Kate Hannigan, Author at Wanna Pixel

Behind the Scenes of a Global Nonprofit Providing Bicycle Relief

Kate Hannigan - November 10, 2017

Devastating natural disasters have become an all-too-familiar phenomenon in recent years, especially on the heels of 2017’s deadly hurricanes, floods, and fires. While it will take years for some of these communities to rebuild, occasionally we hear about incredible examples of people coming together to help each other rise above the hardships and inspire us all.

For F.K. Day and Leah Missbach Day, they were stirred to act after witnessing one of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded: a tsunami that struck in December 2004 in the Indian Ocean. It was the result of a magnitude 9.1 earthquake that hit beneath the ocean near Indonesia, claiming more than 230,000 lives in 14 different countries. Like many people around the world, they were glued to the television and newspapers, wondering how they could help alleviate some of the suffering.

As a founder of SRAM, a bicycle component manufacturer based in Chicago, F.K. believed in the power of bicycles as an easy, inexpensive means of transportation. And for Leah, as a documentary photographer, bringing these victims’ stories to light was important to the relief effort.

Together F.K. and Leah helped launch World Bicycle Relief as a means to provide bicycles to people in need. Partnering with aid organizations on the ground in Sri Lanka, WBR was able to distribute more than 24,000 bicycles to displaced survivors. These bikes helped provide them access to education, healthcare, and work, and at the same time allowed their communities to begin rebuilding.

By 2016, WBR’s mission had expanded, and the agency had distributed over 300,000 bicycles through a combination of philanthropic programs as well as social enterprise projects. As fans of this energizing nonprofit, we reached out to World Bicycle Relief to find out how they stay connected to their audience.

Question: World Bicycle Relief began in 2005 with two people and a great idea. How big are you now? And how would you describe your growth?

World Bicycle Relief: Our global fundraising and supporter community includes a plethora of countries including offices in the United States, Canada, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Germany, the United Kingdom, and we’ve recently launched in Australia. In the past 12 years, we have distributed over 360,000 bicycles and trained over 1,700 mechanics in more than 19 countries.

World Bicycle Relief has grown through a combination of things: hosting a series of global fundraising events, sharing compelling stories and data via our website, growing awareness and support through public relations, and of course through the generosity of our supporters.

Q: What tools have you used to reach a bigger audience? How have you used these tools? And other social media?

WBR: One of our most important tools for outreach is our website, as it expands our global reach. We also have a robust e-communications program that includes emails and inquiry management systems. Social media has also been a great tool as well. With such low cost, we value our social media platforms and their capability to be such a high-touch outreach tool.

Throughout the years, World Bicycle Relief has been able to reach a broader audience through nurturing partnerships with corporate and media players through targeted media outreach and placement.

Q: While online accessibility is essential, how about good old-fashioned human contact? What do you do to connect with your audience—both current and prospective donors—on a human, face-to-face level?

WBR: Yes, in today’s world, online communication is definitely vital. However, we love to interact with our supporters in person. Whether at a ride, event, fundraiser, learning opportunities and conferences, or a simple phone call, we are always keen to connect with our supporters and individuals who care about issues concerning education, healthcare, and entrepreneurship.

We’re always seeking out opportunities to create deeper connections with our support community.

Q: Looking ahead, what is World Bicycle Relief’s biggest need in the coming year? And how will you convey that need to your audience?

WBR: Our biggest need is continuing to build and diversify the support base that provides funding to help us execute and monitor programs of excellence. We work to do this through storytelling, invitations to participate on a personal or corporate level, and through fundraising campaigns.

Also see: Behind the Scenes of a Small Nonprofit Helping Syrian Refugees for another inside look at successful social good efforts.

Behind the Scenes of a Small Nonprofit Helping Syrian Refugees

Kate Hannigan - October 31, 2017

It’s always interesting and instructive to see how things happen. How a home chef makes a perfect lemon meringue pie. How an interior designer pulls together a room. How a nonprofit cultivates a community.

In Chicago, as with cities around the United States, nonprofits have responded to the Syrian refugee crisis in massive and impressive ways. With an estimated 5 million Syrians forced to flee their homes and scatter around the world because of war and atrocities, agencies large and small have stepped in to help.

We talked to Chicago’s Syrian Community Network to find out how they handled the organization’s rapid growth as the crisis escalated from 2015 to 2017, and how they maintain communication with their audience as it cycles in and out of the daily headlines. Syrian Community Network’s Programs and Development Coordinator, Maya Atassi, shared a brief peek behind the scenes of this dynamic Chicago nonprofit’s remarkable work.

Question: When did Syrian Community Network start? And how many people were onboard in the beginning—both in your staffing and in your donor base?

