Which nonprofits are building stronger relationships with their donors during the coronavirus pandemic? I asked my Facebook friends for their opinions, and more than one mentioned Artisan’s Asylum.
A Website that Speaks to the Urgency of Now
Artisan’s Asylum is a non-profit makerspace devoted to the teaching, learning and practice of fabrication. That sounds like an in-group doesn’t it? But when you go to their website, the first thing you see is a pop-up that says:
Join Us On A 14-month Journey to #AmazingOver the next fourteen months, Artisan’s Asylum will undergo a remarkable transformation. We invite you to join as we reflect on 10 years of service in Somerville, and look ahead to 25 years of service to the greater Boston region. Artisan’s will continue to produce PPE as long as our regional health care workers ask for them. We’ll redouble our effort to advance racial equity and diversity within the Asylum and the communities we serve. And we’ll complete a move to Allston-Brighton that will expand our physical presence and transform the way we work. Welcome to our journey.
That paragraph draws me right in. The language could be improved: it’s a little too much “we” and “us” for my taste, and not enough you. But look at those third and fourth sentences. If anyone is wondering how Artisan’s Asylum is responding to our twin crises of Covid-19 and racism, it’s right there.
And it takes a little more work, but you can find the details of how they are addressing them in the tabs at the top of the page, the ones marked with hashtags: #Refuge and #Covid-19.
Continue looking at the page and you see they are conducting online classes this summer–and using their blog to keep readers up to date on when and whether it will be safe to go back to the physical space again.
Social Media
The Artisans Asylum Twitter feed puts it verbal commitments into action. It shows members “making PPE [personal protective equipment] — and lots of it.”
On Twitter, the Asylum also shares resources for learning about antiracism. Its Facebook feed showcases the ways that computers can help people with autism become powerful contributors to society.
And on Instagram, besides its own classes, it advertises what some of its participants produce, like these t-shirts:
What can you learn from Artisan’s Asylum?
- Post regularly.
- Post about what matters to people right now.
- Show how they can do something that matters by being a part of your organization.
- Be safe out there!