The Campaign Plan
The Need for a national discussion
“Common sense” tells us many people with a criminal background return to crime to support themselves when they can’t find a job with a livable wage. Any ex-offender can tell you their biggest hurdle to getting a job was employers refusing to hire someone with a criminal background.
According to a recent study, over 70 million Americans have some sort of criminal record, most of which are minor infractions as felons comprise 26 million of that total. This directly affects about 25% of our population, not counting family and friends! Any criminal record could forever hurt the chances of getting a good job.
We believe we can help keep many ex-offenders away from crime forever, and improve our society, if employers would consider hiring ex-felons. For those ex-offenders that can’t find a job, instead of returning to crime, we point them to our book “Illegal To Legal: Business Success For (Ex) Criminals” to show them how to use their life skills to start a business and become an employer hiring ex-felons themselves. However, we want to do much more.
We all agree that one of the most important factors in an ex-offender’s long-term re-entry success is to find meaningful employment or a source of income. Most employers don’t know there are resources that not only help them manage or reduce their risk, but there are also substantial bottom-line benefits and protections for them when they hire ex-offenders.
CHANGING LIVES ONE JOB AT A TIME, TOGETHER
Could employers not hiring felons be contributing to higher crime and recidivism rates? Would employers hire more ex-felons if they were aware of the substantial resources, protections, and bottom line benefits of doing so?
Until now there has not been a national discussion to raise awareness of these issues and to mobilize local groups and ordinary citizens in a concerted effort to share and reinforce this message. The National Hire Ex-Felons Campaign is an opportunity for us to come together as a national community with these singular goals. There is no financial commitment to be involved with the Campaign and we will never solicit donations from partners. The Campaign does not limit or control partners beyond our simple framework designed to provide Campaign focus and brand recognition through the encouraged free use of the Campaign Logo. Partners have full autonomy in all aspects of working with and implementing the Campaign. Further, we do not intend to ever compete with any group’s materials or programs they already have. Instead we hope to add value by working together.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS SELF-FUNDING GRASS-ROOTS CAMPAIGN IS TO:
-
Build a national community and platform to raise awareness, through media and word-of-mouth, that ex-felons who can’t find a job might return to crime to support themselves. Also educate employers, in a helpful and preventative way, that they might be violating employment laws by discriminating against ex-felons.
-
Educate ex-felons, employers, hiring managers, and organizations on the free protections, resources, and benefits of hiring ex-felons through conversations & the “Ten Benefits of Hiring Ex- Felons” brochure, or other material that our partners may share.
-
Encourage employers to hire ex-felons, either for the bottom-line benefits and/or to help impact crime, recidivism, and our society.
-
Encourage the free use of the HXF Campaign Logo to build awareness and brand recognition.
-
Build and maintain a list of felon-friendly employers, and Recognize and Reward them with praise and preference in patronizing their businesses.
-
Help make ex-felons better job applicants and employees through additional resources we will provide and promote.
-
Let people know if they still can’t find a job they should read, and use, the book “Illegal to Legal,” as starting a business is far better than returning to crime or going back to prison. Hopefully they will also hire ex-felons.
Resources for the Campaign – both yours and ours
Many organizations may provide resources and programs that accomplish the goals of the Campaign. We do not seek to change or control anything that groups already have or are already doing. Instead we hope to supplement and add value to you, by creating an initiative through our cooperative efforts, to nationally raise awareness and to locally instigate community involvement, to affect progress in the target areas of the Campaign. We have supplemental resources in the form of brochures and books you can use if you choose. There are also speakers available for workshops and speaking events if desired.
Our available brochure “Ten Bottom-Line Reasons to Hire Ex-Felons” is a powerful “to-the-point” piece that any person or organization can use and give to ex-offenders to help them increase their success while applying and interviewing for jobs. These also can be sent directly to employers directly, or can be used as a “meet and greet” resource that adds value when you connect with a business. Other available campaign-specific brochures are Great Job Interviews for Felons, Hiring and Managing Ex-Felons, Getting Past Your Past, and more.
Campaign Logo
To help communicate Campaign awareness and build brand recognition of this initiative, we allow and encourage our partners to freely and appropriate use the logo widely in things like:
-
Their job postings
-
Websites
-
Email signatures
-
Letterhead
-
Business cards
-
Signage
-
Flyers, advertisements, and banners
-
Their own fund raising efforts and events
-
Displayed at their places of business
-
Any other purpose that supports, and does not detract from, the mission of the Campaign
As recognition of the Campaign and the Logo grows we will minimize use of “ex-felons” and promote the HXF logo which gives more positive connotations. Until then, we think using the term “ex-felons” is the best way to spark conversations and to directly address the issue of convincing employers to consider hiring someone with a criminal past.
Funding for the Campaign
The Campaign is funded by the sale of these reasonably-priced supplemental resources. The content of all brochures are available for free download on this website on the 'Resources' Page for anyone that cannot afford to purchase them. The purchased brochures are more efficient for groups to use and include the branding features of the campaign, with room for you to attach your stamp, label, or business card. Of course we can do custom print runs for you with your contact information, given a large enough order. Just contact us for more details.
Who can help, and how?
Starting with our national launch we hope to leverage media appearances to create local and national conversations to educate employers and hiring managers, and to ask the public to reward and recognize felon-friendly businesses with praise and increased patronage. The Campaign will be mobilized through the use of Coordinators, Sponsors, and Supporters (collectively called our “Partners”). The attached Campaign Plan details the roles of each, and how we hope to use the Campaign for our joint goals of reducing crime, recidivism, poverty, and the social costs of incarceration.
Together we can impact crime, recidivism, & our society.
Thank you for helping change lives, one job at a time.