Syrian Community Network: SCN began in the spring of 2015. Essentially it was a group of community members who came together and formed what we now consider our board of directors. My colleague Salam and I were the first staff hires, and we began in December 2015. In terms of donors, the first few months’ donors consisted mostly of members from the Syrian diaspora community that are living in the West Suburbs and have been living there for many years.

Q: How big are you now? And how would you describe your growth? I see seven board members, as well as an advisory board, and a deep list of partner organizations. How did you grow? And how quickly did you ramp up?

SCN: The board and advisory board have been on since Day 1. They were there before I was hired. Since Salam and I were hired, we hired Rama, our case manager for the West Suburbs, and Danyah, a case manager for the North Side. Danyah left us in the spring of this year because she will be starting a master’s program this fall. We have recently hired two case managers for the North Side and are looking to hire an additional case manager for the West Suburbs.

Q: What tools have you used to reach a bigger audience? You have an easy-to-access website as well as a Constant Contact newsletter that informs your audience. How have you used these tools? And other social media?

SCN: Our Facebook page and Constant Contact are the two biggest tools we use to spread awareness of goings on. We also have Twitter and Instagram pages.

Q: What has been the most effective way to get your message out? Website? Email blast? Facebook? Traditional media, like newspaper or TV interviews? Word of mouth?

SCN: Facebook seems to get the most response—along with when people read something in the paper or hear something on the radio. We also get a decent amount of response to Constant Contact communication.

Q: While online accessibility is essential, how about good old-fashioned human contact? What do you do to connect with your audience—both current and prospective donors—on a human, face-to-face level?

SCN: We try to be really responsive to people who want to meet with us or come into the office. Our donors are really the backbone of our organization’s financial support, and without them we don’t have an organization.

Q: Looking ahead, what is SCN’s biggest need in the coming year? And how will you convey that need to your audience?

SCN: Our biggest need is always funding, and we will continue to perform as much outreach as we can to help spread the word about our cause and our purpose. Also, as family needs are changing (housing, jobs, etc.), we will continue to try and make connections to community resources that our families will benefit from.

To learn more and donate, please visit Syrian Community Network.

Also see: Behind The Scenes Of A Global Nonprofit Providing Bicycle Relief for another inside look at successful social good efforts.

Part of our value statement is “we value integrity, honesty, ingenuity, open communication, collaboration, personal excellence, constructive self-criticism, continual self-improvement, respect for each other, and respect for design.” Here are a few lies we won’t tell you.

WE HAVE A SOLUTION FOR EVERY COMPANY

One of the things I (Nate) dealt with in past jobs is creating an illusion for our customers that we offered a wide variety of solutions which we in reality did not offer. It was a smoke screen we put out there as a company to entice customers who were looking at other well known branded solutions to consider our primary solution.

Some people feel that offering a “wide variety” of solutions makes them look like a more experienced solution provider. In reality it means they are minimally experienced in many areas.

We focus on a few well known, and well researched solutions that we feel best meet our clients needs. That doesn’t mean we aren’t intimately familiar with other solutions or that the solutions we have selected will work best for all organizations. If our solution isn’t the right one for you, we are going to tell you and give you a recommendation of where you will find the best solution for your needs.

YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY IS GREAT

I say this sort of tongue in cheek because you might actually have a great brand and marketing plan. I like making people feel good. I would love nothing more than to tell you that your branding strategy and marketing plan is spot on! However, lying to you about the quality of your brand or marketing plan isn’t going to help anyone long term. Don’t feel bad though. I wouldn’t bring a criticism that I didn’t also have a solution to.

Our talent is taking a data driven approach to analyzing your current branding, technology, and marketing plan and maximizing your efforts to reach your audience and grow your organization!

YOU CAN'T DO THAT

This one is a little interesting. There may be many reasons why you shouldn’t do that or what you are asking for may not be something that we are prepared to do with our team, but we won’t tell you that you can’t do something. We’ll always be ready to explore the best option for what you are looking to achieve and at the very least, point you in the right direction.

Behind the Scenes of a Global Nonprofit Providing Bicycle Relief

Kate Hannigan - November 10, 2017

Question: World Bicycle Relief began in 2005 with two people and a great idea. How big are you now? And how would you describe your growth?

Q: What tools have you used to reach a bigger audience? How have you used these tools? And other social media?

Q: While online accessibility is essential, how about good old-fashioned human contact? What do you do to connect with your audience—both current and prospective donors—on a human, face-to-face level?

Q: Looking ahead, what is World Bicycle Relief’s biggest need in the coming year? And how will you convey that need to your audience?

Behind the Scenes of a Small Nonprofit Helping Syrian Refugees

Kate Hannigan - October 31, 2017

Lies We Won’t Tell You

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