Page 14 - 2019 Spring Conference Ebook
P. 14
General Session
HOW DATA CAN HELP REFRAME OUR MISSION STORY
for helping and who benefits from it, this realization
crystallized a critical learning:
We are not our audience.
In the public’s view, a narrative of makers vs. takers
is often conveyed, because the human services
sector hasn’t established the collective benefit of
supporting people in need. The Framework Institute
was also concerned with the ‘mental shortcuts’
people unconsciously take in making decisions
based largely on their beliefs. Coupled with the
prevailing cultural model of individualism — that,
through grit, hard work and determination, people
Speaker: Bridget Gavaghan, Director, National Human can overcome their challenges — it became
Services Assembly apparent how people might perceive the human
services sector narrowly.
As director of the National Human Services
Assembly (NHSA), Bridget Gavaghan fully “There is nothing inherently wrong with the story
recognizes the value of the human services [of individualism], but it’s problematic for our
sector. Her organization represents human
services agencies nationwide, and part of its work as a sector because it makes it harder for
mission is to convince policymakers and the people to see the need for support in our lives
public to support these agencies’ work in an
ongoing and meaningful way. But what happens and the role we play in it.”
when there’s a disconnect with how the public – Bridget Gavaghan
views the sector?
Framing as the Solution
Gavaghan and her colleagues sought to answer
that question, engaging with the Framework The Framework Institute determined that
Institute to pinpoint people’s perceptions of the framing — or making intentional choices about
human services sector and what’s required to do what we highlight to the public and what we let
well in work. In the first phase of the institute’s recede into the background — presented a solution
research, the initial results were sobering: people to navigating these challenges. In conducting a
really did not know much about the sector. second phase of research, the institute sought to
refine a better storytelling process by asking:
Challenges in Making the Case
• What values do we start the conversation with?
When in-person surveys of the public and
nonprofit leaders showed gaps of understanding • What metaphors do we use to describe our
in why people need support, who’s responsible work to the public?
“[People] don’t know the depth and breadth of what we do. They default to
thinking we provide basic needs for people in acute crisis. So, huge parts of
our work are missing from the public story.”
12 – Bridget Gavaghan, NHSA
