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Recap of One Voice Workshops on Reframing Human Services


The One Voice Communications Committee hosted two days of workshops led by the National Human Services Assembly (NHSA) to mobilize around exciting new research that shifts the narrative on human services. Ilsa Flanagan, Program Director, and Bridget Gavaghan, Consultant, of the National Reframing Initiative for NHSA trained participants to use reframing techniques to produce templates for key documents used by One Voice and participants' organizations.

At the Level 1 Reframing Workshop, participants received a refresher on the elements of the Building Well-Being narrative and practiced applying the frame to sample documents. At the Level 2 Reframing Workshop, participants got to take a deeper dive than ever before and learned additional framing elements and how to apply them to inform public perceptions of an issue. Tone, personal stories, and the use of data were focused on during the workshop. These two days of workshops were packed with opportunities for members, including a workshop for the One Voice Public Policy Committee where they focused on how to apply the reframing principles to One Voice key advocacy materials. The Reframing Leadership Group also had a session where they began planning the next stages of the partnership with NHSA.

For more information about the reframing initiative, check out this useful toolkit that gives great tips, tricks, and real world advice for how to reframe your organization's messaging. Please feel free to download the Level 1 Workshop PowerPoint and the Level 2 Workshop PowerPoint. You can also sign up for the National Human Services newsletter for the Reframing Human Services Initiative here

We want to extend a huge thanks to Ilsa, Bridget, Lee Sherman, CEO of NHSA, and everyone who helped provide two great days of workshops filled with lots of information!

Upcoming One Voice Committee Meetings

 

Membership Committee Meeting

  • When: Wednesday, November 2nd, 3:30pm-5:00pm
  • Where: Interfaith Action of Central Texas - 2921 E 17th St - Bldg D - 2nd Floor Conference Room

Public Policy Committee Meeting

Featured Member of the Week 


Laura Sovine, Executive Director, Austin Recovery
Number of Years as CEO: Today is my first day! 
How did you become interested in this work? Much of my direct service and subsequently administrative and policy experience has been in service of the formerly incarcerated. My passions are around second chances, sometimes third and fourth chances, and the fighting spirit of those trying to heal and recover. I am passionate about treating addiction as a public health issue rather than a criminal one, and therefore passionate about making treatment accessible and affordable to all who seek it.
What's the best advice that you have ever received? From a former boss of mine, Cynthia Berg, “Your best is going to be good enough.”
Read the Full Interview

Don't Forget to Register for These Exciting One Voice Events! 

One Voice Panel Discussion: What I Wish I Had Known Before Becoming an Executive Director

On November 15th, come and learn about the journey nonprofit leaders have taken to reach their positions and the lessons they have learned along the way. This will be an interactive session with the opportunity to ask questions.

Target Audience: Executive Directors within the first two years of their position and individuals who are interested in becoming an executive director one day. The session will be limited to 25 participants, and One Voice members/individuals who are employed by a One Voice member will have preference. Non-members will be charged $30. Email caity@onevoicecentraltx.org if you are a non-member who would like to register. We encourage One Voice members to forward this invitation to staff members who may be interested.

Confirmed Panelists:

When: Tuesday, November 15th, 8:00am-10:00am (Light breakfast from 8:00am-8:30am)
Where: Meals on Wheels Central Texas - Board Room 
Register Today!

One Voice Training: Advocacy & Lobbying 101 for Texas Nonprofits 

Lobbying is not only legal – it’s one of the most effective means for nonprofits to advance their missions! Whether influencing the state budget or advocating for legislative reform, there are many reasons that 501(c)(3) public charities choose to lobby to achieve their policy goals. This comprehensive workshop will help explain what lobbying is and why it is so important. Federal law allows 501(c)(3) public charities (including houses of worship and public foundations) to lobby within generous limits, and state law similarly permits nonprofit lobbying and advocacy. This training addresses:

  • How the tax law permits lobbying for nonprofits
  • One easy step most charities can take to maximize the amount they’re allowed to spend on lobbying
  • Yearly lobbying limits for charities
  • Tips for taking advantage of the narrow definitions of lobbying – which will help charities make the most of their lobbying limit
  • The application of these rules to ballot measure activities
  • Texas lobbying definitions, registration, & reporting requirements
About the Presenter: Natalie Ossenfort is the Texas Director at Alliance for Justice, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing democracy by ensuring that all Americans have a voice in the government that serves them. At AFJ, Natalie works with the organization's Bolder Advocacy program to provide nonprofits with the assistance they need to confidently advocate on behalf of their organizational missions. Bolder Advocacy provides training, written legal resources, and free technical assistance to nonprofits regarding the rules of advocacy and lobbying at the federal, state, and local levels. By strengthening the capacity of nonprofits to pursue policy reform, groups are able to more effectively speak out on behalf of the needs of their communities and constituents.

