Funders and nonprofits alike are often tasked with telling the story of the communities we serve. These narratives are used to secure funding, gain publicity, and obtain public support. From the boardroom to the newsroom, foundations and non-profits have historically relied on tales of deficit and despair to incite action from stakeholders and gain the sympathetic ear of the public - unaware of the stigmatizing effects.
Asset-framing is the shift to narratives that define a people by their aspirations and contributions, not their challenges - and has been recognized as a major innovation in fields of social impact. Based on insights from global authorities in cognition, decision-making, narrative and social impact, Trabian Shorters will lead us in a discussion of how to apply asset-framing to achieve greater success, diversity, equity, and impact in our work.
GWP is co-sponsoring this session which is part of 7th Annual Jefferson Forum – Embracing Transformation. This will be a virtual session offered live via Zoom only on May 20th – recording is not permitted. Connection details will be shared after registration.
About the Speaker
Trabian Shorters is a former vice president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, retired tech entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author of “Reach: 40 Black Men Speak on Living, Leading and Succeeding, and CEO of BMe Community. Shorters is one of the world's leading social entrepreneurs and a catalyst of a national movement to first define black people by their aspirations and contributions, then to secure their fundamental freedoms to Live, Own, Vote and Excel. He is the international authority on a cognitive frame-work called "Asset-Framing" which enables major foundations, associations and journalism networks to operate far more equitably in today's multi-cultural society. You can learn more about Trabian and asset framing by listening to his interview with Grant Oliphant on The Heinz Endowment’s We Can Be podcast.
We are committed to making GWP programs accessible to all members. If you have questions, or if an accommodation would be helpful to fully participate in this program, please reach out to Paula or call 412-471-6488 and we will make every effort to accommodate your request.