It’s easy to create a website for an organization that serves young children. Young children are beautiful, innocent and blameless. People are sympathetic to young children in tough situations. We can all relate to them because we are either raising children, have raised children, or were children at one point.
Sadly, we have less sympathy for a homeless man, or a gay couple who wishes to marry. Sometimes, when we can imagine a scenario of blame, we feel justified in removing ourselves from the solution. We protect ourselves by thinking, “That guy with the sign could get a job… he should be trying to get one right now,” or “You’re gay, you can just get married in Canada.” Some of us don’t like looking at photos of the really old because they magnify fears of our own future. Images of disabled people make us feel helpless. We choose to look away.
It is your job to make us look.
Open our eyes. Tell a hard story in a positive light. Show a disabled child laughing with her family. Show a homeless family accepting help. Show personal stories that will attract more helpers. Social service nonprofits need to build awareness and acceptance in order to raise money and motivate volunteers. Photos and videos build awareness, which is the first step towards solving tough social issues and creating a more socially just world. You are out there working towards your mission every day. Don’t shy away from your mission when it comes to showing potential donors or members who it is that you serve.
