By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz
When you have a passion and a mission to take a message to the world, you can’t do it alone. You must build a community!
Building a community happens intentionally or even on accident.
A well-placed, catchy hashtag, meme, or funny video can launch a movement and build a community of like-minded thinkers across cyberspace. An event, like a rally or protest, unites people in a mission to produce change or maintain the status quo. But what about a nonprofit organization? Or even a business or corporation?
Building a community for these entities sounds like a daunting task, and it definitely takes hard work, outreach and many hands to make it happen. However, with three magic ingredients, it can be done, and done quickly!
THE WHY
Why do you want to build a community? For what purpose? Answering this question can make the difference between people getting behind you or turning and walking away.
Your “why,” or reason you have for wanting to build a community, is paramount because people will only be interested in joining you if they care about your why. If your reason for building a community is to make more money, people may resist. I like to say that people can smell “BS” a mile away. They are inspired by selflessness, passion, and the experience of being at the epicenter of something that is bigger and more impactful than they are.
When I started Fig Factor Foundation, my “why” was clear. Whenever I would talk to a young Latina they would tell me their dreams, and then go on to list the reasons why the dream would never come true.
I found that the number one reason young Latinas did not reach their potential was because they lacked proper role models for their lives. I saw myself reflected in these young ladies and longed to help them live a greater life of significance. I knew that by providing support and mentorship to these young ladies, I could unleash the “amazing” in them that I knew was there, just waiting to meet the world.
I brought together a board of directors and we launched a program which consisted of four pillars: activate, receive, grow and share. From this humble idea hatched in September of 2014, we now have had 112 girls complete the program and participation has blossomed to include not only Latinas in the United States but Mexico as well.
My “why” for staring the Today’s Inspired Latina book series was similar. I wanted to give successful, Latina entrepreneurs a chance to share their stories of overcoming adversity and inspiring others through the publication of an anthology. From the publication of the first volume, the popularity of this program has exceeded my expectations in every way! I was hoping for ten participants in the first volume.; we ended up with 24, and at least that many or more authors took part in each of the next four volumes.
The authors managed to slowly but surely build a community, a sisterhood of authors who shared the mission to inspire others. Together we traveled to book launches, not only in the U.S. but in Europe as well. They became a community of inspiration for each other and the world as their book publication catapulted them into the public and the media to share their stories and inspire even more people!
All this success started with a solid “why,” a foundational idea that people heard and embraced.
VISION
My alternate name for vision is “divine download.” It’s a feeling, an idea that is so strong you just HAVE to act on it.
I have found that if you have a solid “why,” the vision will follow.
For example, the Fig Factor Foundation was in swing and going strong with more mentors and applicants becoming involved with the program every day, when I had another vision. What if the Fig Factor Foundation could use its social clout to call attention to not only the potential of the girls involved in the program, but all the Latinas throughout Chicagoland?
This vision led me to petition and receive a declaration of “Young Latina Day,” which premiered in West Chicago on April 11, 2016. The community embraced my vision and turned out to support the effort. It was an exciting day and because of our efforts to reach out to the community, the awareness of our mission grew, as did our numbers. Our followers continue to grow, even as we head into 2019 when the celebration of Young Latina Day will be celebrated in the city of Chicago and six separate Chicago suburbs: Aurora, Berwyn, Bolingbrook, Hanover Park, West Chicago, and Bartlett. The building of community because of this vision has been unparalleled!
Admittedly, for a corporation or a business, building a community is harder. People assume if a company is involved, they are looking for profit. But corporate entities with a vision to build community can actively seek and find groups that are working towards a worthy cause and want to support their efforts. These kinds of experiences snowball into an even larger, more cohesive community that can stand side-by-side with the company in support of a goal.
For example, recently, Today’s Inspired Latina was contacted by Estee Lauder to put together a partner event called Belleza, which means beauty in Spanish. The renown cosmetic retailer wanted to support the Latina community with an evening event and reached out to Today’s Inspired Latina to make it happen. Partial proceeds from the evening were returned to the Fig Factor Foundation.
Their “why?” To support women leaders in the Hispanic community and bolster an organization that champions the next generation of Latinas. As a result, 167 ladies turned out in droves and each walked away with a beautiful Estee Lauder lipstick, engraved with the hashtag ELxTIL. That evening, a megacompany went a long way in not only helping continue to build, but also befriending and building a community that is working on behalf of others.
CONSISTENCY
When someone is consistent in their message and their reason for doing, people detect authenticity, and flock to their side.
Conversely, someone whose actions are not in sync with their message, or whose support wavers after the first few months of an effort, will find people falling back and looking for a stronger leader.
Nobody appreciates the politician who promises and doesn’t deliver. People want leaders who won’t disappoint them. They want to be able to take people at their word and be inspired by someone they can believe in.
Think about a meeting where someone is trying to gain support for a venture from a group of investors. Aside from the charts and graphs in their presentation, the person giving the pitch has the power to influence or repel an audience listening to his appeal. Authentic consistency of a message, and a messenger, can fuel community. It moves the community from the street corner to a palace as they gain strength in numbers and commitment.
The authenticity and consistency of my message is one of the reasons I was able to build a community in support of the Fig Factor Foundation. It’s also the reason we attracted Estee Lauder to our Today’s Inspired Latina community. I believed in my message and mission so much that I was working towards it, even when I was the only follower, funding all efforts with my personal dollars and never expecting to make any back. That’s why people believe in my mission and so selflessly contribute their time, talent and dollars. I couldn’t do it without them!
If you want to build a community, it takes more than willing hands and open hearts. It takes a solid “why,” a vision, and consistency and authenticity in your message. With these fundamentals in place, what’s your next step? I will tackle the answer to that question in Part II of this blog!