When: Wednesday, November 30th, 2:00pm-4:00pm 
Where: LifeWorks East - Multipurpose Room 

This training is free for One Voice members to attend. A maximum of two individuals per member organization may RSVP for each workshop at this time. We encourage Executive Directors, Board Members, and senior staff to attend. If more than two individuals from your agency are interested in attending, please email caity@onevoicecentraltx.org to place additional individuals on the waiting list. Additionally, if you are not a One Voice member and would like to attend, you can email caity@onevoicecentraltx.org and request to be put on a waiting list. We will inform you if space permits for you to attend; the cost for non-members to attend is $30. We encourage One Voice members to forward this invitation to staff and board members who may be interested.

Register Today!

Sign Up for a One Voice Leadership Position for 2017 

 
Are you interested in a leadership position in One Voice for 2017? We are now seeking members interested in serving as One Voice Officers, Committee Chairs, and Community Liaisons for 2017. Learn more about One Voice leadership opportunities and sign up here. Submissions can be sent to info@onevoicecentraltx.org.

Integral Care Community Forum: Looking Forward to the 85th Legislature


Our member, Austin Travis County Integral Care is hosting a community forum about the upcoming session. The last two sessions of the Texas Legislature have seen unprecedented investment in behavioral health and heightened focus on the myriad ways in which public systems must work together to address Texans' needs. Now the 85th Legislative Session is just around the corner. What has happened since the last session? What changes are anticipated? How can you track the issues you care about and what's the best way to ensure that your voice is heard at the Capitol? 

Presenters:
When: November 9th, 11:00am-1:00pm 
Where: George Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center 
Register Today

The Anatomy of a Newsletter 


Interested in making your organization's newsletters stand out to donors, members, clients, and constituents? iContact wrote a helpful blog about the anatomy of a newsletter with a great infographic that can help shape up your next newsletter publications! 

"For a nonprofit organization, sending a regularly scheduled newsletter is one of the most effective ways to spread the word about a cause, promote a call to action, and inspire philanthropy. It can be a key factor in staying connected with volunteers, donors, and even staff. As a nonprofit, you want to move people. You want your subscribers to recognize the problems in the world and your efforts to fix them. You want your supporters to understand they play an integral part in what you do. Your newsletter should communicate all these initiatives..."

Check out the infographic by clicking the image to the right and feel free to read the whole blog by clicking here

New Communications Tip from the Reframing Human Services Network: Rethinking Personal Stories

The following message comes directly from the Reframing Human Services Network.
 
The National Reframing Initiative seeks to build Americans’ understanding of the human service sector and build public will for policy and systems solutions to the challenges it addresses. The FrameWorks Institute’s communications research shows us that using the Building Well-Being Narrative is quite effective in building a more expansive, more accurate view of the human service sector. It’s fair to say that this narrative isn’t the type of story we’re most familiar with, from entertainment, the news, or fiction. But, FrameWorks advises, it’s the type of story that our field has to get better at telling.
 
FrameWorks’ approach to narrative draws on the groundbreaking research of Shanto Iyengar, a political scientist at Stanford University. Professor Iyengar distinguishes between “episodic” and “thematic” stories. Episodic stories focus on a single event, or episode. Thematic stories, on the other hand:
 
"...apply a wide-angle lens to the coverage of the issue – focusing on trends over time, and highlighting contexts and environments.”
Source: Episodic Vs. Thematic Stories, A FrameWorks Institute FrameByte, 2007
 
Like most in the nonprofit sector, human services relies heavily on episodic stories in its communications. It doesn’t take long for a visitor to any of our websites to find one. These stories highlight individuals whose participation in a program helps them overcome significant personal challenges. They might feature an individual struggling to get by, or an individual who has tremendous success despite significant challenges or barriers.
 
We use these stories for a variety of reasons, assuming that they engage the public, make the issue at hand easier to understand, and help us to demonstrate the efficacy of our programs and services. And they might do some of these things – but FrameWorks points to social science research that suggests they have hidden, undesirable effects as well. Focusing on individual successes or challenges actually undercuts our efforts to engage the public in broader systemic solutions.
 
 
 
 
Telling episodic personal stories walks us right into one of the human service sector’s key communication challenges, the “Individualism Trap.” As uncovered by FrameWorks in the first phase of the National Reframing Initiative, the public has a narrow view of the sector as primarily providing temporary, direct service to individuals who are in crisis. When asked why people need these services, the public points to individual failings, such as a lack of drive or will power. Personal stories, even success stories, trigger common public misconceptions about our sector by: 
  • Emphasizing the role that individual actions play in causing or solving problems, while obscuring the role of systems and institutions; 
  • Leaving out large segments of the sector’s work, such as prevention, research, and advocacy; and 
  • Focusing on direct service recipients as the sector’s sole beneficiaries, rather than illuminating the broader societal benefits of the sector’s work. 
In an upcoming newsletter, we will provide more guidance on how to tell thematic stories. In the meantime, we point you towards two fabulous FrameWorks resources on the topic:
  1. Wide Angle Lens, a free, multimedia learning module that explores the difference between episodic and thematic storytelling.
  2. Checklist for Advocates, a quick reference tool to help you determine if your communications materials are telling an episodic story or a thematic story.
Copyright © 2016 One Voice Central TX, All rights reserved.


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