Picture your last retail shopping experience in a national chain store. Chances are that from the moment you entered the front door to the moment you left, your experience was “managed” to maximize store profit. The climate was specially designed to maximize your comfort. The end caps of every aisle offered suggestions on products you didn’t know you needed (Batteries? Sure!) The music was carefully selected to put you in a buying mood, and even that was occasionally interrupted with advertisements for special sales and new products. When you finally got to the register, you were probably exposed to suggestive sales techniques and then encouraged to sign up for a store credit card or product warranty.
The above experience is becoming increasingly common in the retail world because, annoying though it can be, it works.
Now picture the typical experience of your average client served in the non-profit sector. Picture the clinic waiting room– filled with magazines and with the tv in the corner barking the drama of some daytime judge show. Imagine the overworked staffer attempting to move the client through the intake process as quickly as possible. During this unavoidable wait to receive limited services, what exposes the client to the mission and needs of the nonprofit? Maybe a brochure on a rack in the corner? A flier or two on the front counter? Certainly no carefully chosen music or end displays.
What might it look like, though, if the nonprofit client’s experience was more managed? What would the landscape look like if nonprofits attempted to maximize their missions by taking some cues from the retail world? We at KGC urge you to actively pursue that change in client experience. Contrary to popular belief, there is no law prohibiting you from putting that television to good use, describing other programs and services of your organization, or even delivering political education. Did your prices go up? Explain why, and invite your consumer to sign a petition. Where did your new program come from? Explain your funding stream and ask your client to “fan” you on facebook for more information.
Think you can’t do these things because you are underfunded and understaffed? Until we turn our clients into our advocates, we always will be.
This is a great way of framing how we in the social service world should approach our clients–not as passive recipients or inconvenient ‘burdens’, but as co-creators of the kind of world in which we want to live and practice. This is one of my mantra topics, and one I write about a lot…if you haven’t already seen their stuff, you should check out the Building Movement Project. They have awesome, inspiring examples of nonprofits around the country getting this right, and how it improves their morale, bottom line, and mission-driven advocacy and organizing. I’d just add that nonprofits outside of social services need to be part of this movement, too–arts and culture organizations, educational institutions, etc… Thanks for sharing this!