The Chicago Lighthouse For people who are blind or visually impaired! March 19, 2013!
A Closer Look at the Chicago Lighthouse... MISSION “The Chicago Lighthouse is a not-for-profit agency committed to providing the
highest quality educational, clinical, vocational and rehabilitation services for children, youth and adults who are blind or visually impaired, including deafblind and multi-disabled.�
VISION Generate access to a future of independence with dignity for all through: Quality, Comprehensive programs and Community leadership
They’re actually doing a lot...
...but it’s hard to tell.
HATCH (Humanistic + Actionable + Testable + Clear + HAPPY)!
HATCH ANALYSIS HUMANISTIC: Work to help the blind and visually impaired Improving the lives of people to promote independence ACTIONABLE: Are leaders in their category and take action on issues regarding blind community Show growth and potential as they have increase in #’s in all categories TESTABLE: Has served over 89,000 people in their programs and 200 people participate daily in these programs CLARITY: Goal is clear: exist to help blind and visually impaired become independent HAPPINESS: Show how the Chicago Lighthouse has impacted their lives
HATCH RECOMMENDATIONS HUMANISTIC: Show humanistic efforts by highlighting company’s culture ACTIONABLE: Follow people through their development Show how staff is empathizing with their people they serve TESTABLE: Add statistic for number of new jobs created for visually impaired CLARITY: Goal is clear: now just match that with website, please. HAPPINESS: Feature testimonies about how the Chicago Lighthouse has changed lives Highlight an easily accessible photo gallery tab
FOCUS + (GET) Grab Attention + Engage + Take Action!
FOCUS
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FOCUS coincides with mission and vision as is.
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However, we recommend:
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Highlight videos of company culture and work environment that showcase how committed they are to their mission Take it easy. Too much is not always best.
Grab Attention
Making the mind see what their eyes can’t ✤
Share personal stories about how this program has helped changed their lives
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More visuals: Show faces of those you help
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Volunteer blogs and videos to enhance their stories
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Utilize social media outlets to their advantage
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Build some hype: live tweet at events
Shed some light on their Radio Station • Highlight their HOST! • Sponsorship Opportunities! • Showcase how they are unique and on of a kind in it’s category!
More On-street events and festivals to promote what they do • Go out on the Streets and speak to people! • Their audience can be their best promoters! • Encourage other people to volunteers as well! • Places they can visit can include: Public Libraries, Community Centers, Street Festivals, etc. !
Engage
Expanding Engagement
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Videos highlighting the volunteers and their testimonies so others are also motivated to engage Show how experts treat patients and connect eye to eye with them while showing they really care Continue to offer cooking classes, computer classes and music classes to keep their audience engaged and to form a sense of community.
Awareness campaigns with solid messaging • Celebrate the positivity of overcoming the difficulties of being visually impaired • Sharing this experience as “Blind Leading the Blind” event, similar to Tom’s Shoes a day without shoes to empathize with others!
Show that the visually impaired are not just visually impaired
Take Action
Getting it Done
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Partner with seeing eye dog organizations and animal shelters to train and provide dogs to visually impaired
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More interviews of success stories on webpage
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Follow people through their development !
Partner with Organizations to do Community Work • PAWS, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Children’s hospitals, Nursing Homes, etc. in volunteering to help out community !
Get Active
•  Participate in Chicago Marathon or other 5k runs by the Lighthouse or for other Organizations, potentially getting visually impaired to run and inspire others!
Additional Recommendations ✤
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Website template should be easier to read and navigate and include available scroll over audio options Omit all the heavy texts and use heavy visuals instead Have one cohesive monthly newsletter, rather than the 3 publications they have Volunteer opportunities and Internship information should be made available Statistics on the amount of people they’ve helped each month and where those people are now because of that help
A Clearer Light
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Overall, with our recommendations we will see:! More engagement with the multiple target audiences of the organization (volunteers, the blind community, donors, supporters)! A CLEARER light on the amazing things they are accomplishing. One thing at a time...!
Thank You.