Britain is facing its biggest drop in living standards on record, with food and energy bills soaring and inflation reaching a new 40-year high. So as the cost-of-living crisis deepens, what does this mean for charities and non-profit organisations?
For many, it may be tough, with demand for services increasing and people less inclined to give up their time and money. In such a precarious climate, it’s critical that charities and non-profits do their best to maximise fundraising opportunities. One way to achieve this is through the written word.
Words are a powerful tool, and with the right tone and style, a well-crafted article can move hearts and minds. For charities and non-profits, it’s a great way to highlight important issues and draw people to your cause. To help you get the most out of your blog, newsletter or website, I’ve compiled five helpful tips for writing engaging, actionable copy.
1. Know your audience
Before you begin, it’s important to think about exactly who you’re writing for. In a perfect world, everyone is a potential patron, but we’re all different, shaped by our character, demographic, and life experience. What might be a burning issue to some, may seem trivial to others.
So before putting pen to paper (or rather, fingers to keys), think carefully about your target audience – who they are, how to reach them, how best to engage and inspire them.
2. Grab their attention
No matter how worthy your cause, if you fail to deliver a compelling narrative, people will soon switch off. Engage your readers by telling human stories – simple, relatable accounts that get to the heart of what you do and reflect who you are as an organisation. Pick pertinent topics, focus on success stories, and keep your audience emotionally engaged with direct quotes from volunteers, case workers and beneficiaries.
3. Strike a positive tone
Aim for an assured, confident tone of voice, and keep things light and conversational where possible. This will help you connect better with your audience, build trust, and put people at ease. Strike the right tone, and readers will feel like you’re talking to them, not at them.
It’s fine to tug at the heartstrings, but always try to put a positive spin on things. Don’t sugar-coat the truth, but even when dealing with the most difficult subjects, it’s important to offer a glimmer of hope. If it’s all doom and gloom, people may think it’s a lost cause and become uninvested.
Instead, give solid, relatable examples of what you’ve achieved so far and outline your goals for the future. This way, you can galvanise your audience, make them feel part of the solution and inspire them to come on the journey with you.
4. Keep it simple
Less is more. Begin with a pithy intro, enough to pique the interest and encourage people to read on. Keep word counts below 800, sentences short and succinct, and break up the text with images and sub-headings. Remember, you’re telling a story – no matter how stark the subject matter, it should always be engaging.
Try not to get too bogged down in facts and figures. The odd stat here and there is fine to illustrate a point, but the key here is to get your message across. Dense text, punctuated with endless references and footnotes will only turn people off.
5. Inspire action
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you want your audience to act, whether it’s making a donation, volunteering, or simply signing up for a monthly newsletter. To create a sense of urgency and elicit a response, you need strong CTAs (calls to action).
Choose your words carefully. Your CTAs should feel seamless, not forced – a natural extension of your blog or article. For example, if you’re writing about the sterling work of your volunteers, you might encourage people to seek out volunteering opportunities in their local area.
Don’t ambush your audience with ‘salesy’ slogans, like “sign up now”, and avoid lazy signposting, such as “click here” or “learn more”. Your call to action should be simple, original and persuasive.
Start a conversation
To discover how creative copywriting can help your charity or non-profit rally more people to your cause, check out the rest of my website or fire me a quick email and let’s start a conversation.