By DUANE M. ELLING
Mary Peña knows that, in the nonprofit sector, the success stories of programs and participants can be key to raising awareness and support among funders, policymakers and the public.
Peña is executive director of Project QUEST (Quality Employment Through Skills Training), a sectoral workforce development program located in San Antonio. Her organization is giving its own storytelling a technological twist with the help of two Internet tools: MySpace.com and YouTube.com.
MySpace provides free web pages where users can share information, post video clips and other digital resources, and network with other site visitors. YouTube allows users to upload, view and share video clips for free. Both sites reach audiences around the world.
The idea at QUEST to use the two services came about in 2007 when staff began exploring new ways to share the videotaped testimonials of sectoral program participants.
The sectoral model uses job-specific education and training to help low-income, low-skilled workers prepare for living-wage careers within a particular industry or “sector.” Many such programs also offer counseling, case management and other supportive services to help workers connect with -- and succeed in -- the labor market.
The sectoral approach also engages employers in the design and implementation of regional job training programs, and in rethinking how employment practices -- recruitment, hiring, training, promotion and compensation -- can affect workers.
The result: underserved families are more effectively connected to quality jobs, while industries have improved access to well-trained employees.
Mott support for the sectoral approach has totaled more than $81 million since 1981, including $1.1 million in related grants to QUEST since 1998.
Peña notes that in 2007 her organization recorded several brief videos of QUEST participants sharing their experiences, challenges and successes in joining the labor market. Those testimonials were shown at recruitment, fundraising and other community events.
Positive feedback from viewers prompted staff to consider other ways in which the clips might be shared.
“We knew the stories were powerful and could help drum-up support for both QUEST and the sectoral approach,” said Peña. “But we also knew that we needed a cost-effective way to bring them to new audiences. That’s where YouTube and MySpace came in.”
With “a surprisingly small investment of staff time and self-training,” she says, the organization posted three testimonials to YouTube in late January 2008. Just days later, QUEST launched its MySpace page, which prominently features the clips, as well as additional information about its sectoral program. The page has since attracted an online network of several supporters or “friends.”
Peña notes that audience response to the organization’s new online resources has been “... incredibly positive. The fact that these are real people telling real stories resonates with folks. And actually seeing and hearing them share their stories makes for an even more powerful experience.”
She is also confident that, over time, the use of such technology could have a very real impact on the ability of nonprofits to help low-income communities.
“It will allow us to significantly raise awareness of the issues these families face, as well as their efforts to create new lives. And that awareness can generate a new wave of support for programs that work.”