Nonprofits Can Learn From Urban Legends, Says Article in Stanford Social Innovation Review

STANFORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 2003--Disappearing hitchhikers, stolen kidneys, death by pop rocks. Urban legends like these have a mysterious power to spread and endure with zero marketing dollars behind them. Too often important social messages get lost because, unlike oft-repeated urban legends, they are bland and cliched and fail to galvanize supporters. So how can nonprofit organizations unlock the secrets of urban legends to craft standout messages that take wing and soar?

Writing in the Winter 2003 issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Graduate School of Business faculty member Chip Heath identifies six keys (and an acronym) to the SUCCESS of urban legends: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credentialed, Emotional, and Stories.

“By asking 'why' long enough to overcome the curse of knowledge nonprofit leaders can move closer to capturing ideas that stick and catch fire, urban legend-style”

"These six principles help explain why true ideas also win out in the marketplace," writes Heath, a Stanford-trained psychologist and associate professor of organizational behavior at the Business School. "Used effectively, these principles can help nonprofit leaders get their points across and make them stick." He provides concrete examples: how a nonprofit crusaded for nutrition prevailed not by citing grams of fat, but by comparing foods to Quarter Pounders; how the New York Transit Authority executed a unifying and concrete mantra of "No Graffiti"; and how a domestic violence advocacy group harnessed the gripping power of negative emotion.

Heath also cautions nonprofit leaders to be wary of "the curse of knowledge" -- the "insider" knowledge that makes it harder to communicate to outsiders. Many nonprofit leaders, certain of the emotional appeal and importance of their work, may find the curse of knowledge to be especially hard to overcome. "By asking 'why' long enough to overcome the curse of knowledge nonprofit leaders can move closer to capturing ideas that stick and catch fire, urban legend-style," Heath concludes.

The Stanford Social Innovation Review (www.ssireview.com), published by the Stanford Graduate School of Business, continues to provide provocative insights and research from leading executives and experts on nonprofit management, philanthropy, and corporate citizenship.

Other subjects addressed in the third issue, Winter 2003, of the Review include corporate and nonprofit partnerships, nonprofit management, social entrepreneurship, and organizational effectiveness. These subjects are addressed in feature stories and the following departments:

-- "Upfront" comprises six to eight briefs summarizing ideas or survey trends;

-- "Toolkit" spotlights strategies for improving management and attaining the goals of social sector organizations;

-- "Case Study" examines actual management practices and lessons learned in a social-purpose organization; and

-- "From the Frontlines" are first-person essays penned by individuals on the frontlines of social service.

More information on these and other articles are available online: www.ssireview.com. A one-year subscription costs $69.

The Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) is published by the Center for Social Innovation (CSI) of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. The Review crowns an initiative launched three years ago with the founding of the Center. Significantly expanded in the summer of 2002, CSI was created to promote innovative, effective, and efficient solutions to important social problems by adapting business knowledge and experience to challenges faced by the nonprofit sector.

The Stanford Social Innovation Review is made possible by the financial support of CSI's investors, including philanthropists Louise and Claude Rosenberg (MBA '52), Susan B. Ford, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and The David and Lucile Packard Foundation.