G. Steve Jordan Films

WHAT DO YOU DO? Video marketer Michael Hoffman has this spot on advice for non-profits looking to connect more deeply and successfully with a wider audience: It can be hard for nonprofits to land on language that describes what they do. Because so many organizations do so much great stuff.... It’s about what what you do does. When someone asks you what you personally do, we talk about the programs we run. The trainings we offer. The materials we distribute. The webinars we’ve held. And that’s all awesome! You do great things! But the thing is, well, it’s not the thing. It’s not what we do It’s what what we do does. Next time someone asks you what your organization does, answer a different question. Pretend they asked you, WHAT DO YOU MAKE POSSIBLE? Because the answer to that question? That’ll get at your mission. Your why. Your reason for being. And that’s really what it’s all about. Try it. It forces you to lead with the mission. It means you need to be comfortable with inspiring people (you inspire us!). think about the real impact you’re making on the world by taking those meetings and sending those emails in the first place. WHAT YOU DO IS ABOUT WHAT YOU MAKE POSSIBLE.

Instead of launching an unimaginative and forgettable PR campaign touting the health benefits of using the stairs, this delightful clip illustrates perfectly the wisdom of engaging an audience rather than trying to educate them something we counsel our non-profit clients to incorporate as part of their communications strategy, including our video projects. https://twitter.com/i/status/1370720527631978496

WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT From a recent article in THE REVELATOR: "If we want to have people buying into these recommendations that we’re putting forward as scientists, we need to engage them in that process, have them understand what it is that we’re talking about and what the research is intended to achieve. If you do that, you can get a lot more buy-in and credibility in the work. It’s a whole different way of operating in many respects."... We'd suggest putting an even finer point on this advice so it reads: "...what the research is intended to achieve FOR THEM. [thanks, TBEP] https://therevelator.org/indigenous-fisheries-reid/

... a short clip from a film project we produced to celebrate and appreciate the natural beauty found here in the Hudson Valley [music]

Across all media and communication the objective remains the same: how do we reach our fellow humans that we may share our perspective on the world, our place in it, and how, going forward, we ensure it remains vibrant and prosperous for all peoples. Musician Paul Simon’s thoughts on songwriting are worth consideration by non-profits determining how best to reach a wider audience: I never thought we would affect people so much. It’s not so much the epiphany for them as the... relief. People fear that they’re alone. They listen, and they feel what I feel, and they say, ‘I’m not alone!’ You’ve got to keep people moving. The attention span is very limited. People don’t listen carefully. Unless you jolt ’em, it’s going to be down the drain." https://www.newyorker.com/magazine//02/simon-and-garfunkel