The problem with using numbers & how to give them meaning
More than 40,000 people died in the Turkey-Syria earthquakes in February. Almost 1,400 people died when Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans in 2005. More than 1,000,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
Even though some are larger than others, all three of these are significant numbers and they all represent a lot of lives lost. But the reality is that the average person has a hard time comprehending what exactly those numbers represent. They may translate into a whole lot of suffering but most people don’t feel a connection to a number and therefore find it difficult to visualize what it means.
Why are we writing about grim death tolls? It is because a common communications tactic is to share large numbers that showcase significance and impact. But whether it is meals served, care kits provided, or people who accessed a program, the reader rarely truly comprehends what those numbers mean. Mainly because they can’t make a personal connection to the magnitude of it.
Given this knowledge, how can non-profit organizations still use those numbers to showcase the work they do without having them lose their meaning? Here are three tips.
Translate what the number means
Is this number good or bad? Is the organization proud of this number? Spell out what you want supporters to take away from the data. Without a translation, they may not get the same meaning as you get from it because they don’t have the same level of organizational understanding.
Add context to your translation
Has this number grown or shrunk? Is it bigger or smaller than you expected? What are the implications of that number on your organization? For example, a local food bank reporting a large number of unique visits in one month could provide context by stating: The number of unique visits to the food bank in this one month was greater than the total number of unique visits all of last year. A statement like this not only translates and explains, it also sets up a call to action.
Wrap the numbers in something greater
While there is a time and place for numbers to stand alone (a website landing page, for example), a better technique is to tell a story of a real person who represents one of those numbers. Storytelling allows an organization to directly show the impact your programs and services have made on someone’s life. For example: A personal and heartfelt story of one woman describing how an organization’s free mental health supports helped her reclaim her life goes a lot further than simply stating that 82 people received free mental health support through the program.