You turn out exquisitely sculpted sentences and perfectly structured prose. You know your charity’s work and your audience inside-out. You can tug at the heartstrings and argue a persuasive case.
You’re the complete charity writer… aren’t you?
Well, not quite. These days, it pays to brush up your skills in other areas too. Here are 10 things we think every charity writer needs to know about.
1. Writing for the web
People read differently on screen, so you need to write differently too. You can’t simply take a print publication and stick it up on your website – and it takes more than a few bullet points to make your writing web friendly.
You need to provide the sort of content users want, think about how to structure your material, make it easy for skim readers to find the information they’re after and write with search engines in mind.
2. Social media
Like it or not, e-communications are the future. But do you know the best way to present an e-newsletter? How to get the most out of your blog? How to harness the power of social networking sites? And can you condense your key messages into 140 characters to post on Twitter?
3. Marketing
Some charities still think marketing is a dirty word – but really, it’s just about getting your messages across to as many people as possible.
The private sector spends billions of pounds every year on marketing, and there are textbooks full of tips, tricks and techniques. Some of them even work. If you want more people to know about your charity and support your work, you need to know this stuff.
4. Tone of voice
Successful charities understand the value of having a strong brand. But effective branding is as much a verbal as a visual thing. The words you choose and the tone of voice you use speak volumes about your charity. So what does yours say about you?
5. Case studies
Case studies are the lifeblood of charity communications. The media loves them, supporters relate to them, fundraising depends on them – a strong case study can give life to abstract statistics and arguments.
But case studies don’t write themselves. From asking the right questions and editing quotes, to handling media requests sensitively and knowing when to change personal details, there’s a lot to master.
6. Working with the media
Getting a story into the media can make all the difference to your charity’s campaign. And it’s a whole lot easier if you know exactly what editors are looking for in a press release, when and how to approach journalists and how to use the media’s agenda to your own advantage.
7. Impact reporting
In the current economic climate, funders more than ever want to see proof of the impact your charity is making. If you’ve not started thinking about impact reporting, you probably should do.
But how do you go about collating the evidence? How do you measure intangible outcomes? And what’s the best way to communicate your impact to different audiences?
8. Photography
A picture speaks a thousand words – but poor photography can ruin your wonderful writing. While nobody’s expecting you to become David Bailey yourself, you should at least know how to brief a photographer, find your way round image libraries and choose pictures that complement your copy.
9. Printing
Would your target audience respond better to an A3 poster or a credit card-sized concertina leaflet? Do you want your brochure to cover all your services, or could you include a pocket for different inserts? What sort of flyers would be most effective for your campaign?
A good understanding of the print options available to you will help you get your messages across in the most effective way.
10. Processes
You produce the perfect final draft of your copy. Then it goes off round the houses for approval. By the time every department, the chief executive, your trustees and your corporate partners have all had their say, it’s barely recognisable, you’re three weeks past deadline, and since the last proofread, someone’s misspelled the title…
Avoid these perils by taking control of the whole publication process yourself.
