5 Lessons Nonprofits Can Learn from Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones was one of those rare moments in which lightning was captured in a bottle. In an era of on-demand entertainment, the series brought back a sense of appointment viewing with a genre that’s normally sidelined. The show’s storylines, special effects, and occasional Starbucks cup contributed to a lasting impact on our global culture.
So what can nonprofits learn from George R. R. Martin? Read on for 5 things we learned from Game of Thrones that can be just as useful for nonprofits — plus a real-life example of one organization that played the game, and won.
1. Winter is Coming
Pay attention to predictable seasonal events or inevitable changes in the landscape. If you know there’s an impending Supreme Court decision coming like a wave of the undead, prepare your Winterfell.
This can take the form of creating internal communication plans, generating infographics that explain a key issue, and writing content that answers the kinds of questions people will be asking (Concern Worldwide US did this around foreign aid when the 2018 federal budget was being set; “5 Things You Need to Know About Foreign Aid” is now one of the top resources on their site). Use tools like Google Trends to help identify these seasonal trends or when a news cycle is taking off.
2. The Pack Survives
Game of Thrones is all about alliances. Don’t go into battle without a dragon or two on your side.
Consider how most successful initiatives allow other organizations to join them and put their own spin on the message. A great example of this is the way that the 92nd Street Y created Giving Tuesday in a way that nonprofits around the world can participate. In 2018, over $400 million was raised.
A word of caution: You also want to make sure your partners aren’t inviting you to any Red Weddings. To prevent this, make sure you always follow your data.
3. A tool for every task (and a task for every tool)
If you’re going to fight a White Walker, you better have some Valyrian Steel. And if you’re going to be sending plenty of nonprofit emails, you better have a dedicated email marketing tool that ensures your messages cut through spam filters.
There are more tools than ever to help automate, analyze, and create content. Tools like Google Data Studio (with a nonprofit template) can save your team hours in reporting on useful data across the organization.
4. Good, now go fail again
Consider the wise words of Sir Davos to Jon Snow, inspire Jon to join the fight again after losing everything. Jon says, “I failed.” “Good.” Sir Davos replies. “Now go fail again.”
In our podcast interview with Seth Godin, he states that the role of a nonprofit is to fail as they test every way to solve the intractable social problems they are designed to solve. It is inevitable that nonprofits will fail along the way. Communicating this ethos to all stakeholders can help prepare for those loses.
5. Just because I pay you… Doesn’t diminish our friendship
Everyone knows that a Lannister always pays their debts. But, in the words of Tyrion, “Just because I pay you for your services doesn’t diminish our friendship.”
In response, Bronn of Blackwater say that the money in fact enhances the friendship.
Consider the relationships you build with your donors. This is as important as the donation itself (remember the placebo effect: people donate to nonprofits for the feeling they get, and it’s a feeling that is as valuable to them as the donation they make to your org). Don’t feel awkward about making asks regularly, similar to the way Tyrian calls on Bronn many times. But as you pay back your “debts,” remember to also pay attention to the relationship that goes beyond the transactional value.
Bonus: One nonprofit that played the Game of Thrones — and won
Whole Whale client the National Aphasia Association appreciates GoT as much as the rest of us. An organization that has provided access to research, education, advocacy, rehabilitation, and therapeutic services to individuals with aphasia and their caregivers since 1987, the NAA was as surprised as anyone else when, following Season 6 episode “The Door,” recaps speculated that beloved character Hodor had aphasia.
It was one of those rare moments that your mission aligns with a cultural phenomenon, and NAA rose to the occasion. Reacting to the character’s “diagnosis” of expressive aphasia and his description as a “simpleminded stableboy.” NAA posted a response to their website:
The articles about Hodor make for fascinating read about aphasia and the history of its discovery. But given the context, it would have been great if they emphasized that aphasia is a disorder that affects speech and language only. It does not affect people’s intellectual capabilities.
Inability to express oneself, speaking with grammatically incorrect sentences, inserting words that make no logical sense, and difficulty understanding what is being said are all characteristics of various forms of aphasia. Unfortunately, they are also associated with intellectual deficits. This is a problem with which many persons with aphasia struggle because people who are unfamiliar with the disorder assume that patients with aphasia have intellectual deficits as well. Which is why it is important to make the distinction clear.
A Google of “Hodor aphasia” leaves aphasia.org outranking websites like Nerdist, Mother Jones, Reddit, and The Atlantic. This also helped the National Aphasia association grow its traffic by 900% over 18 months, in part thanks to their content marketing.
