Does your nonprofit deal with an issue that is not exactly easy to talk about? Try simplifying things for potential supporters with a few good metaphors.

Here’s an example of a great metaphor from our free e-book, 25 Metaphors Nonprofits Can Use to Get Their Messages Across – and the Decrepit Dozen to Avoid, that shows how you can bring dry data to life:

Red Eye Magazine

Cover of Red Eye Magazine with Feature Story on Chicago’s Food Deserts Source: chicagonow.com

“Health and nutrition experts know that a diet of fresh foods – vegetables, fruit, meat and dairy products – can help prevent many diseases and obesity. Yet the residents of large sections of many major cities don’t live anywhere near a grocery store and are often forced to rely on processed foods from convenience stores and fast food for most meals.

But quoting statistics about the number of people who live a certain distance from a grocery store doesn’t convey the significance of the problem. Neither do maps alone.

The metaphor food desert, on the other hand, does. The depth of the metaphor allows advocates to also talk about thirst, starving, shifting sands, oasis, and more.”

It can be difficult to find a metaphor that works for you at first. But you just need to approach it the right way.

That’s why the e-book includes a simple five-step approach to working with metaphors, including a list of nearly 20 questions you can use to explore a metaphor more fully.

You’ll find examples of how nonprofits use metaphors to clarify their niche, make the technical feel more touchy, and how to overcome resistance. And it also has 25 metaphors that you can use in your messaging, as well as the “Decrepit Dozen” that we recommend you avoid.

Want to read the full copy of 25 Metaphors Nonprofits Can Use to Get Their Messages Across – and the Decrepit Dozen to Avoid?Just fill out the form below.

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