Post-Its, Rice, and Paradise
Another week has passed in Panama City, and with it I’ve become more accustomed to Panamanian cuisine (lots of rice and lentils), learned the limitations of my high school-level Spanish, and introduced our client organization to the power of the Post-it note.
Last week we finalized our scope of work with Movimiento Nueva Generación and continued to interview staff and leadership to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s communication tactics.
The verdict: Movimiento Nueva Generación does communicate, but needs to integrate.
Without a central strategy to ensure its communications are streamlined and coordinated, Movimiento Nueva Generación doesn’t get the full value out of its communications methods and channels. For example, the center directors could be great spokespeople for visitors, but they don’t feel equipped with the information to do so. The social media accounts are active, but run by three volunteers from three different organizations with different tactics. And, perhaps most importantly, the organization hopes to reach new donors in local SMEs and the Panamanian community, but needs central messaging to foster these relationships and truly highlight Movimiento Nueva Generación’s unique value through storytelling.
Our first step was to plaster Movimiento’s office with Post-it notes for a quick SWOT analysis and brainstorming session — and now we’re off and running with our deliverables! We’re still learning about the organization’s unique needs and resources, but hope to provide them with guidelines and assets they can use going forward.
We’ve also found time to explore Panama beyond the capital city. Most of the SAP team was lucky enough to take a break from the Post-it madness and spend a night on a secluded island in San Blas (also known as Guna Yala). This archipelago of 365 Caribbean islands is inhabited by the indigenous Guna people, and we stayed on a tiny island with only two other guests. It was a rustic weekend in paradise, and we returned rejuvenated and ready to take on the weeks ahead.
