Consulting & Trainings

Poverty, deprivation, suffering: they are real, and projects working for change require funding. And fundraising is a tough and competitive business. But: does fundraising really need to rely on stereotypical images of poor and deprived people? How can visual communication in campaigns and donation letters be more fair - to those depicted and those viewing the images? Align your visuals with your values. Strengthen the ethical substance of your fundraising campaigns to make them both: persuasive and ethical.

Trainers: Mag.a Dr.a Miša Krenčeyová and lic. phil. Jörg Arnold

Next date: November 18th, 2024, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM CET
Sign up now / see more dates

One person’s stereotype might be another one’s experience. It is often difficult to judge whether an image reflects a stereotype or the reality of life. For fundraisers and communication officers in development organisations, this is a particular challenge, especially in their relations with donors or the public. How can stereotypical representations be avoided and why is this important for visual communication? This workshop provides basic knowledge on understanding and recognising stereotypes, and gives participants tools to avoid falling into most common traps. Approaches towards inclusive, diverse visual language will inspire participants to develop new stories and find new possibilities for their ethical visual communication.

Trainer: Mag.a Dr.a Miša Krenčeyová

Next date: November 11th, 2024, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM CET
Sign up now / see more dates

Children are the most depicted subjects in humanitarian and aid-related communication. Showing children in need arouses a strong emotional reaction in the viewer - yet might be prone to exploitation. Portraying children requires careful navigation to ensure their dignity is upheld and their rights remain respected. Join us in exploring ethical approaches to depicting children in difficult circumstances. This training equips participants with strategies to navigate the challenges of portraying children sensitively, avoiding exploitation, and contributing to respectful communication practices.

Trainer: Mag.a Dr.a Miša Krenčeyová

Next date: October 28th, 2024, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM CET
Sign up now / see more dates

In communication and fundraising, most aid organisations are faced with the challenge of portraying aid recipients in a dignified way even in difficult situations. But portraying poverty and suffering without exploiting the pain of the people depicted is a tightrope walk. Accusations of «Poverty Porn» as an emotionalising form of communication weigh heavily. How can the dignity of people in the pictures be preserved? This workshop will show you problems and ways of handling them. It will enable you to better understand current debates on «Poverty Porn», sharpen your own position and draw on approaches for solution-based, balanced visual communication.

Trainer: Mag.a Dr.a Miša Krenčeyová

Next date: Thursday, 07.11.2024, 13:30-17:00 CET
Sign up now / see more dates

AI-generated images are increasingly significant in our work, raising questions about their appropriate use. How do we responsibly integrate these advancements without entirely rejecting them? A framework is needed to address structural discrimination in image prompting. This course offers tools for critical reflection on AI images and guidance on ethical image prompting. The participants will get a sense of the inner workings of current image generators - how they think and how were they trained.

We’ll also explore the public reactions to AI imagery, its evolving perception, and how to mark manipulated images. The course compares differnt AI models, from proprietary models from Adobe, Midjourney and OpenAI to open-source alternatives like Stable Diffusion, examining their ethical considerations and the impact of unknown training data.

Trainer: Karpi

Next date: January 20th 2025, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM CET
Sign up now / see more dates

Stereotypical and discriminatory or fair and safe? Get a view from the outside and discover blind spots in your visual communication. Involving visual creators from different regional and cultural contexts, we analyse and provide feedback for your communications, campaigns, and visual content. We will advise you on the fair and safe production and use of your image catalogue.

How it works:

• You send us your pre-existing visual materials.
• Our consulting team checks them according to the requirements of a fair image.
• In a short workshop, we discuss strengths and weaknesses of your current imagery according to the Fairpicture standards of a fair image. 
• You gain knowledge about context, possible effects of your images, and impulses for strengthening your visual communication in ethical terms.

What you get:

• Short review: How fair are your pictures?
• 1,5h online workshop
  
  Price: CHF 900.-
  
  On demand: In-depth review involving Fairpicture visual creators.

Case Study

Having fair pictures isn’t just ethical. It’s a strategic business decision. Data legislation requires new ways of producing, storing, and using images. Align your visual communication with your organisational values and the demands of the global market. Tailored to your needs, we co-develop your strategy for ethical and safe visual communication.

What you get:

• Strategy and guideline development, including implementation workshops
• Process streamlining

Case Study

We would like to communicate differently, but then we can't conduct effective fundraising - we hear this every day. Leveraging decades of fundraising expertise in NGO communication, we not only elevate awareness of ethical considerations in fundraising – spanning from decolonization to community-led storytelling – but also collaboratively implement them alongside you.

With some clients, we have now started to empirically test this question. For example, we send out a traditional mailing and parallel one that meets criteria for ethical communication. Be bold and test your hypotheses with an experienced partner.