writing

Eight Steps to Creating Effective Email Messages

Ann Green Communications, marketing, writing

Email is a fast, easy, and inexpensive way for your nonprofit organization to get a message across to a lot of people. The problem is everyone else is doing the same thing and you are competing with a lot of other sources.  How can you ensure that people will open and read your email messages?  Follow these eight steps.

People must opt in
Every single person on your email list must be there because they have subscribed to it. Even if you have email addresses for your donors and other supporters, don’t add them to your list without their permission.  If you do, you are spamming them. Build relationships first, then your email list.

Don’t worry, it’s easy to build up your email list. Put a “sign up for our email list” prompt in a prominent place on your home page and other web pages, invite donors to sign up when they donate online, collect email addresses at events, invite people through social media,  encourage donors to sign up when you send them a thank you letter, and include subscription links in your email signatures.  Once people sign up, generate a nice thank you response to welcome them.

Open sesame
Your first hurdle is getting people to open your email in the first place.  Your organization’s name should be in the “from” line, so your reader knows it’s from a reputable source.

Make sure you use good subject lines – something short and simple, but effective. Your recipient should want to read more.  Avoid any words that might look like spam. Tell, but don’t sell what’s inside. Some examples might include –  Five Ways to Make Difference In a Child’s Life or Meet Our New Youth Advisors  Here are some more  examples of effective email subject lines 
Examples of Effective Email Subject Lines that Get the Click
Make it personal
Congratulations, your recipient has opened your email.  Now you need to get them to read it and take action.  Email can be impersonal, but it doesn’t have to have.  Include a personal salutation, but make sure it’s the right name.  One organization used to periodically send me messages addressed Dear Michael.

You must look marvelous
If your email message looks sloppy or unprofessional, your recipient may not bother reading it, even if includes great content.

Come up with a consistent, recognizable look so your readers know it’s from you. This can include your logo and organization’s colors.

Use an electronic-friendly font, such as Ariel or Verdana, that’s not too small.  Make it easy to read and scan (for better or worse, most people will be scanning your message) by including bold headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs.

Using a photo or image can be a nice way to capture someone’s attention, as well as to break up the text, but make sure they are good quality.

Content is king
Okay, your recipient is still with you. Now, you must write content people will want to read. To do this follow the 4 Cs of writing good 
copy. The 4 Cs of Writing Good Copy

Is it clear? What is your intention? Do you want someone to donate, volunteer, sign a petition, or attend an event?  Make your point right away and stick to one call to action per message.

Is it concise? Use as few words as possible, but use strong words and leave out any unnecessary adverbs, adjectives, or filler.
Is it conversational? Strive for a warm, friendly tone. Write in the second person and don’t use jargon or any words people need to look up in the dictionary.
Is it compelling? Start with a good opening and keep your reader interested throughout, so they will donate, volunteer, etc. 

Your content should highlight how you are helping the people you serve. 
Be known, but don’t be annoying
Send out messages anywhere between once a week and once a month. If you send out messages too often, people might opt out. Not enough and your supporters might forget about you. Someone is more likely to open and read your email if they are familiar with you.  But, always make sure you have something good to say. Think quality not quantity.

Use an email service provider
These have a lot of great features such as templates to give your messages a professional look, along with ways to personalize your messages, track open and click rates, and segment your lists. 

Go mobile
Remember that some people read email on their mobile devices. Here is an infographic on creating mobile friendly email.  Anatomy of a Perfect Mobile Email

By following the eight steps above, your recipients will be more likely to open and read your email messages, as well as take action.

More Email Marketing Resources

Email 101



Don’t Use Jargon

Ann Green marketing, writing

Capacity building, return on investment, leverage, impactful. How do you react when you see these words?  Do you embrace them or do they make you cringe?

These are just a few examples (unfortunately there are many) of jargon. I think people use jargon because it’s an insider language, and it makes them feel like they are “in the know” in their professional world.  

People need to understand you to connect with you
But what happens when jargon creeps outside of your insular community and into the public?  People won’t understand you. We are all guilty of it. I remember talking to someone about a program and using the terms capacity building and direct service, and the person had no idea what I was talking about.

When you use jargon with your donors and other supporters, you are not connecting with them. You won’t get your message across if your audience doesn’t understand it.

Use fresh language
Sometimes we get lazy and use jargon when we can’t think of anything fresh and original. The next time you are writing something for your organization, look it over carefully to see if it contains words found in these links.  
Jargon Finder
Philanthropy Jargon Generator
If it does, replace them with plain, but fresh language that your audience will understand (see links below for examples). Not all of the words in the links above are jargon. Some are awkward or pompous words and phrases that you should also avoid.

Garbl’s Plain English Writing Guide

24 lazy corporate verbs you need to fire

Get rid of all your jargon
Eliminate jargon from all your written materials including grant proposals. Even if your potential funder might understand some of the insider language, your proposal is one of many being submitted, and will be much more readable if you if to stick to a simple, conversational style. 

