Be Concise and Show All
the Positive Impact You Make

You want all of the people who benefit from or assist work – or who might do either one – to understand the full positive impact of all you do. It is crucial to quickly and effectively impart this understanding to your actual and potential clients, constituents, referral sources, staff, volunteers, donors, funders, investors, and promoters. If they all know how great the work is, you will get more and better suited recipients, more and better quality volunteer and staff work, more and larger financial and in-kind contributions, and more and better quality promotion.

Yet all too often nonprofits and mission-based businesses express only the most basic and obvious ways that they make a difference, and don’t paint a vivid picture of the depth and breadth of benefit they provide. Frequently this omission is in the name of conciseness, yet it is possible to concisely describe each level of impact, and it is very worth the space, for it may be the most powerful way to inspire people to come receive or give as much as they can. A concise bullet or numbered list of every level of impact is an excellent piece to use in websites, brochures, donor solicitation letters, social media posts, grant proposals, and more. It is quick and easy to read, and the list format emphasizes that there are many levels of positive impact that people might not immediately see.

On the left side of the table below is a quick guide to different levels of impact your work might achieve. This list is not exhaustive and may inspire other ideas. You can use it to create your impact list by writing sentences or phrases for the relevant levels of impact, as I’ve done in the fictional examples in the table.

To finalize your list, combine some bullet points and edit them to be succinct, specific, and evocative. You’ll do best with at least 3 points and no more than 12. Take a look at my two final lists:

Our Homeless Shelter Provides:

1. Warm beds, healthy food, and showers
2. The relief of safety from cold, hunger, and violence
3. Time to get out of survival mode and think
4. Resources to stay in touch with family and friends, and assure them their loved one is safe
5. Professional counseling to assist healing and to develop confidence
6. A peer support community of people facing homelessness
7. Practical support for self-care, and finding and pursing the next steps to a better life
8. Training and opportunities to educate the public to end the stigma of homelessness
9. A safety net for anyone in the community
10. A building block of a society that takes care of everyone

Regular massage will enable you to:

* Allow yourself to relax and let the stress go
* Release painful tension from your muscles
* Press the refresh button on your mind and your creativity
* Center yourself and find the clarity you need for your life
* Become calmer and more patient with others
* Re-energize yourself so you can be more productive at home and work
* Get into the habit of nurturing yourself
* Help build a culture that prioritizes self-care, so we can all lead more peaceful lives together