Nonprofit Writing Challenge
If your nonprofit writing is starting to feel dull and uninspiring, you're in the right place.
As a nonprofit communicator, you get to the point where you can't come up with a different way to write about the same mission and services anymore. In this post, I'm sharing eight essential nonprofit writing tips for everything you write. Whether it's social media copy, a fundraising appeal, or an email newsletter, you’ll be able to make use of all these best practices.
So here's my nonprofit writing challenge for you. Dig up the last thing you wrote (or better yet, whatever you're currently writing), and make sure it checks off these top nonprofit writing tips.
Get in the habit of consistently writing captivating messages that will create a motivated and loyal audience. Print this Nonprofit Writing Checklist, and post it in your workspace.
Know your audience
Before you start writing, know who you're writing for.
Do you want to reach Gen Z activists? Moms of young children? Seniors, who are potential donors? Immigrants in need of services?
Writing for your audience takes time, research, and humility. This is especially true if you're writing for a demographic you're not part of. Here are a few tips for creating compelling writing for the right audience:
Understand the language and kinds of stories that are relatable to your audience. Read other writing geared towards them (social media and blog posts are a good start).
Have someone from your audience demographic provide honest feedback on your writing.
Make audience personas. Create a fictional audience member that represents your audience, and build out their background, interests, passions, challenges, and why they should care about your organization. When you write, do so specifically for this person.
Use a conversational tone
I find that a lot of nonprofit communicators write academically. They want their writing to come across as polished and professional. As a result, their writing ends up overly corporate and impersonal.
Your readers should feel like they are getting to know a person, not an organization.
Keeping your audience in mind, write as you would talk to them. How will you know if your tone is conversational? Try reading out loud. If your intended reader was sitting across from you, is this how you would speak to them?
Show impact through stories
Stories are meaningful.
If you want your readers to invest in your organization, share real stories about real lives impacted through your nonprofit's work.
When crafting stories, follow the simple story arc: a character who overcomes challenging circumstances and is changed by the end.
Whether the story is about a client, recipient, member, volunteer, or even a donor, an inspiring nonprofit story tells about a problem someone faced, and how your organization changed their situation in a big way.
It's a simple enough formula but a powerful way to show how your organization is solving tough problems.
Charity:Water has long tapped into the power of nonprofit storytelling. For some inspiration, read some of their blog posts.
Inform and educate
Every piece of writing is an opportunity to inform your audience about the issues your organization is combatting. Provide broader context to your readers with a reference to relevant news, a strong statistic that backs up your issue, or a bold statement about the problem you're solving.
Informative anecdotes should not overwhelm your writing. Try to educate your audience with as few words as possible.
Take this blog post written by Public Health Solutions (PHS). This story is about a young mom who faced plenty of challenges while pregnant. It follows how PHS' maternal health program supported Stephanie to have a successful pregnancy and thrive as a young parent.
The article is about Stephanie, but you also learn that pregnant women of color face racial bias in healthcare.
This post is not just about Stephanie. It's about fighting for health equality for all New Yorkers.
Include a call-to-action
Everything your nonprofit puts out into the world should be thoughtful and purposeful.
Purpose-driven writing commands action. Whether your ask is big or small, be sure you're leading your audience to take an extra step to engage with your organization.
Here are several calls-to-action to use in your writing:
Become a donor, member, client, or buyer
Become an ambassador or volunteer
Fundraise for us
Come to an event
Share this with your network to read
Watch this video
Visit our website, a blog post, or another specific webpage
Follow us on social media
Join our mailing list
Sign a petition or call an elected official
Take part in our campaign
Keep it short and sweet
The best way to adapt to the ever-changing communications landscape is to keep your writing brief.* People have shorter and shorter attention spans, and you don't want your readers to stop reading before they get to the good stuff.
The best advice I've received as a nonprofit communicator is this,
"If everything is important, then nothing is important."
Short writing often conveys the most powerful messages.
Concise writing takes practice and is surprisingly harder than long-winded writing. Here are a few tips for simple and clear writing:
Use active sentences instead of passive ones.
Cut down on jargon and fluff words (really, totally, certainly, truly, in order to, actually, basically, and literally).
Always use a shorter word that can replace a long word.
*The exception to this is informational blog posts, where long-form is on the rise. That’s why this post is not so short and sweet.
Break up your text
White space is your friend, no matter what platform you're writing for. Short sentences and paragraphs are easier to read and absorb.
There are a few ways that you can break up your text for easier reading:
Keep your paragraphs to three sentences, and don't be afraid of one-sentence paragraphs to make a point.
Organize your messages with bullet points.
Use headings when introducing new ideas.
Replace text with images where you can.
Proofread
Always proofread your writing, even when you need to get it out quickly. Writers are the worst at catching their own mistakes.
If possible, find someone on your team to copy edit your writing before it goes live or to print. If you don't have a team (I've been there!), use a proofreading website like Grammarly. These kinds of sites not only proof your work, but will give tone and voice recommendations, and check your writing for plagiarism.
So, how did you do? Impactful writing takes practice but will have a big payoff as a nonprofit communicator and marketer.
If you haven't done so yet, make sure you download the Nonprofit Writing Checklist.