It may be easier to catch these dreaded words when you are writing, but also be careful when you are speaking. Do the words that come out of your mouth contain jargon? They shouldn’t if you are talking to a potential funder or someone not familiar with your work. Even if you are speaking to someone in the nonprofit community, ditch the jargon.

In addition, before you put a quote from your Executive Director or Board Chair in your annual report, newsletter, or a press release, check to see if it contains jargon. I’ve seen many that do. Here again, you are trying to connect with people. Speak to your audience.

Don’t get sent to jargon jail
Nonprofit Consultant and radio host Tony Martignetti has a jargon jail on his radio program and sends people there when they slip into jargon Philanthropy Jargon I love that idea.

Let’s all make a pact to not use jargon and to stay out of jargon jail.

What are some examples of jargon that make you cringe?

Image by Gavin Llewellyn via Flickr

How To Get Everyone In Your Organization To Be Consistent In Messaging

Ann Green brand identity, marketing, writing




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If you got your staff or board together and asked them to write a few sentences about what your organization does, would you get a variety of different answers? You would if you don’t have a consistent set of messages to use.
   

Creating a message platform

Your first step is to create a message platform, which consists of a tagline,positioning statement, talking points, and an elevator pitch.  Before you start, ask yourself:


What do you want to achieve?

Who is your target audience?  You may need to cater different messages to different audiences.

What is important to them?

As you create your positioning statement and talking points, ask:

Who are you?

What you do?

How do you do it?

Why is it important?

What makes your organization unique?

What impact are you making on the people you serve and in the community?

Your messages should be clear and include a call to action. They should be conversational, so avoid using jargon. Most people respond better to a human interest story than to a lot of statistics.

If you have five different people writing for your organization, your messages shouldn’t look like they were written by five different people. Come up with a single voice and personality.

As far as I’m concerned, Nancy Schwartz is the nonprofit messaging guru. This link from her website Getting Attention will explain the process in more detail and give you examples. The 4 Cornerstones of an Engaging Message Platform

Using your key messages
Now that you have come up with a set of consistent messages, use them across channels  –  print, e-mail, website, and social media.

Instruct everyone in your organization
Go over your key messages with your staff, board, and other volunteers. As new people join your organization, include messaging in their orientation.

Put your key messages in your organization’s style guide. If you don’t have a style guide, I strongly recommend creating one. It’s a great tool to help you stay consistent, not only in messaging, but in writing style and design. Create a Style Guide for Your Organization

Get your board on board
It’s especially important to make sure that your board knows your message platform. Ideally, you want your board to be representing you the community. They might be meeting with a prospective funder or with the local chamber of commerce. But since board members are not part of the day to operations, they are not as exposed to your key messages. They need to be.

Everyone in your organization, no matter what they do, should be able to communicate your key messages, whether it’s part of their job or if they are having a casual conversation with a friend.

Stick with it 
You need to choose messages that you are going to use for awhile. You can revisit your messaging periodically to see if it’s still relevant. For example, if you emphasize that your organization provides services to children under 12, and you just started serving teens, your messages should reflect that.  

Don’t worry if you get bored with your messages. Your audience is getting information from a bunch of different sources besides you.  Sometimes people need to see your message six to eight times before it sinks in.

If you think carefully about the messages you come up with, they should resonate with your audience for awhile.

Elevator pitch role play exercises
A great way to make sure everyone in your organization is consistent in their messaging is to do an elevator pitch role play exercise with your staff and board. An elevator pitch is a 30 second description of what your organization does. Elevator Pitches and Consistency in Messaging 

Divide into small groups of three or four.
  • Scenario one – You are at a conference and it’s five minutes until the keynote address. The person next to you asks you where you work. How do you respond? 
  • Scenario two – Your organization is holding a fundraising event. You are talking to an attendee who asks you to tell her/him more about what you do. How do you respond? 
Come up with your own exercises and keep practicing!

Take some time to come up with a consistent set of messages and make sure everyone in your organization is using them.
Photo by  Matt Hampel via Flickr

How To Create a Great Tagline

Ann Green marketing, writing

Does your organization have a tagline?  If you do, is it descriptive and memorable?    


Short and sweet
A good tagline should depict what your organization does in no more than eight words. With so few words, you need to choose carefully. Use strong verbs and the active voice.  A tagline needs to work both verbally and in writing, so no jargon. Your audience needs to connect with it. 

According to Nancy Schwartz of Getting Attention, 72% of nonprofits either have no tagline or one that’s not effective. A tagline such as “Making a difference in the community” is too vague.  It needs to be more specific. A really good example of a tagline is this classic one from the United Negro College Fund – 

“A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste”  

It makes a big impact with a few words.


Consistency is key
Your tagline needs to be consistent with your organization’s name and other organizational messaging, such as your position statement and talking points. These include who you are, what you do, how you do it, and why it is important. Of course, your tagline can’t cover all of that, but it should at least convey who are you are. 

“Improving Life, One Breath at a Time”  American Lung Association

Your mission statement is not your tagline
Mission statements are more internal and state the organization’s purpose. They are sometimes wordy and filled with jargon, although they don’t need to be, but that’s a topic for another blog post. However, your tagline should be connected to your mission. Taglines are external and meant for the general public. They should inspire your audience.

