This past Thursday we were blessed to learn all about engaging the Hispanic population thanks to Ivan Leon of Kerux Group. Drawing from this wealth of experience, he founded Kerux Group, an agency that partners with ministries to effectively attract and engage the Hispanic population. This is the largest and most influential minority in the United States, currently standing at 58 million. As the Chief Strategist, he leads a seasoned team of content creators and campaign activators that come alongside organizations such as FamilyLife, Back to the Bible, and HarperCollins to help them connect with authenticity to Hispanics.
To begin thinking about your ministry’s engagement with the Hispanic population, you can ask yourself if you agree or disagree with these three statements.
- There is much opportunity for my nonprofit to engage Hispanics.
- There is some opportunity for my nonprofit to engage Hispanics, but not enough to justify the efforts.
- I don’t know if there is an opportunity for my nonprofit to engage Hispanics.
Based on your answer, you can gauge how effective your ministry is at engaging this major minority that holds much influence in the nonprofit space. Organizations are already realizing how important Hispanic influence is and they are adjusting their strategies to match.
The latest data on the foreign-born U.S. population is in:
- 44.5 million people in the United States are foreign born.
- That makes up about 13.7% of the total U.S. population.
- 50% of these people are from Latin America!
Get this: the U.S. minority population is growing so much that it is predicted to surpass the white population by 2050. These are major demographics with great buying potential and economic impact that it should not be ignored.
So why should you care about engaging the Hispanic population?
Impacting the Next Generation
Hispanics form a growing and young demographic group. They are the doctors, lawyers, scientist, journalist, etc. of tomorrow.
Engage the Most Connected Audience
Hispanics surpass any other group when it comes to using smartphones, participating on social media, watching streaming video, and shopping online.
Inspire Their Generosity
Hispanics would donate more if they were asked more often. They are more prone to support heartfelt causes and purchase products that celebrate their heritage.
Satisfy Their Spiritual Curiosity
In search for a fresh encounter with God, Hispanics are moving away from traditions toward alternative expressions of their faith.
Of course, there are some challenges to consider when engaging the Hispanic population such as:
- Vision
- Language
- Staffing
- Budget
There are a few other considerations to make, too.
- Commitment vs. Tip-Toe
-
- You cannot be halfway in when it comes to engaging ethnic minorities! People know when you are being fake. Your organization needs to be fully committed. Otherwise, what’s the point?
- Strategy vs. Tactics
-
- Again, you need to have a clear strategy set to engage people properly. If you only apply mismatched tactics, such as translating an ad geared toward a white audience into Spanish, no Latino will want to be a part of your cause.
- Contextualization vs. Translation
-
- This goes along with translating your English content straight into Spanish. Cultural contextualization will be the key to success. Show that you actually care about people and their heritage. Check out a great example of how companies translate based on context in the webinar recording above (Hint: skip ahead to the 21:30 time stamp).
- Consultation vs. Assumptions
-
- Don’t assume that you can jump right in and do it on your own! Discussing with an organization like Kerux Group can be extremely helpful to your cause.
Do not miss out on your opportunity to engage the largest and most influential minority in the United States! Engaging minority groups can greatly impact your organization. Take it seriously, do it right, and it’ll be a rewarding experience. Where do you start? Check out the resources on the Kerux Group’s website and contact your friendly Journity partners to help you get started.