Posts in category Nonprofit Communication

Ahavath Achim Synagogue Sisterhood Centennial Celebration

March 10, 2020 Leave a Comment Written by Deborah Spector
Ahavath Achim Synagogue Centennial Logo

On April 19, 2020, the Ahavath Achim Sisterhood will commemorate its 100th Anniversary from 4 to 7 in the afternoon with a celebration of our past, present and future at our synagogue on Peachtree Battle Avenue.

The symbol of our Sisterhood is of the Four Matriarchs: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. They symbolize strength and grace, open to new challenges, new paths and opportunities, while embracing Jewish heritage and tradition and encompassing the total synagogue community. We are an active part of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, an international organization.

The first mention of a Sisterhood at Ahavath Achim Synagogue was in 1920 when the synagogue was located on Washington Street. The minutes of the first meeting were taken in Yiddish and recorded in a black spiral notebook. Dues were $2 per member, paid semi-annually. It was the roaring twenties, and the population of Atlanta was approximately 200,000 people. Atlanta and the Sisterhood have grown up together!

For 100 years, the focus of the Sisterhood has always been the education of the children of our synagogue. Our focus has expanded to include adult education, community involvement and social action. Sisterhood has offered hospitality to soldiers during WWII, collected furniture for Holocaust survivors, recorded readings for the blind, translated books into Braille and helped settle Russian immigrants to our area. We are active participants in Habitat for Humanity builds, the Hunger Walk, Backpack Buddies for elementary school children, Back to School supplies for victims of sex trafficking, education of recent immigrants, and the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

The Sisterhood has embraced the technology of the 21st Century and adapted its programming to meet current needs. We sponsor annual educational programs for our congregation about cancer and other health related issues. We provide scholarships for summer camping experiences and leadership training for our students. Sisterhood Shabbat, a service lead entirely by our women, is a highlight of the year. Monthly book group discussions and study sessions with the rabbis are enjoyed by our members, and our younger members have special interest meetings three times a year.

Ahavath Achim Sisterhood is the heart and soul of the Ahavath Achim Congregation!

For more information on Ahavath Achim Sisterhood Centennial Celebration please contact: Betty Behr – behr.betty@gmail.com or Susan Hart Sandler – susanhsandler@gmail.com.

    Written by Sisterhood Member Donna Newman

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    Social Change Communication Connects Us!

    August 24, 2016 Leave a Comment Written by Deborah Spector

    Not about technology

    “Communications seeks to connect and move us, to make complex problems seem intuitive and solvable.” Alfred Ironside, Vice President for Global Communications Ford Foundation

    Social change communication connects us!

    I was introduced to the transformative effect of social change communication when I started working on social change initiatives.

    Social change is a process focused on altering the social order of society. It takes place on a local community level or becomes social movements on a grander scale.

    In an earlier post, I described the 5 Indicators of Social Change:

    1. Make New Meaning
    • Shift definitions – An issue or idea is given new meaning. A community or society sees the issue differently. For example, rape is understood as an act of violence with legal and civil consequences, not as an act of sexual transgression.
    1. Empower Different Behavior
    • Shift behavior – An individual and/or community does things differently and for the better. This creates empowerment. For example, women seek appropriate healthcare for themselves and their families.
    1. Life Up Collective Power
    • Shift engagement – More people are engaged in an idea of action. When enough people get involved they are noticed, their voices are heard and they create impact.
    1. Ensure Just Policy
    • Shift policy – Policies and practices change to better serve social change ideas.
    1. Hold the Line
    • Maintain gains – Work to not lose ground from previous endeavors. For example, funding for breast cancer research is saved from budget cuts.

    Transformative communication is a process whereby people are challenged and empowered to change belief systems and behaviors.

    Social Change Communication Tools

    • Social Change Communication is critical at every stage. This begins from the moment someone shares her passion and connects with others, through the exchange of ideas. Communication provides the frame for advocacy and activism. It is central to sustaining the social movement itself, as well as in shaping how the movement influences social change. “We are one but we are many.” (Panos London)
    • Narrative communication recount stories, express opinions or give information about past events from the perspective of the storyteller. Narratives provide an experience people can understand and share.

