Go Nnenna Ogwo !
It was such a treat to present and perform at the Met Museum today. I got to play the music of Afro-Brit composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor on an Erard piano that he could conceivably have played in his lifetime. Many thanks to the folks in the Education Department and in the Hall of Instruments who made today possible.
Love this.
❤️ ✍ Want your fundraising writing to resonate? Write words that stick: I'm talking about melodic words, memorable words, tactile words... ... Yes, even in your fundraising appeals and donor communications. Why? Because when you take the time to craft clear, beautiful words and phrases, your donors (and readers of practically anything you write, really) have been shown to: (1) Slow down (2) Read longer (3) Remember more (4) And, bonus 1: sticky words and phrases light up the brain (5) And, bonus 2: when you write for resonance, you spark human emotion (and nonprofit storytellers, we ❤️ human emotion). What am I talking about? Five easy techniques, to start: (1) Alliteration: when you use the same sounds at the beginnings of progressive words, that's alliteration. From actual donor communications: - He winced when he walked. - Today she tends a tidy acre. Like that. It's word-music, for your brain. Plus why say, "today she harvests crops from the garden" when you can give your reader "today she tends a tidy acre": something beautiful and equally clear, that will stay with them. (2) Sensory words: Please, for me, love your tactile words. Scent. Sound. Texture/touch. They instantly bring your writing to life without you having to do eons of describing. From actual fundraising appeals: - the jagged pain in your foot - the crunch of gravel - the silken whisper of fur through your fingers [this one does triple duty: tactile, assonance with the vowel sounds in 'silken' and 'whisper', and alliteration with 'fur' and 'fingers'] >>> At the end of this post I link you to my blog, where you can get some sources for why tactile words work so well. (Plus more on assonance, etc.) (3) Rhythm, (4) Rhyme, and (5) Repetition. Rhythm, again, fires the brain like music. Rhyme, same. Repetition, can act like rhythm. From actual appeals: - Move along, move along. Where are you supposed to go? - When the sun doesn't chase him, doesn't threaten to erase him... - You want to cry -- to shout -- to scream in return. [subtle rhythm: to cry to shout to scream] There's loads more you can do to write words that resonate. But I turn to these 5 techniques almost daily, and I hope they help you too (<- alliteration, just saying :-)). PS. I send fresh, nerdy stuff on writing for donors, generous words, direct mail, nonprofit storytelling, every 2 weeks if you're on the list --> lisasargent.com/newsletter 😊 PPS. That blog post I mentioned with techniques and sources: lisasargent(dot)com/blog [<-look for the literary devices post]
Huge thanks to Steffany Dignum for your vision and hard work on this project!
The Arc San Francisco and Visa Partner to Help Increase Financial Literacy for the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Community June 20, 2024 – The Arc San Francisco and Visa are excited to announce their partnership on phase one of a new initiative, which officially started in April 2024, aiming to increase financial inclusion among individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) The Arc San Francisco is using our resources and connections to ensure that each participating client receives the personalized support they need. With Visa's generous first grant of $100,000 for phase one, we're leading an initiative to create a world where everyone can thrive, regardless of their abilities. Recently, The Arc San Francisco conducted its first focus group with clients to assess the accessibility and help ensure the effectiveness of Visa’s financial literacy initiative, Practical Money Skills, for the I/DD community. Based on focus group feedback, and with Visa's support, we're adapting resources to better meet the needs of the I/DD community, and to ensure financial literacy content is readily accessible to them. Our ultimate goal is to achieve true financial inclusion by providing support and training to financial institutions, service providers, and interested stakeholders to understand the nuanced support needed in the I/DD community to allow the program to scale globally. There is an acute need to broaden financial inclusion efforts for I/DD. In 2021, the rate of working-age households with disabilities lacking bank accounts rose sharply to 14.8 percent, compared to only a 3.7 percent increase for households without disabilities that lack banking accounts. This means that three million individuals with disabilities don't have bank accounts, facing significant obstacles to financial inclusion. Visa and The Arc San Francisco will collaborate on a plan to share findings and observations from the assessment. We will share study results, practical tips, and more resources to help individuals with I/DD confidently manage their finances. Our partnership reflects our shared values and dedication to making a real difference in the lives of individuals with I/DD. Together, we're excited to drive positive change and promote financial inclusion for all. Image Description: The Arc San Francisco and Visa logos are placed next to each other, with the text "The Arc San Francisco and Visa Partner to Help Increase Financial Literacy and Inclusion for the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Community" in orange. #TheArcSF #VISA #VisaInclusion #TheArcSFAndVisa #IDDAdvocacy #PracticalMoneySkills #FinancialLiteracy #FinancialEducation #FinancialEmpowerment #IDD
