Back in August, one of my colleagues commented on Facebook about the numerous donation opportunities he receives in the mail from nonprofit organizations. I’m also familiar with the mailbox stuffed full of mailers, especially around the holidays. But what really stuck with me was his comment that organizations “should include a sharp infograhic showing the flow, journey or use of donated funds… Prove to me the value of a donated dollar.”

I serve on the board of a local nonprofit, Family Promise of Pulaski County, which provides basic services for homeless families in our community. As we began preparing our holiday mailer this year, I couldn’t help but think back to my colleague’s Facebook post. At Stone Ward, one of our guiding principles is that a good idea doesn’t care who had it. This guy had a great idea that we should use as part of our mailer, and I was determined to make it happen.

Stone Ward agreed to donate the creative talent to producing an infographic for Family Promise’s holiday mailer. It was amazing to see our list of statistics come to life through colorful, visual images. Readers should be able to quickly and clearly understand the mission of our organization, who we serve, and how we serve them. Below is the end result, and we could not have been happier with the final product.

familypromise

Infographics help consumers because we suffer from information overload, so much so that the brain filters out 99% of all sensory information almost immediately. A good infographic can help the reader by breaking down information into easily digestible, visual chunks. It’s no wonder that an infographic is 30 times more likely to be read than a text article.

The next time you need to communicate a message, have a presentation, or marketing campaign, consider using an infographic if appropriate. After all, creative design can change minds and cause action.

If you would like to learn more about Family Promise of Pulaski County, visit familypromisepc.org.