There’s so much going on in our communities these days: From the coronavirus pandemic to the California wildfires, to the social justice protest movements inspired by Black Lives Matter. In these challenging times, we start by taking our cues from the non-profit/community organizations that already serve the community. Please research and reflect on a social mission-driven organization in your community. There are many, many meaningful non-profit organizations to choose from… You can select one from the lists below or search on your own to find one that matches your interests.
Step 1: RESEARCH AN ORGANIZATION: You can directly search here for community organizations near you. Also, here are some community organization examples:
* Glide Memorial, SF Food Bank, Alameda County Community Food Bank, St. Anthony’s Dining Hall
* 826 Valencia – nonprofit dedicated to helping school kids with writing skills
* Children Now, Oakland: www.childrennow.org
* Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Berkeley: www.dredf.org
* Friends of the Earth, SF: www.foe.org
* Global Fund for Women, SF: www.globalfundfowomen.org
~~~~~~~
Step 2: Read the following
READ: Ch.18 The Community and The Corporation.
READ: The Means of Persuasion. Craft a convincing argument for why the organization you selected is important to the community, and why businesses should engage with this organization, to extend its impact. Here’s another description for the means of persuasion.
Linked here https://blog.prepscholar.com/ethos-pathos-logos-kairos-modes-of-persuasion
Ethos: Credibility. Provide an argument that is well-constructed, supported by facts and professionally written.
Pathos: Emotion, appealing to values. Explain why
Logos: Logical reasoning. Carefully explain why change is needed to address this issue.
Kairos: Urgency. Why is this issue important now?
~~~~~~~
Step 3: Reflect
Here are some questions, to guide you:
1. Introduction.
Tell us a little about your community.
Pathos: What do you love about it? What do you miss about it during the pandemic? What’s particularly hard about living where you do?
2. Organization Description. Please describe the mission and vision of the community organization as stated on their website.
2a. Logos: In your own analysis, how does this mission help improve life in your community? What social impact and tangible evidence of change do you identify?
2b. Ethos: Community engagement: Which groups of people does this organization serve? Why are these services needed?
3. Explain the current need.
Kairos: Social movement: There are many social movements that shape activism, protest and change, (Black Lives Matter, Me Too, Fridays for Future). In your own opinion, w hich social movement is most helpful to this organization as it goes about doing its work?
4. Stakeholders. In the readings from session 1 and 2 we looked at the relationship of business and society. Non-profit and volunteer organizations have a variety of stakeholders — including: beneficiaries, corporate funders, donors, volunteers, employees, program administrators, government partners, community partners, among others. Think about the specific stakeholders for your organization.
5. Summary argument: If you were running this organization (or this branch), with which businesses would you try to partner? How can business enable this organization’s activities in the community? Be specific, about the names of businesses and your reasoning.
