WARNING: this video wrecks me EVERY TIME I watch it! This may be the best video I’ve seen on the homeless crisis!

Post on homelessness.change.org

Over the next few years we are going to see an explosive growth in what is being called “economic” homeless. We will also see many more tent cities showing up around America. On InvisiblePeople.tv we have been featuring stories from my trip to Sacramento. This week my good friend and favorite blogger Shannon Moriarty wrote about some of the controversy. Just now my friends at Help A Mother Out sent me this link that included the above powerful video.

As many of you know I am in the initial planning stages of taking an InvisiblePeople.tv road trip from Los Angeles to Washington DC this summer. Kind of interesting that news stories about the Sacramento tent cities fueled my passion for taking a trip up north. Now the news media seems to be on the tent city story around the country.

Lots of people send me stories about the tent city issue and it is greatly appreciated. Please keep them coming. If you work in homeless services or are connected in some way and would like me to visit please give a yell. InvisiblePeople.tv can help tell the story of homelessness is your area. I will also be speaking at churches and organizations along the way. Maybe you can help sponsor the journey. We have our first cooperate sponsor yet need to partner with more organizations or individuals to make it happen.

I’d say call me crazy but most of you have done that already. Lots of people bring “awareness” to the cause. What makes InvisiblePeople.tv unique is we give homeless a platform to tell their own story. Everyone knows homelessness is a crisis. Our goal is to get you to do something about it.

I happened to run into this slideshow today and it is spot on. Unfortunately most nonprofits either don’t know what their story is or they don’t know how to tell it. The other issue I see is fear of trying something new and/or the fear of not being in control.

I believe two things are happening that create a vicious circle. Nonprofits are desperate because donations are down and the old tricks no longer work. Their reaction to desperation is to scream louder and more frequently. This of course is causing donor fatigue which results in the nonprofit screaming even louder…and so on!

I strongly believe that the majority of nonprofits today are going to get a huge slap in the face unless they change real soon. The sad part is the people hurt most by this are those the nonprofit is trying to help!

Old thinking: Give us money and we’ll go do something good!

New thinking: Let’s talk about how together we can affect positive change.