Selling Your Work Through Statistics and Stories · 2019-02-04 · Selling your story to the media (cont.) Have elements of the story ready to go when sending a query and the angle
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1 A nonprofit service and advocacy organization © 2014 National Council on Aging
July 2014
Selling Your Work Through Statistics and Stories
Audio Portion: 1-866-740-1260 Web Portion: www.ReadyTalk.com
Code: 4796976
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A nonprofit service and advocacy organization © 2014 National Council on Aging
What we’ll cover today
Sharing your story: why and how Supplementing your story with data
• Medicare population and benefits access visualization tool • LIS eligibility mapping tool • Other resources to gather statistics
Communicating with different audiences • Policymakers/Congress • Media
Examples/successes
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A nonprofit service and advocacy organization © 2014 National Council on Aging
Sharing your story: Why and how
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A nonprofit service and advocacy organization © 2014 National Council on Aging
Why tell a story?
We all tell stories to get our point across… Elected officials, media, activists, and funders are
best swayed/enlisted once we put a face on an issue. Giving voice—particularly to someone who is
vulnerable or disenfranchised (threatened/trapped/powerless)—has enormous impact.
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A nonprofit service and advocacy organization © 2014 National Council on Aging
How to tell a story
Determine who your audience is Start with the problem Give an example of a specific person who was struggling to
pay for health care, prescriptions, etc. and how this impacted their health and financial well-being
Explain how your action helped What services did you provide? What benefits did the person
receive? What were the benefits worth (in dollars)? How has this improved their situation?
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A nonprofit service and advocacy organization © 2014 National Council on Aging
How to tell a story (cont.)
Frame the problem in a broader context Provide statistics on how this problem affects the
greater community: How many seniors are missing out on benefits? How many show up at your office facing hunger/debt/foreclosure?
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A nonprofit service and advocacy organization © 2014 National Council on Aging
How to tell a story (cont.)
Engage the audience as part of the solution Explain their role in enabling more people like the
one served to receive help (e.g., providing funding, spreading the word)
Provide a specific action for the reader to take Reiterate the problem and the key role your
organization plays in the solution What would happen if your services disappeared?
What niche do you fill?
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A nonprofit service and advocacy organization © 2014 National Council on Aging
Incorporating photos and videos
Photos and videos of actual clients bring more power to stories, but first you should: Explain to the client how the story will be used Seek written consent for using their story, image,
name, and details (electronic consent form is built into BEC reporting tool)
Follow up with them once the story is published/used
Photos should be high-resolution (300 dpi) if possible
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A nonprofit service and advocacy organization © 2014 National Council on Aging
Supplementing your story with data
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A nonprofit service and advocacy organization © 2014 National Council on Aging
Two types of data, two ways to talk about impact
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Quantitative Numbers Statistics Metrics
Qualitative Words Stories
Narratives
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A nonprofit service and advocacy organization © 2014 National Council on Aging
Quantitative Data
Advantages Clear and specific Can overlay large, publicly available data with proprietary data Easy to communicate through charts and graphs Allows overarching analysis of impact in the aggregate
Limitations Analysis has a somewhat steep learning curve Impersonal Lacks nuance Charts and graphs are easy to make a mess of
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A nonprofit service and advocacy organization © 2014 National Council on Aging
Qualitative Data
Advantages Allows for a nuanced understanding of programs and impact Stories can be deeply personal and create a connection with
the audience Relatively simple to collect and analyze
Limitations Stories may not be representative of the population as a whole Analysis can be time-consuming and subjective Can be hard to communicate
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A nonprofit service and advocacy organization © 2014 National Council on Aging
Collecting Quantitative Data
Tools for collecting data: • Surveys • Forms • Spreadsheets • Databases
For grantee reporting, NCOA uses Form Assembly
forms, which connect to our Salesforce database, from which data is easily extracted. Online forms can replace Excel spreadsheets as a way to collect information from multiple grantees or sub-grantees.
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A nonprofit service and advocacy organization © 2014 National Council on Aging
Visualizing Quantitative Data
Plenty of options • Charts • Graphs • Maps • Visualizations
Pick the right tool for the job. Remember that
context is king, and that your visualization should be able to stand on its own.
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A nonprofit service and advocacy organization © 2014 National Council on Aging
Visualizing Quantitative Data
Pie charts: just say no.
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Visualizing benefits access
www.ncoa.org/benefitsmap Profile of Medicare population and enrollment in core
benefits
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Visualizing LIS eligibility
www.ncoa.org/LISmap County-level data on people likely eligible for but not
enrolled in LIS
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Other resources for statistics
American Fact Finder of the U.S. Census: http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml • Population demographics • Income, education, housing • Searchable down to zip code level
Aging Integrated Database (AGID) from Administration for Community Living: http://www.agid.acl.gov/ • Specific to aging population and programs
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Other resources for statistics (cont.)
