Analysis of Advocacy Website

The organization I chose to explore was the American Indian College Fund. The main purpose of this organization is to help young American Indians earn college scholarships and get college degrees. The reason I chose this specific charity was because I had never heard of it before. I did not understand why this specific race of Americans needs an entire charity organization to get a college degree compared to other races. It upset me at first because immediately when I entered the website’s home page, a pop-up appeared saying, “Don’t miss your opportunity to help, DONATE NOW!” with an image of an American Indian girl. I found this rather aggressive upon first looking at the website. When I explored the website more, I found a series of logical appeals and facts. First, the website claims, “currently only 14% of American Indians have a college degree – less than half the national average.” Even though I initially did not understand the purpose for this organization, this fact drew me in to wonder why the number is so low for this race. It does present an accurate example of the problem at hand. The website goes on to explain how the organization helps the cause. It says, “every year, we empower more than 4,000 American Indian students to start and stay in school, complete their degrees and launch careers that benefit us all. We have provided almost 126,000 scholarships and $193 million to support American Indian communities.” These numbers that are provided show how effective this organization is for American Indians and how much it has actually helped. Furthermore, the website also includes a segment entitled “Who We Help,” and it includes pictures and names of American Indians the organization has affected, along with quotes provided from these individuals. This allows the reader to see specific people they could possibly be impacting by donating to this charity. It also establishes a personal feeling of responsibility and pathos. Finally, the website uses a variety of pictures, colors, and graphics to display its work and data. For example, one graph on the website shows exactly where the funds go and how they are used. 74% goes to scholarships, programs, and public education, 21% goes to fundraising, and 5% goes to management and general. This graph is a great way to show its supporters exactly how their money is being used and contributed to this cause and provides a great amount of trust and credibility. Although I do not generally feel strongly to support this organization, I think the website does a great job with its appeals and promoting the cause. It can strengthen people’s opinions towards the subject of racial equality in education, specifically towards American Indians.

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