Small voice in big universe of problems

I'm starting a new week, like I've started new weeks for the past 20-30 years. Recommitting myself to using my small voice to try to have a positive impact on the lives of people living in areas of concentrated poverty. 

As I though about how to write this I searched for "slice of the pie" to find a graphic that I created in the 1990s showing many issues that require attention, and how the "youth in poverty, and volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs" category is just one small slice of that pie. I found an article I wrote in 2015 and updated in 2020. I've reposted it below, with updates for 2025. 

The fires in Los Angeles and the hurricanes that hit the US South East states in November are just the two latest massive disasters that will require many years of consistent effort for people in the affected areas to recover.  This is not a new problem. 

In September 2005 I wrote an article titled "Disaster challenges us all".  In it I wrote,

"For the next few weeks there will be a tremendous outpouring of charitable donations to support relief efforts, just as there was in the weeks following the Tsunami. However, following this there will be a need for donations to continue for a decade or more. 

However, in six months or a year there will be another disaster that will mobilize public attention. Then the people who need Tsunami aid, and the people who need Katrina aid, will be off the front page and struggling to find the dollars needed to continue rebuilding their communities."  Read the article. 

This graphic is part of a strategy graphic that shows the planning steps needed to solve complex problems or roll out a new business strategy. See the full graphic and explanation here.

Every year, millions of dollars are spent by social benefit organizations trying to attract resource to support their work. The money is spent directly on fund raising, marketing and public education. It's spent indirectly on training programs and consultants.

Regardless of where an organization operates or what cause it focuses on, we're all competing for a slice of the same donor pie. That pie seems to be shrinking, either because of economic circumstances, or because of the rise in organizations competing for a share of the pie. Natural disasters that occur randomly around the world exert a huge pull on discretionary donor dollars every time they happen.

In the last few cycles elections have also drawn a huge share of donor dollars.

In my 2005 article, I wrote, 

"I spent 17 years doing corporate advertising for a large retail store. We sent out 3 waves of advertising each week to 20 million people in 40 states telling potential customers that we had stoves, clothes, tires and other merchandise they wanted in one of 400 stores that we operated. We also spent millions of dollars in making sure we had the right merchandise in those stores, well trained people, and that the stores were in the right locations. 

Each store had a responsibility to do its own advertising and training but because of the support from the national advertising and training, each store was able to attract customers on a regular basis, at a fraction of what it would cost if each had to create their own advertising campaign."

I've not found any city with a consistent, on-going effort to support all tutor/mentor programs in that city the same way big companies supported hundreds of retail stores spread all over the country.

Thus, it's unlikely that great programs, doing similar work, but in different places, will be available in a large percent of the places where such programs are needed. 

Since 1993 I've piloted uses of maps to show where non-school tutor/mentor programs are most needed, then using the maps to influence donor support of programs in every place where the map shows programs are needed. In recent years there is a growing application of mapping and data visualization (see examples on this concept map). However, I still don't see many who are trying to create maps of all service providers doing similar work in areas where that work is needed. Such maps would show a poor distribution of needed programs. Over time it would show change as new programs launch and some go out of business.

It's also unlikely that many organizations will attract on-going dollars to enable them to provide long-term support. In youth development, this is a serious issue. Kids take 12 to 20 years to move from first grade to first job. If they are living in high poverty areas, the support system needs to reach them early and stay with them through school and even into work. Such support systems are needed in many, many places.

Architects, engineers, web developers, etc. all use some form of blueprint to show all of the work that needs to be done, in the correct sequence, and with the right talent, to build a tower, a rocket, or any other product.

In disaster recovery, or helping kids through school and into careers, I feel that this is missing.  Take a look at this concept map.

It shows some of the supports kids need at each grade level as they move through school. It includes a map showing high poverty areas of Chicago, where these supports are most needed (because they are not naturally available).  It also shows a role volunteers and extra adults can take. 

I've seen list posted on social media showing supplies people need in LA because of the fires, but not a concept map that shows what's needed from today (fighting fires/finding places to live) until some day in the future when these areas have been rebuilt and when all the people affected have rebuilt their lives.

Without the blueprint a lot of money will be spent, but without an accumulated long term impact. Without a map, only a few places will get the help it needs.

What's the solution?

Building public will is step 7 on this map. Each step is important in solving complex problems. However, until more people from different places, with different talents, and different levels of influence get involved in brainstorming ways to build public support and keep it growing, I don't see many long-term solutions emerging.

I created this graphic (see article) to illustrate that while we want to help social benefit organizations and clients use the resources available to achieve their missions and/or overcome challenges they face, we also need to influence what people who don't live in poverty do to help them. This can include direct support such as funding, or public policy. It can also include indirect support, such as removing barriers and obstacles.

Some (but certainly not all) of the actions we need to be focusing on include:

a) constant education of the public so they have deeper understanding of the problems and places where strong, constantly improving, social benefit organizations are needed

b) innovation of on-going advertising-type campaigns to influence what resource providers do

c) build growing understanding of how current systems of philanthropic and government support are not working.

Just a small growth of the resource pie every year could make a huge impact on the availability of needed social benefit organizations (including tutoring/mentoring organizations) in more of the places where they are most needed.

Building public will requires champions and leaders from every sector, in every city of the world. I'm certain that this discussion is taking place. I'm just not sure where this is an on-line forum, a cMOOC, or part of a web library that points to a wide range of places where this is being discussed.

I've started using BlueSky more than Twitter. However, while I find groups of educators and a good discussion of nonprofit issues I still don't find volunteer-based youth serving organizations, their donors, the media, or their researchers.    

I've been sharing this message, along with a library or resources, and list of existing programs operating in Chicago, since 1994.  Yet, I find almost no leaders using a collection of graphics similar to those I've put into this article, to share their own commitment to this same goal.

Ideas bursting in air!

I launch my ideas on blog articles every week, then spread them, like fireworks via social media. As you and others pass them on in your own feeds, we reach more people, and maybe convince some to take on leadership roles in this effort.  Such leaders can be from any city in the USA, or from other parts of the world!

Thanks for reading. I'm a small voice, just a whisper in the wilderness. But if you share, we can roar like a lion.

Please share.  I'd like to hear from you.

Use the comment section to provide links to open, on-line forums, social media groups, or cMOOCs that you're aware of, where "building public will" is the focus of the group. Or introduce yourself to me on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Finally, it's a new year and once again I need to raise a few thousand dollars to cover the costs of maintaining the Tutor/Mentor library, writing this blog and trying to be a spark that ignites a massive increase in using these ideas.  Visit this page to make a contribution.