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Handout from Quadrant 2's November 10, 2006 workshop! “Writing for a Nonprofit: Presenting Your Organization in a Compelling Way” Presented by Laura Dake, Quadrant 2 Consulting, LLC
1) Replace the inner voice that says, “What do I want to say?” with “How do I want the reader to respond?”
2) Know Your Organization
Read your organization’s material Attend programs Meet the clients where they are Pitch in at work events (Specific examples: visit patients in a nursing home; go on an outing with a Big Brother/Big Sister; work in a soup kitchen)
Your story will be so much more compelling if you know what your organization does and why. If you are a freelancer, learn as much as you can about the organization you are contracting with – e.g., attend a performance, volunteer, participate in an event.
Your nonprofit is the hero of the story you are telling – you must be passionate and excited about the work it does. If you’re not, or if you really don’t understand what your organization or a specific project is all about, don’t expect the reader to.
3) Know the “Back Stories”
Talk to people in and around your organization. Get to know their stories then get to know their back stories. When I describe what I mean by a back story, you may argue (and maybe rightly so) that it’s all the same story. But for me it’s not. It’s the back story that intrigues me; it’s where I hear the passion.
Examples of back stories (write your own here):
Talk to your executive director, co-workers and volunteers. Ask them:
Why do you feel passionate about the work you do? Why do you work here? Why should anyone give money to this cause?
Talk to clients. Ask them:
How has this organization affected / impacted their lives?
Exercise AND INTRODUCTIONS: What makes your organization special? What makes it different from other similar programs in the area? Do you have a “back story” to tell (about you or someone in your organization)?
4) Imagine your Reader
Create a mental picture of your reader. Is he/she someone who knows a great deal about your cause? A bureaucrat? Are you writing to a large foundation or a small one? Are you writing a letter or other appeal that will go to thousands of people?
The main thing is to imagine your reader as busy. Keep your proposal brief, keep it positive, keep it neat and easy to read! Avoid jargon and flowery language. Do not repeat the same thought over and over by rewording it.
5) Give the Reader an Initial “Hook”
Just as good stories “hook” you right from the start, so should your appeal. After your summary, this first paragraph or two is probably the most important to the reader. Don’t be cute or gimmicky, but instead strive to create a strong visual of your organization or program using bold, direct language.
Exercise: Write a four or five sentence “hook” for your organization.
6) Keep It Local
Unless your organization’s goals are national or international in scope, keep the focus on the locality you are serving. For example, a nonprofit in Fayette County that serves women with breast cancer may say in an appeal, “12.5% of U.S. women will develop breast cancer in their lifetimes.”
Exercise: How could we word this to make it “local” and thus stronger?
_(One in eight women in Fayette County will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.) ________________
7) Lead with Your Best Stuff
Grantmakers and other funders are busy people! They don’t want to wade through a lot of extraneous material. You might think something is incredibly interesting (or perhaps you think there’s just too much “white space” on the page) but put yourself in the place of the reader.
Ask yourself:
Is this information critical to telling my story? Does this information detract from the flow of my story? Is the reader being deluged with statistics or endless lists? Is this information best placed in an appendix?
8) Give Your Work to Someone Outside Your Organization to Read
In this case, someone whose opinion you respect and that you know writes well. It doesn’t have to be a line-by-line edit but rather a gut reaction to the piece: Does it flow well from point to point or is it all over the place? Is it “over the top” in an emotional sense or is the passion present, but somewhat restrained? Does this reader understand the program for which you are making the appeal or does he/she have too many unanswered questions?
If this handout was helpful even if you didn't attend the workshop, please consider an in-house writing workshop. We'll tailor a class just for your organization and keep it cost-effective! Interested in a one-on-one writing tutorial instead? We can do that too! For more information, call Laura at 859.351.0460 or email info@quadrant2.org.
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