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Great Non-Profits Deserve A Great Rating System Wednesday, December, 16, 2009
Missing the Mark: Why Business-Mindedness Cannot Solve the Problems of the Non-Profit Sector Tuesday, December, 8, 2009
Too Many Non-Profits? Tuesday, December, 1, 2009
The Poverty Business Tuesday, November, 17, 2009
Poor By Design Monday, November, 16, 2009
The Poverty Landscape Wednesday, November, 11, 2009
We Need Inforum Thursday, November, 5, 2009
Effective Social Investing Wednesday, November, 4, 2009
Social Services Cause Homelessness Monday, November, 2, 2009
Social Outcomes: Who Done It?
Tuesday, November, 17, 2009
Poor By Design
Marketing is an important part of any business. There is a saying that you can have the best product in the world, but if it's not marketed well, then it really doesn't matter. The same thing is true in social services. Part of program effectiveness is marketing our services to those who need them most, and making it as easy for people to receive social services as it is to buy books on Amazon.com.
A few years back, I went to an event at Los Angeles Trade-Tech Community College promoting Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites throughout Los Angeles. California First Lady Maria Shriver, who attended the event, gave a brief speech in which she said the government is the only entity that spends considerable time and resources on goods and services that it never really markets to the general public. Seeing as there is a clear overlap between the non-profit and government social service system, the First Lady's point applies to all of us in social services.
In Joel John Robert's recent Inforum post about the convoluted service entry system established by the Veteran Services Administration (VA), he suggests "... the VA, and the rest of the federal government for that matter, should hire Steve Jobs to make their system user friendly. Think Apple Store. iPod. MacBook. iPhone. Wouldn't it be amazing if homeless men and women, veteran or not, could walk into a government office and be greeted by smiling sales people with colored T-Shirts who are eager to explain every product in the store? "
While Joel's suggested solution is hyperbole, the sentiment is spot on. We provide important supportive services to low-income and unhoused adults and families. But if those services are not highly visible and easily navigable, we will fail to meet our social potential.
So, what does your organization do to market its services? What steps has your organization taken to streamline the service delivery process?
(Photo by spackletoe)
Posted 2009-11-17 15:00:36
Should Communities Force Homeless People Into Shelters? Monday, February 8, 2010
Is marriage the solution to poverty or is it the cause of poverty? Thursday, October 4, 2007
Architecture for the Homeless Monday, October 15, 2007
Fire Used To Kill Homeless Man Thursday, October 1, 2009
Every Homeless Person Should Become A Millionaire and Have A Porn Star Hang On His Arm
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