    “I know from experience that when two people sit down to tell stories from their lives and to listen, something happens. Together maybe they learn, they forgive, they cry, they remember. Something in them moves, even if it’s just a tiny bit. Storytelling and Social Change offers valuable guidance for people who want to use the practice of telling and listening to stories to make a positive difference in their communities.” —Dave Isay, founder and president of StoryCorps

     

    • The rise of social media holds promise for increased social change communication. Social network websites such as Facebook provide easy ways to find and connect with people who have similar feelings.
    • New media platforms are used to launch viral campaign and create digital waves.

    Jennifer Aaka and Andy Smith, authors of The Dragonfly Effect, show how social media technology can support social missions. Nonprofit consultant Beth Kanter has shown how social media tools have been used to create social change, including helping children in Cambodian orphanages.

    • The POST Method, developed by Forrester Research, provides a framework for blending traditional and new media. It is really simple, yet profound in that it provides a user-friendly system for using traditional and emerging communications channels. The acronym refers to the four-step approach:

    P is People

    Don’t start a social strategy until you know the capabilities of your audience. If you’re targeting college students, use social networks. If you’re reaching out to business travelers, consider ratings and reviews. Forrester has great data to help with this, but you can make some estimates on your own. Just don’t start without thinking about it.

    O is Objectives

    Pick one. Are you starting an application to listen to your customers, or to talk with them? To support them, or to energize your best customers to evangelize others? Or are you trying to collaborate with them? Decide on your objective   before  you decide on a technology. Then figure out how you will measure it.

    S is Strategy

    Strategy here means figuring out what will be different after you’re done. Do you want a closer, two-way relationship with your best customers? Do you want to get people talking about your products? Do you want a permanent focus group for testing product ideas and generating new ones? Imagine you succeed. How will things be different afterward? Imagine the endpoint and you’ll know where to begin.

    T is Technology

    A community. A wiki. A blog or a hundred blogs. Once you know your people, objectives, and strategy, then you can decide with confidence.

    • Social marketing, not to be confused with social media marketing,  is the systematic application of marketing to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good. Social marketing is said to have “two parents”—a “social parent,” created from social sciences and social policy, and a “marketing parent,”  developed from commercial and public sector marketing approaches.

    Social change communication brings people together to work collectively for the betterment of their lives and communities. It provides opportunities for engagement and inclusion like never before!

    How does social change communication influence your work? As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

    The basis of this post is an article I wrote for CharityChannel Press entitled Importance of Communication to Social Movements and Social Change.

    My next post focuses on the importance of communication to successful advocacy.

     

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    Keys to building film festival audiences!

    March 2, 2015 Leave a Comment Written by Deborah Spector

    Film festivals need a lot of promotions & marketing to be successful!

    Keys to building film festival audiences!

    Keys to building film festival audiences! Film festivals need a lot of promotions & marketing to be successful!

    Here are my favorite keys to building film festival audiences:

    • Email: Email is one of the most important marketing tools you have to promote your film festival. According to a recent McKinsey & Company study, email is still 40 times more effective at acquiring customers than Facebook and Twitter combined.The Austin Film Festival uses email for direct communication to their audience. They see most of their returns from dedicated email subscribers, and use an email marketing platform to compare and report email performance.
    • Social Media: Visual storytelling comes to us naturally. Humans process visuals faster than they process text. Considering our attention span is about 3.9 seconds long, presenting information as visuals just makes sense.
    1. Facebook and Twitter are the two most useful social media channels for growing your audience. Facebook is more conducive to marketing with information, whereas Twitter is best for shoutouts, retweets and community engagement.
    2. Instagram is good for brand building and photo sharing, but it’s still a relatively small platform.
    3. YouTube is great to post behind-the-scenes video content on festival events throughout the year to keep people engaged.
    4. Pinterest drives more traffic than Google+, YouTube & LinkedIn combined. Mainly, the site now attracts women in the age range 25-44 who love fashion, home decorating and family related products. As it gains more of a following, this is bound to change.
    • Sponsorships and Partnerships: Sponsorships can be a huge gateway to growing recognition and audience. Partnerships with institutions, brands, and businesses can bring additional value to your festival through in-kind donations and exposure. Getting businesses and influencers to back your festival where there’s a mutual exchange will build the momentum and your reputation. Use this social currency to expand your reach.
    • One-on-one promotions: We’re bombarded by messages every day. Community Engagement Committees are a great way to engage with people directly, and bring your value to them.
    • Press-kits: I’m a big fan of press-kits. They ensure that reporters, bloggers your audience and sponsors have what they need. Key to success is an easy-to-find contact link and phone number.
    • Off-line promotions: Don’t forget newspapers, flyers, flags, posters, presentations at community meetings and events, cross-promotions with other festivals, etc.

