Contagious
Vision and a
Commitment to Telling
Our Stories
"I
strongly agree with PLAN's model and vision and
I want to contribute to society"
PLAN
facilitator
What
This Element Means
PLAN
provides a unique response to families who are worried about the future.
On one level, PLAN's response is simple. A safe and secure future
requires loving and caring relationships. However, the combination
of philosophy, values and practices that surround this simple response
represent a sophisticated social innovation. Explaining how PLAN works
can prove to be challenging.
PLAN
has discovered that telling stories is the best way to inspire others.
We share examples of how people with disabilities are making contributions
to our society and how their network members are transformed by their
friendship. We tell stories of the dedication and courage of families
and celebrate the unique solutions they have developed in securing
the future. Telling these stories gives hope and inspires families
to act. They also inspire the media to assist PLAN in getting its
message out.
To
gauge how well PLAN is performing in this domain, the audit explored
the variety of audiences reached and the ways PLAN shares its stories.
The
Findings
1.
How lifetime members heard about PLAN
32% community organization/worker
19% word of mouth
17% PLAN member
15% print media
6% attending a PLAN activity
4% radio program.
2.
What brings facilitators to PLAN?
64% of facilitators mentioned PLAN's philosophy, vision or beliefs
as the reason they became involved with PLAN.
3.
Media and workshops
- In
2001-02 PLAN delivered 80 workshops
- 1,495
books sold
- 22
newspaper and magazine articles
- 22
radio and television spots
- Published
four newsletters.
Analysis
PLAN
communicates well about what is possible in the future. However, we
may need to pay attention to communicating to our stakeholders that
there are challenges along the way. For example, one family mentioned
they want to hear "what is really happening, not just the fun happy
stuff." When the challenges of planning for the future are not shared
in advance, there is bound to be frustration and disappointment when
those challenges do arise.
PLAN
is very effective at sharing its vision and igniting hope. Our workshops
are well received and PLAN's coverage by the national and local media
rivals any not-for-profit organization in Canada. It is clear from
family, staff and facilitator comments that they are drawn to PLAN
because of its vision.
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