How to Respond When They Ask You to Raise Awareness The concept of raising awareness is important for just about every nonprofit, but in practice it can mean hundreds of different things. If you are given a mandate to raise awareness, don t get started without additional direction. #1: What Are They Really Thinking? For some people, raising awareness looks like an advertising or public relations strategy. For others, it s about being seen at events and giving presentations. Some might equate it with a robust social media presence. Don t guess what people are thinking: ask them! Find out what they are seeing in their mind s eye, even if they are envisioning something that is unlikely to happen (like advertising campaigns, which require a budget you probably don t have). You need to understand how others are seeing this job, because you will need to reconcile what you actually end up doing with what they were (perhaps subconsciously or unrealistically) expecting. #2 Figure Out Where It s Headed Ultimately, you don t want to stop with awareness; you want people to do something once they are aware. Someone sitting alone on a couch smarter about your cause, but doing nothing with the knowledge is probably not your end goal. What that ultimate goal is can help direct your awareness raising work. Is this ultimately about fundraising? Or changing individual behavior? Or changing public policy? If you know the ultimate call to action and who you will be asking to perform that call to action, you can develop your awareness raising activities accordingly. 1
#3 Connect the Dots to the Goal Now it s time to connect your awareness raising activities to your ultimate goal. What dots will need to be connected in between the two? This is sometimes called the Theory of Change. How does one action you take logically lead to another until you get to your goal? What is the cause and effect? Let s say you are thinking about raising awareness by giving lots of presentations at service clubs and churches. Your ultimate goal is more participants in the workshops you offer. Prove your logic by connecting the two. Are the people you are presenting to the ones who will register themselves? Or do they need to tell someone they know well to register? Or are they just community leaders who you hope might run into the kind of people who you want at the workshop? The fewer dots in between, the better. If you can t quickly and clearly connect the dots between the awareness raising activity and the ultimate goal, you should re-evaluate one or the other or both. #4 Sketch Out the Quick and Dirty Plan Now it s time to sketch out your back of a napkin Quick and Dirty Marketing Plan, which answers three questions: Who are we communicating with? What s the message? Where/How are we saying it? See the other bonus handout, The Quick and Dirty Marketing Plan Template, for some additional help with this step. #5 Apply the Lessons from Contagious Contagious: Why Things Catch On is a great book, and if you are serious about raising awareness, you need to read it and think about how you can add one or more of the STEPPS to your campaign. 2
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20 Ways to Raise Awareness on a Budget 1. Put Signage in High Traffic Places. Think posters, flyers, banners, yard signs and other relatively affordable mini-billboards in places where the right people will see them. 2. Give Away Walking Signage. Think T-shirts, bumper stickers, and other moving signage that people will wear, put on their cars, etc. 3. Ask People to Change Their Profile Pics. Ask supporters to change their profile photos on Facebook, Twitter, etc. to your awareness logo and to explain in a status update why they are changing it. 4. Distribute Brochures or Inserts. Where are people most naturally triggered to think about your issues? Put brochures, inserts, or other leave behind materials in those places. 5. Distribute Wallet Cards, Magnets, Stickers, etc. If you want people to keep a reminder handy, make it small enough to fit in a wallet or attractive enough for a refrigerator or metal door. 6. Host Educational Events. Invite people to attend an event where they can learn something really useful for their own lives, while also learning about your issues. 7. Host Social Events. Make the reason to get together fun and social, and then tack on some information about your cause. 8. Sponsor Vigils, Rallies, or Marches. If your issue lends itself to a more activist approach or you have great stories to tell at the microphone to a crowd, sponsor a public event where people can be inspired. 9. Circulate a Petition. Use an online tool like those available at change.org or thepetitionsite.com to rally people around an issue. 10. Issue a Challenge. Ask people to participate in a 7-day or 30-day challenge or some other sort of challenge that helps them better understand your issues. 4
11. Organize a Service Project. Allow groups (e.g., service clubs, employees at a company, etc.) to volunteer together in some way related to your work, perhaps on a special volunteer day. 12. Sponsor a Competition. Organize a scavenger hunt, essay contest, art show, 5K, tournament, or some other kind of competition related to or benefitting your cause. 13. Be the Trusted Expert. Publish research, case studies, or trends data that positions you as a trusted expert on your issues. 14. Be the Helpful Friend. Share helpful tips in friendly way, such as how-to articles and checklists. 15. Share Your Gratitude. Bring attention to and share your gratitude for others who are doing good work on your issue. 16. Empower and Connect Others. Bring together people who have a common interest and facilitate their sharing and networking, so they know they are not alone. 17. Newsjack. Tack your story on to an existing news story. By providing reporters with a story they can use to update breaking news on the following day, your story becomes the second paragraph of the story on the second day. 18. Be the Judge. Establish an awards program or winners and losers list these often get great media coverage. 19. Be the Siren. Take positions and be outspoken with your opinions this also attracts press coverage. 20. Recruit Celebrity Spokespeople. Find a more appealing messenger for your cause who, by virtue of who they are, is more likely to get media coverage. 5