    I’d love to hear your suggestions for building film festival audiences! If you’re interested in our CS&I Film Festival PR/Marketing Template? Contact deborah@creative-si.com.

     

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    Emotions Rule in Nonprofit Marketing Communications!

    March 17, 2014 Leave a Comment Written by admin

    lizard self

     

    “Communications are all about the mind…and only about the mind. Keep that in mind.” Tom Ahern, How to Write Fundraising Materials That Raise More Money

    Never did I think my study of psychology  & neuroscience, albeit to a lesser degree, would have such an impact on my work in marketing communications. Was I wrong!

    I promise not to go too deep into the realms of neuroscience. But, bear with me. Understanding that the brain is the seat of emotions and that emotions “rule” when it comes to making a decision has huge implications for the nonprofit communicator.

    In The Emotional Brain, Ken Barnett states that emotions invariably are formed in certain parts of the brain, in which the consciousness that we term the mind resides. From the mind these emotions– fear, anger, stress, elation, anxiety, love and all the rest – can gush out anywhere and everywhere, controlled or otherwise, productively or destructively, far more powerful and irresistible than logic.

    Neuroscientist Antoine Bechara declared in 2006 that the “popular notion … that logical, rational calculation forms the basis of sound decisions … [is] wrong and [has] no scientific basis….”

    Ironically this is something that direct mail marketers have known for quite a while!

    Everyone is affected by emotional triggers. The key is to discover which emotional triggers create the action that you’re looking for in your marketing communications. My personal bias is that the main action you strive for is support for your nonprofit’s mission.

    Group triggers to lead to action. Couple negative triggers – anger, sadness, fear with positive triggers – caring joy and hope. Create what Tom Ahern calls emotional twin sets. Match a catalyzing trigger, most often negative to introduce the problem with a calming trigger, which is positive and offers a solution if the reader takes action.

    Don’t forget, as neurologist Donald Calne, author of Within Reason: Rationality and Human Behavior shows — reason leads to thinking, while emotion leads to action.

    Of course this isn’t the whole picture. Interested in more applicable insights into the use of emotions and nonprofit marketing communications? I strongly suggest:

    Communication is everything in marketing. If you can’t get your messages out to your audience and create the desired actions, your nonprofit will shrivel and die. Marketing communications is about understanding the needs of your audiences and finding the best way to speak with them.

    Don’t forget, people develop trust with organizations that they are emotionally connected to. So, telling a story about how you change the lives of real people who come into contact with your organization is critical.

    One last plug for neuroscience — our brain is hardwired to learn from and respond to stories! So the fastest and easiest way for your audience to understand and get involved with what your organization is doing is through stories.

    By the way, curious about the photo on this post? That’s my lizard. She/it sits on a shelf in my office watching me work – or not!  I saw the lizard when we took a trip to Santa Fe New Mexico and I had to have it. After reading Seth Godin’s fascinating book Linchpin, I think I know why!

    Any thoughts or contributions you want to make to the effects of emotional triggers on nonprofit marketing communications? I’d love to hear them.

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    Why I love local newspapers

    October 13, 2012 1 Comment Written by admin

    A close friend asked me if I had time to speak with an executive director of a nonprofit about media opportunities for an award they just won.

    I was excited since it gave me an opportunity to discuss one of my favorite topics – the power of community newspapers.

    When I first started working in nonprofit communications my targeted media list was full of local papers. They provide information on community issues and inspired a call to action in support of a healthy democracy.

    It seems not too long ago newspapers were still thriving. Now, the landscape is really changing.

    A recent report from the Pew Research Center – In Changing News Landscape, Even Television is Vulnerable” tracks important media trends. They are well worth noting.

    “The transformation of the nation’s news landscape has already taken a heavy toll on print news sources, particularly print newspapers. But there are now signs that television news—which so far has held onto its audience through the rise of the Internet—also is increasingly vulnerable, as it may be losing its hold on the next generation of news consumers.”

