Lessons of the Action Center in Terms of Engagement

The lecture at the Action Center this week really seemed to finally get to the idea of what the point of all these visits have been; that your vision can become something that will be able to be replicated and active. Other lectures up to this point have taken us to interesting places and demonstrated the core values of the institutions, but none have quite shown us exactly what active engagement looks like in the sphere of social entrepreneurship. At the Action Center it was clear how great ideas can effectively communicated in a physical space, and how interaction with the end-users who seem to more and more be making up the donors of these place are really impacting issues like hunger. The building reminded me highly of the incredible Liberty Science Center, with an approach not like typical educational centers with a goal of communicating detailed ideas, personal stories and experiences of the organization. The use of headphones hanging from the was clever, though it did have some drawbacks in terms of clutter, and the institution was spot on with detailing how little amounts of time can add up with their various time-frame oriented activities. Nothing spurns donor activity quite like this, and they deserve respect for implementing it so effectively and in an appealing fashion.

The details that make the Action Center successful should be monitored closely by FastForwardFund in an effort to imitate the best aspects of the program. While the institution was able to educate individuals well, and provide intense amounts of information, it failed with some of its touch screens to present a simple enough picture to not intimidate. If Fast Forward Fund wants to engage its donors effectively, it should remember to stick to simplicity in describing its issues. People who are really interested and engaged will find the more detailed information no matter what, so putting it all up front is more of an obstacle to the casual donor than a benevolent action.