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Write to your nonprofit board members to keep them involved

September 8, 2009  |  Posted in: Fundraising, Nonprofits  |  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,   |  

Nonprofit boardmeetingToday’s post is for those of you who operate a nonprofit organization. To be successful, your organization needs dedicated volunteers and board members. The best way to secure that dedication is by keeping these folks in touch with your activities.

This can be done through email messages, a post on your blog or social media such as Facebook or Twitter. (Keep in mind, some members might not be familiar with social media. Take the time to learn what modes of communication are most useful for your board.)

If board members are kept current with the organization only through meetings and minutes, they could get the idea they exist only to rubber stamp your plans. If you’re relying on board members to raise funds, remember you probably will get back about as much time and attention as you give to them.

Board members cannot promote a program they know little about. If they aren’t sufficiently involved in accomplishments, how can they “sell” your organization as a good investment?

When the organization is launched or after the annual dinner, there is a feeling of togetherness among board members, volunteers and staff. They are working for a cause that all embrace. You need to follow up with continuing contact to maintain the momentum. Frankly, keeping volunteers is all about momentum. (more…)

No one should need a CSI team just to read your printed copy

May 25, 2009  |  Posted in: Fundraising, General Writing, Nonprofits, Public Relations  |  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,   |  

"...After three days, your introductory 1.9% APR jumps to 99.9%. Also, we get to eat your dog."

"...After 10 days, your introductory 1.9% APR jumps to 99.9%. Also, we get to eat your dog."

They always warn you to read the fine print. What if it’s so fine you literally can’t read it?

If you can’t read the text above, we understand. Here’s a tip not everyone knows: to quickly enlarge scalable type on a website, hold down the Ctrl key and tap the + [plus] key. (To shrink it back down, do Ctrl and - [minus].)

It works on every major web browser. Try it now if you like. (Take your time. We’ll wait.)

But you shouldn’t have to do that. With printed copy, you can’t do it. That doesn’t keep many writers from using copy so small it’s unreadable.

Maybe you have 20/20 vision, or even better. Not everyone does. Older readers, especially, struggle with reading small font sizes. That doesn’t just mean the elderly: eyesight begins to decline around the age of 40. Do you really want to restrict your readership solely to people under 40?

We see this problem a lot, most particularly — and most unfortunately — in fundraising brochures and letters.

Think about it: funrdraising materials are (most often) targeted to older readers, those with the most acquired wealth or chief executives. Few are intended for recent college graduates or people on the south side of middle age.

Many prospective benefactors wear bifocals because they can’t read small print. Some wear “cheaters,” magnifying glasses which they put on and take off and frequently lose.

It is not unusual for farsighted persons, frustrated at not being able to decipher tiny text and angered at the “thoughtlessness” of the writer, to discard the document within minutes (or even seconds) of picking it up. You very well might lose a potential donor forever.

Of course, one can go overboard with font sizes. You don’t want your font text to be so large it reads “obnoxious” or feels like its shouting at the reader. You have to find a happy medium.

At We Write For You, we have had to ask graphic designers to enlarge — and sometimes even change — fonts for readability.

Sure, sometimes we’d like to have the latitude to use smaller fonts for various aesthetic purposes. But we generally will never use a font size that can’t be read by virtually all readers.

Remember the ultimate purpose for writing a document: to have it read.

The Best Writing Tip EVER.

May 23, 2009  |  Posted in: Competitive Writing, General Writing, Public Relations, The Best Writing Tip Ever  |  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,   |  

Okay, we’re just kidding with that title. Actually…  kidding isn’t quite right. We do have a great writing tip for you today. And it is one of the best writing tips ever. To certain people–maybe even you–it might well be the best writing tip ever.

We’ll have many more writing tips for you to check out if you read this blog regularly. But if we had to choose a Top Ten, this would be in there. It’s probably in the Top Five. And though it sounds obvious, this is the one big rule we see people screw up all the time:

Write with your audience in mind.

It rather sounds simple and obvious, but writers botch this one constantly. All we’re saying is that for whatever you’re writing, you need to identify who comprises your target audience. Then, make sure everything you write is focused on connecting with that type of person.

This is true in virtually every type of writing. It’s true in business writing (sales letters, website copy, news releases, blog posts and plenty more) and in creative writing (manuscripts, screenplays, treatments, outlines, query letters and plenty more).

Yes, it's a rather generic audience shot. It's not always easy coming up with images for a writing blog, you know. At least it's more exciting than the "hyphen" image from the last post, right?

Yes, it's a rather generic audience shot. It's not always easy coming up with images for a writing blog, you know. At least it's more exciting than the "hyphen" image from the last post, right?

It’s even true in personal writing (emails, thank-you letters, love letters and–you guessed it–plenty more).

If you’re writing for an audience more likely to be compelled (to action, to understanding, or whatever you’re going for) by a warm, lighthearted tone, don’t write in a cold, clinical style.

If you’re writing to a CEO you know has little time on her hands, don’t waste time with a cutesy introduction–get to the point.

Want to sell something to people who are given to purchase luxury items? Make sure the tone of prestige and class informs everything in your sales copy. Targeting buyers on the other end of the spectrum? Focus on the themes of value and high return on investment throughout.

Remember, it’s up to you to orient your writing to the reader’s needs–not the other way around. People don’t have the time or the patience to jump through those hoops; they’ll move on to something that grabs their interest without any extra effort. Be that writer, and reap the benefits.

Check back here at the We Write For You blog (wewriteforyou.com) for more Best Writing Tip Ever installments.

Should my donor-driven organization use an annual report as its sole PR instrument?

May 17, 2009  |  Posted in: Fundraising, Nonprofits, Public Relations  |  Tags: , , , , , , ,   |  

You represent an organization that depends on private fundraising. Should you use your annual report as your primary public relations document instead of circulating a separate brochure? Does this approach save you money?

We say: no, and no. Here’s why:

PR brochures and annual reports serve two different functions. A brochure is disseminated widely to engage interest in your organization. An annual report “preaches to the choir,” telling stakeholders what has been done with their money over the past year.

Annual reports are too large and expensive to distribute widely and still be cost-effective. If an annual report is the document you leave behind on a fundraising visit, its length and its lack of donor-focus make it unlikely the recipient will give it a good read.

Both documents are important for your fundraising program. The PR brochure not only tells your reader who you are and why your existence matters, but also (with their support) what you can become. A good PR brochure is an introduction and a promise. An annual report speaks to what you have accomplished rather than what you will accomplish.

An annual report, by its very nature, is fixed on what has happened and can’t be changed. A public relations brochure can be responsive to a specific audience’s concerns and wishes.

Also, a brochure doesn’t have to be the exclusive means of attracting a donor’s interest: it can include information on how to obtain the most recent annual report. Those who then request the annual report have now self-identified as being interested in your organization and open to a follow-up contact.

An organization will increase its fundraising success by finding means to circulate both annual reports and PR brochures. (Watch for future posts on writing both types of publications here at wewriteforyou.com.)


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