State Health Facts from Kaiser Family Foundation: http://kff.org/statedata/ • Medicare & Medicaid enrollment, prescription drug plans,
Medicare spending
Current Population Survey Table Creator: http://www.census.gov/cps/data/cpstablecreator.html National and state data on poverty, other data
Medicare Chronic Conditions Data Dashboard: http://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/Chronic-Conditions/CCDashboard.html
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Communicating with different audiences
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Communicating with policymakers
Make it personal! Use storytelling tips noted earlier (specific example, statistics, call to action)
Congress likes to hear about how programs are helping people
Share regularly, not just when there’s a problem Don’t always be negative
• You can share problems/struggles but it’s also nice to share what works and a positive result
• Offer to help them connect their constituents to benefits
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Communicating with Congress
Email or telephone is quicker • Sending a letter through the postal service can sometimes
take weeks, because every piece of mail in DC goes through strict security scans for dangerous substances
Cultivate relationships with your Congressional District Office • Invite your Congress person and their staff to see your work • Leave information behind that they can pass along • Attend local meet-and-greets
Write letters to your local newspaper
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Selling your story to the media
Determine your message See whether you want to write a press release or media
advisory • PRs target broad audience, often go over wire services • Media advisories are good for inviting select media to events
Identify local reporters who regularly cover related topics and reach out to them • Health • Consumer/financial matters • Seniors/aging
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Selling your story to the media (cont.)
Have elements of the story ready to go when sending a query and the angle tailored to the reporter • Persons willing to be interviewed (you, staff, clients) who’ve
helped/been helped • Statistics • Why the issue matters to your community
Offer exclusivity (don’t query every reporter at once) unless you’re hosting an event
Follow up with media
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Examples/successes
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Sample story: Mr. Buddy, Alabama
Age 66, income of $3,846/yr. $600 behind on rent, about to lose his trailer Baldwin Council on Aging and South Alabama Regional
Planning Commission (SARPC) helped Mr. Buddy complete a BenefitsCheckUp® screening, where he screened eligible for: • $263 per month in Supplemental Security Income benefits • $110.50 per month to pay his Medicare premium • $17 per month to help pay for food • $400 in back rent from local charity
http://www.ncoa.org/enhance-economic-security/benefits-access/double-the-income-financial.html
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Sample story: Alaska
GB came into the Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) for Medicare Part D counseling. She was having her medication filled through a mail order pharmacy, as she had been told that this was the cheapest option. The ADRC found that using a mail-order pharmacy was more than double the cost of filling her medications at a retail pharmacy. With Part D education and counseling, GB was able to stay on the same plan, but save $2,907 annually, just by switching her pharmacy. In addition, she received application assistance and education regarding manufacturer financial assistance programs which would help pay for the cost of her brand name pharmaceuticals, saving her even more money.
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Success with media: MMAP
62,000 Michigan Medicare beneficiaries missing out on Part D Low Income Subsidy (LIS)
Aging network reached out to Detroit Free Press reporter with message about value of LIS; gathered: • Statistics about missing benefits, poverty in state • Contacts at local agencies, including a caregiver whose mother was
helped by getting the benefit • Info on where seniors could go for more information
Resulting story was front page news on March 28, 2014: http://www.freep.com/article/20140328/NEWS06/303280011/Senior-Medicare-savings
Generated 100% increase in calls to local AAAs about LIS
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Other sample stories
Jesus and Maria Cardenas from Texas: http://www.ncoa.org/enhance-economic-security/center-for-benefits/becs/finding-affordable-medicine.html
Jackie T. from Georgia: http://www.ncoa.org/enhance-economic-security/center-for-benefits/becs/restoring-sight-and-peace.html
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Tools and resources
Advocacy toolkit: www.ncoa.org/toolkit • 10 tips for gathering and telling stories • Fact sheets and statistics • Find your members of Congress • Key Congressional words and definitions • How to write to Congress, visit your Congress person, and
follow up with them • Distinguishing between lobbying and advocacy/education
LIS mapping tool: www.ncoa.org/LISmap Benefits mapping tool: www.ncoa.org/benefitsmap
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Improving the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020 © 2014 National Council on Aging
Contact us
Brandy Bauer
brandy.bauer@ncoa.org
Conor McGovern conor.mcgovern@ncoa.org
Stay tuned for our next webinar, August 27, on troubleshooting and appeals for SNAP!
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