Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Explanation of project and design solution


How can a community-centered environmental experience be used to raise donations and rally participation, towards providing necessities to people in need? This project will be used to facilitate charitable interactions between the poor and the working people of Kansas City.
            I will communicate to the people of Kansas City through experiential printed and environmental media. I will promote the building of relationships between these two groups of people. My Design solution will include the ability for the people in need to authentically express their needs to the givers. I will educate the community on the true situation of Kansas City’s poor individuals and ways we all can help. Everyone has something they can do, and know gift is too small or unwanted. We will not only be saving and improving lives, but we will bringing everyone together; Uniting the great community of Kansas City.
Research has led me to the understanding that, more than anything, donors are motivated by their own experiences and values. A review of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs reveals many of the reasons that people donate fall into the higher categories of love/belonging/social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization. The top five reasons that people generally donate to charitable causes are personal experience, make a difference,  fix a social problem, recognition, and personal beliefs. People often say they donate or volunteer in order to “make a difference.” This phrase means many different things to many different people. Some people want to make an impact in the lives of an individual person. They would like to see a lasting and tangible change as the result of their contribution. They may not even be concerned with how long this change takes. Other people want to see an immediate impact, for example food distributed to those who are hungry and other types of emergency aid. Still others have a long term vision for a societal change they want to see take place. Another element of “making a difference” is simply a grateful spirit that wishes to give back to society.
I will communicate to the people of Kansas City through experiential printed and environmental media. I will promote the building of relationships between these two groups of people. My Design solution will include the ability for the people in need to authentically express their needs to the givers. I will educate the community on the true situation of Kansas City’s poor individuals and ways we all can help. Everyone has something they can do, and know gift is too small or unwanted. We will not only be saving and improving lives, but we will bringing everyone together; Uniting the great community of Kansas City.

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