OF OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE
Visibility Project
The following proposal was received, discussed, and adopted at the February, 2003, Board meeting of the Storehouse. Through its implementation, the Board hopes to "cause the name Ecumenical Storehouse to pop in [the public's] mind as the best place to recycle household goods to those in need."
The Ecumenical Storehouse, Inc. is a long-established member of the Anderson County social services network. Even though it has been providing emergency relief to families since 1984, the Storehouse still suffers from a lack of name recognition throughout the county. Not only members of the community, but also clients of the Storehouse, often comment that they don't know where it is located or even that it existed. These recommendations are made to address this lack of recognition by bringing to a wider audience an awareness of the needs that are met by the Storehouse. The recommendations target all newspapers and churches in Anderson County, as well as ComCast Channel 12 and area TV stations. The result should be an increase in donations to the Storehouse.
We need a person from each of our nine participating churches to work with us on the committee to achieve this goal. In particular, we hope that each chosen representative will be a person with long-term participation in the Storehouse program, so that they are quite familiar with its operations and can, in fact, contribute some human-interest stories of their experiences. Additional persons with experience in publicity and contacts in the social services community would also be welcomed.
Step 1 -- Generate History of the Storehouse
A longstanding Board member is requested to develop a basic story about the establishment and ongoing operations of the Storehouse. This will be the central piece from which to develop folders, newspaper articles, and fund solicitation documents.
Step 2 -- Church Outreach
A series of church bulletin inserts will be developed and sent quarterly to all Churches in Anderson County. Each mail-out will contain a letter from the Storehouse Board Chair or a member church Board representative with comments pertinent to the time of the year, e.g., spring or fall cleanup, approach of winter, and heat of summer. Hopefully, it will also include some report of the success of the campaign.
Step 3 -- Community Channel Television
Members of the committee will visit ComCast Channel 12 company, BBB Communications, to discuss the campaign and ask how the channel can be supportive of the effort by providing channel time, stories, etc.
Step 4 -- Interaction with Cities and Towns
Cities and towns in the county have spring and fall cleanup activities that could be used to greatly increase the inventory of the Storehouse. These communities would assist the Storehouse by including them in their cleanup press releases. The citizens would bring a reduced cost to their government if Storehouse volunteers picked up items that would have been discarded and the cities had to pay for both pickup and disposal. We will meet with members of these governments to develop cost estimates for their pickup and disposal costs, establish a reasonable percentage figure for recycle of goods by the Storehouse and request that they incorporate the Storehouse in their clean up press releases and literature. "Teaming with The Ecumenical Storehouse to reduce operating costs and benefit our citizens" could be the headline. Clearly good press for all parties.
Step 5 -- Newspaper coverage
Garage sale information is a part of most newspaper operations through which persons caqn place an advertisement, receive a package of signs, etc. The Storehouse will prepare an enclosure page and ask newspapers to put it in their package. It would say something like, "After the sale what do you do?????? Put the stuff back into the attic or call The Storehouse. The Storehouse can pick up your household items and recycle them to those in need. You may get a tax deduction!"
Step 6 -- Human interest stories
Human interest stories are the key to imprinting an organization in the hearts and minds of the citizens. One of the reasons for asking each church to provide an "experienced Storehouse person" to work on this committee is the human interest stories they can bring to the effort. If you have worked at The Storehouse you have had experiences that stick with you, people you easily remember and their story. We need those stories to help make The Storehouse more visible.
Late in 2002 volunteers served many families that had been involved in the tornados that hit our area. There are always stories of burnouts, sickness, families needing a hand up, family violence, etc. For example:
| A story that sticks in my mind is from the mid 90's. In 1996, when I managed the United Way campaign, I visited all of the member agencies. During my visit to the Storehouse, a staff person from Ridgeview brought in a young man, who was transitioning from their managed care to independent living. The person at the desk asked the normal question: "What do you need?" The young man gave the standard answer of "Almost everything." The volunteer then went on to try to help him and asked "What do you have?" His answer, "a chair, a lamp, and a small table," is something I always think of when confronted with the wonderful life I have been fortunate to enjoy. |
There are so many of these stories that would pull at the heart strings of a generous public that often is too busy to stop and ask where can I dispose of this "old" chair. We need to cause the name "Ecumenical Storehouse" to pop in their mind as the best place to recycle household goods to those in need.