The challenge and opportunity of true connection

From Network for Good

In a recent commencement speech, novelist Jonathan Safran Foer lamented the risk of isolation in our wired culture. As technology becomes more ingrained in our daily lives, simple actions that have traditionally involved face-to-face communication have been transformed by apps and interfaces. As we’ve become more connected than ever, it’s become easy to avoid true connection.

 

 

For nonprofits, it’s ironic that just as we have the ability to reach so many more people in the world, it’s increasingly tempting to opt for generic messages and efficiency. Resist this urge! If we want to inspire action and support for our causes, we must continue to appeal to the emotions of our fellow man. Passion. Hope. Empathy.

 

 

So how do you ensure your digital outreach has a heartbeat? Keep these tips in mind:

• Tap into emotion by featuring a human face in your communications.
• Avoid jargon. Talk like a real person to connect with real people.
• Make it clear that your emails, social media channels and website have a living, breathing person behind them.
• Stir passion through story. Focus on an individual’s struggle and illustrate how your work has helped.
• Don’t neglect the interactive part of online interaction.

There are so many ways to get it wrong, yet as agents for social change, we have the best opportunity to get it right. Use the tools of technology to amplify the heart, soul and emotion of your cause, not avoid it. Your message and mission depend on it.