourage others to move along the continuum toward action without first engaging and connecting in ways that foster sincere interest in and desire to address community issues?
Join the Conversation: When it comes to achieving your mission, where are you and your audiences on the A-I-D-A continuum? How can grantmakers use their resources to create connections that will guide us from awareness toward action?
- Wendy Wehr, MCF V.P. of communications and information services
