Robin Anderson

I am utterly fascinated by physics and astronomy – despite the fact that I can barely get my head around some of the mathematical concepts. That’s why I was excited to learn on NPR this morning about a professor using storytelling instead of cold hard data to teach people about physics. The idea is to create an emotional attachment to science to facilitate learning and to make these very abstract concepts mean something to people.

This underscored for me the importance of using personal stories online to reach people on an emotional level. It’s definitely smart to present people with statistics and numbers that reflect your accomplishments and milestones, but if you really want to capture someone who will be a passionate supporter and a loyal defender of your cause present them with real, personal stories. How has your organization impacted people’s lives? Find them and ask them to share their story. How are the people who work in your organization affected personally by what they do? Ask them. People will learn about your organization through their personal stories and will be more inclined to become a part of it because it will mean something to them. Paralyzed Veterans of America, for example, have used personal stories to emphasize their commitment to paralyzed veterans.

This is not just about fundraising or increasing your housefile, although that might be a result. This is about connecting with people on a personal level and emphasizing the fundamental goals and underlying philosophies that drive your organization. This resonates with people. So share it.

I recently took a vacation in Costa Rica. This wasn’t your typical vacation though. I signed up to volunteer, along with a group of several other people, helping abused and neglected children at a local children’s shelter in Cartago, Costa Rica for one week.

Initially, I was worried that I wouldn’t be good at interacting and playing with the kids, but they were so loving and so open-hearted, they really didn’t give you a choice. I don’t mean to imply that they weren’t occasionally mischievous or that they didn’t test us, as most kids will do, but beneath all of that was a deep sense of compassion and love, for themselves and for others.

Part of this was due to the couple who had adopted them – all 37 of them. Realizing the limitations of the Costa Rican foster system, this couple decided to make a home and a family for these children – something they would not get in an orphanage. No matter what the children had been through and even if they initially resisted, they would embrace and hold each one of them and tell them how much they loved them upon entering their home for the first time. Up until the age of 12, all of the kids are encouraged to simply be kids, play and go to school. Once they are older they are given chores – and the children actually want to do them!

Needless to say, this couple’s love and unwavering commitment to these kids was inspiring. By the end of the week, without even fully realizing it, I had grown immensely attached to these children. All of the volunteers tried to keep the goodbyes light-hearted and positive, but for most of us it was heartbreaking to leave, knowing we’d probably never see them again. I will miss them, but I doubt I could ever forget them.

There are many different organizations available if you are interested in doing volunteer work abroad. The organization I worked with was Cross-Cultural Solutions. Due to their incredible attention to detail, their credibility and their passion for helping people in need, I would personally recommend them to anyone seriously considering volunteering in another country.

I’ll admit it. I tend to stress out – a lot. Recently, I had to take a break and soothe my stressed out soul in a nearby bookstore. I grabbed a book, found a nice secluded spot and plopped down on the floor to lose myself in a story for a few minutes. However, my serenity was interrupted when a paperback fell unexpectedly onto the floor next to me. Now, I try not to take things like this too seriously, but my curiosity got the best of me. I took a deep breath, turned it over and discovered it was David Allen’s Getting Things Done. Creepy. But I was intrigued. I started flipping through it and was impressed. This is exactly what I needed.

So how do you get things done without completely stressing yourself out? I don’t know – I haven’t finished the book yet, but I can tell you this: Get everything on your to-do list out of your head and into a trusted form, preferably electronic (well, I do work for an internet company). Consolidate all of this sacred information into one place so that it is accessible and readily available to you. This is not easy, especially for a semi-control freak like me who’s resistant to change, but the relief is palpable. I find it easier to work up project plans and timelines with my clients – which in turn builds trust and puts them more at ease. I’ve also discovered that this allows my clients the freedom to think creatively about what they want to do with their site and it allows me the chance to focus more on quality rather than on quantity. Which is a plus for me and my clients. They feel more inspired, which makes me feel more inspired. It’s gloriously contagious.

I am still not there yet though. My organization skills still need improving and I still need to finish this book, but I feel like I’ve already made some headway. If you are feeling absolutely overwhelmed and stressed out by everything you have to do, I highly recommend this book. Make it the first task on your to-do list.

Can email rot your brain? According to this study sponsored by Hewlett-Packard in 2005 – yes! Compulsively checking email can actually reduce your IQ. While I feel I have a pretty good grip on email checking, it occurred to me while reading this, that (like most people) I am overwhelmed by email every day. With so much information coming at me at once, I’ve found it necessary to skim over emails for important information and disregard the rest. For example, I receive several different kinds of eNewsletters, but do I ever make it through the entire thing, reading every word? If only I had that much time… Usually I look for what’s most interesting to me (be it an article for improving my web design skills, an article on human rights in Burma, or some new and strange finding on Neatorama) and skip over the rest, or make a mental note to read more later (which usually ends up being much later…like never).

What does this mean for nonprofits sending out eNewsletters? As with any email (or any written work for that matter), know your audience. What are they interested in? What motivates them? This may seem like a no-brainer, but it is one of the most important aspects of an eNewsletter.

Also, keep the design clean and simple. Nowadays, with the ability to do so much with Photoshop and CSS, it’s tempting to get a little fancy, but when designing an eNewsletter, it’s important that the design allows the reader to focus on the content, not the other way around. Not to mention, many email providers do not fully support CSS, so that beautiful design may end up a garbled mess of broken images and x’s in your constituents’ inbox if you’re not careful. To avoid this, check the email across several different email providers, like hotmail, gmail and yahoo and tweak where necessary.

Linking back to your site is also important. Provide a link to the homepage in the header and 3-4 teaser articles. Then link to the entire article for your constituents to read more. This keeps your email short, while not skimping on content and drives people back to your website. If they are inspired by what they see and read, you may even motivate them to donate. Either way, your constituent is happy to receive an email that piques their interest, gets them passionate about your organization and is easy to read. And that just might contribute to a healthier IQ.