Written by: Vickie Sullivan | April 23, 2020
How to Gain Engagement without Credibility: Build a New Ecosystem
Part of being the leader of a movement is creating an environment that folks flock to. I saw this kind of vibrant community up close and personal when I was in Tasmania, Australia, earlier this year.
Example: The Museum of Old and New Art is run by a husband-and-wife team of self-described “outlaws,” David Dominic Walsh and Kirsha Kaechele. Prior to moving to Australia, Kaechele transformed New Orleans neighborhoods with a variety of projects that combine art with social justice. (Check out her portal for specific efforts.)
The big question: How did Kaechele get participation from close-knit neighborhoods who didn’t know her? How did she just show up and gain engagement without credibility? Two words: nonlinear combinations. Here are a couple of pages from her playbook:
• Access creates credibility. Kaechele created a community garden where children grow, cook, and sell organic produce. She would drive kids to the poshest restaurants to sell their vegetables. By doing that, Kaechele did two things: 1) gave the kids confidence to walk in anywhere, and 2) showed a new path where none existed before. You better believe people talked about this experience in the neighborhood. Ask yourself: How can I expand access to create credibility?
• Tap into deep interests. One of Ms. Kaechele’s programs is CA$H 4 GUN$. The gun-buyback program was a hit not because folks wanted to give up their guns. It’s because many wanted to lay down music, which became part of the deal. The latter became The Embassy, a free recording studio, and it expanded way beyond the initial project. This woman was a master at leverage.
Listen: How to Leverage Smaller-Scale Success
Many of us want a strong engaged community. Unfortunately, our unique vision isn’t enough to entice participation, especially if we’re new to the scene. If we want to have engagement, we have to be equally visionary in approaching our markets.
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