    Jeff Domansky  wrote an interesting post on media trends effecting PR. I’ve highlighted a few below:

    • Digital news surpasses newspapers, radio: Percentage of Americans who saw news or news headlines on a social networking site doubled—from 9 percent to 19 percent—since 2010.
    • With young, newspapers lack relevance: 33 percent of those under 30 get their news via social networking sites, 34 percent from TV, and only 13 percent from newspapers.
    • Newspaper free fall continues: Just 23 percent of all those surveyed read a newspaper yesterday. That’s down by half (47 percent) since 2000.
    • Reading still popular: 51 percent enjoy reading though there is a shift to electronic or digital formats.
    • Digital growing: Of those who read a magazine yesterday, 9 percent read digitally, while 20 percent of those who read a book did so in electronic format.
    • Online news is more mobile, or social: 17 percent got news on mobile devices and 38 percent saw news on a social networking site, doubling from just 19 percent two years ago.

    All that said, there are still thriving local newspapers. They play a significant role in community and are extremely important to nonprofits.

    “In towns and cities where there is a strong sense of community, there is no more important institution than the local paper,” said Warren Buffett.

    I still look to the local newspapers. I drill down to community news within the broader based newspapers. In many cases I discover an online and print version that increase readership and attention to my nonprofit clients.

    So, I introduced Alexis Dalmat, executive director Culture Connect to The Champion Newspaper, a local newspaper focused on the greater DeKalb County Community. The Champion is now part of Alexis’ communications toolbox.

    I would love to hear about your experiences with local newspapers.

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    Streamline your writing – reduce redundancy

    September 10, 2012 Leave a Comment Written by admin

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    To get through to your readers in this nano-second culture, you must write clear, concise sentences.

    So, whenever I write a press release or blog post I spend enormous amounts of time trying to tighten up my writing. This includes looking for and eliminating redundancy.

    Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases Press Release Distribution  posted an interesting article 20 redundant phrases to eliminate from your writing.

    Oops! As soon as I read the list I realized how many of these phrases I used all too often.

    How about you? Are you guilty of cluttering your writing with any of these phrases?

    1. Advance notice. When you give notice for something, you’re doing so in advance of the event taking place. Just use the word “notice.”

    2. Advance preview. The dictionary defines preview as “anything that gives an advance idea or impression of something to come.” There’s no need to slap the word “advance” in front of it.

    3. At the present time. Simply say either “at present” or “at this time.” There’s no need to be wordy.

    4. Close proximity. The word proximity already means “close by,” so it doesn’t need to be qualified with the word “close.”

    5. Collaborate together. You see this one a lot in press releases announcing partnerships or mergers. When you collaborate, you’re working with others. The word “together” is redundant.

    6. Completely unanimous. Let’s go back to the dictionary, shall we? Unanimous: in complete agreement. That’s all you need.

    7. End result. By definition, the result of something takes place at the end. Cut the word “end.”

    8. Extra bonus. A bonus is something extra, so you don’t need to use that extra word (see what I did there?) to try to build excitement.

    9. Final outcome. See #7.

    10. Free gift. Nothing beats free. Thankfully, gifts are free.

    11. Major breakthrough. This is another one you see in press releases and marketing materials. A breakthrough is something that provides a significant or sudden advance or development. Adding the word “major” is unnecessary.

    12. New beginning. Leave it at “beginning.”

    13. New innovation. Again, I can’t tell you how many press releases I’ve seen that use this phrase. An innovation is something new or different by definition. No need for the word “new.”

    14. Past history. All history is in the past.

    15. Positive improvement. As opposed to what, a negative improvement?

    16. Repeat again. To repeat is to perform an action again, making the word “again” pointless.

    17. Serious crisis. If you’ve ever faced a PR crisis (or any type of crisis), I don’t have to tell you that it’s serious. All crises are serious.

    18. Totally unique. There aren’t degrees of unique. Something is either unique or it isn’t.

    19. Unexpected surprise. If you’re expecting something to happen, it’s not a surprise.

    20. Unintended mistake. If you intended for something to happen, it wasn’t a mistake; it was a poor decision.

    Do you have any redundant phrases to add? Please let us hear from you!

    * This graphic accompanied the post on PRdaily.com.

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