“Nothing Stops A Bullet Like A Job”  Homeboy Industries

This article by Joanne Fritz of Nonprofit About.com compares some organizations’ taglines with their mission statements. How to Write Great Taglines and Mission Statements Do a comparison of yours and see how you fare.

Using taglines
If you don’t have a tagline or are creating a new one, choose carefully. It’s a huge part of your brand identity. You want to choose one that you will keep for about 10 years. Your whole organization needs to believe in it. If you don’t, how do you expect the public to? Test out your new tagline before committing to it.


Once you have chosen a great tagline, make it a part of your logo. Use it everywhere. It should be on your website and all of your marketing materials. You can even put it on the back of your business cards.

“Our Vision Does Not Require Sight”  Volunteer Blind Industries

Taglines that work
Here are a few other examples of successful taglines. All are past winners of Getting Attention’s tagline contests.  More are included in the links below.

Some are positive. Some are emotional. Some are fun. But all of them are memorable and make an impact. 

“Instruments of Mass Percussion”  Drums Not Guns

“Where Actors Find Their Space” NYC Theatre Spaces

“Filling pantries. Filling lives” Houston Food Bank

Tagline Resources

Seven Dos and Don’ts for Strong Nonprofit Taglines (Case Study)

The Nonprofit Tagline Database

Create a Perfect Tagline for Your Nonprofit



How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Four – Writing For The Web

Ann Green marketing, website, writing

Photo by pigpogm via Flickr

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part One – Your Home Page

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Two – Your Entire Website

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Three – Your Donation Page

For the past few weeks, I’ve been writing a series of posts on how to create a welcoming and audience-centered website. In my final post in this series, I want to go into more detail about writing for the web.

But before I go into the actual writing part, we need to focus on getting your website visitor to read your content in the first place. In the previous posts, I explained how important your website’s look is. First impressions are key. If your web pages look cluttered and sloppy, your visitor might not sick around to read your content, no matter how great it is.

You might think you are being creative by using a red background with white type. Don’t do it. Stick to black type on a white background. It’s not boring. You are thinking of your audience and giving them something that’s easy to read. Leave colors for your logo and graphics.


Avoid using fancy type. A simple font such as Ariel or Georgia works well. Sans serif fonts are usually recommended for websites, but simple serif fonts are also good.  

Bigger is better. Use at least a 14 point font, so your visitor isn’t straining to read your content. Here is more information on choosing fonts. Want people to read your nonprofit website content? Start here.

People don’t read copy on the web; they scan it, and they read online content 25% slower than print. Therefore, you need to break up your text with lots of white space and use short paragraphs, lists, bullets, bolded headings, and bolded words. Keep the pages clean, and include links for more detailed information. Using one or two pictures or images per page will also help break up the text. 

Again, your goal is to get people to read your content, but if the type is too small and there are no spaces between paragraphs, you might lose them before they even get a chance to read what you wrote.

Now, about your writing. Several weeks ago, I wrote a post about the 4 Cs of Writing Good Content While this covers all types of copy, it is especially relevant for website copy.

Is it clear? Make sure you know your intention. What results do you want? For example, your donation page should compel someone to donate.


Is it concise? Use as few words as possible, but use strong words and leave out any unnecessary adverbs, adjectives, or filler.

Is it conversational? Write in the second person and don’t use jargon or any words people need to look up in the dictionary.

Is it compelling?  Start with a good opening and keep your reader interested throughout.

Use the inverted pyramid, where you include the most important information first, and make your point right away. Of course, your content should also be well written and free of grammatical errors and typos.
Each page on your website might have a different target audience. For example, people visiting your volunteer page may not know your organization, so include a short description of what you do. 

Remember that you want to create a welcoming website for your audience. If you don’t, your visitors won’t stay long and could miss out on your call to action and other messages.

Resources – Writing for the Web

The Most Important Person Your Website Copy Should Speak To

Writing for the Web: Tips for Nonprofit Organizations

Nonprofit 911:Writing for the Web: Today’s Best Practices


How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Three – Your Donation Page

Ann Green fundraising, marketing, website, writing
Image by S1m0nB3rry via Flickr

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part One – Your Home Page

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Two – Your Entire Website

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Four – Writing For The Web

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been writing about ways you can make your website welcoming and audience-centered. In this post, I’d like to go into a little more detail about your website’s donation page. According to Convio, online giving grew by almost 16% in 2011. It is likely to increase even more in 2012.

Most people will be coming to your donation page because they have been led there by your electronic or mailed fundraising appeal. They may have also been drawn there by social media. To get them there in the first place, be sure your appeal has a compelling message.
Make it simple
Now that you have a potential donor on your donation page, you want them to stay. It’s very important that you create a donation page that’s easy to use, easy to read (no clutter), and has a strong call to action, using the same messaging you have in your annual appeal (to stay consistent).
Make sure you have an easy and secure online donation form. Show how the donation will be used and what different amounts will fund. You can set up a form with different giving levels ($25, $50, 100, etc), but include an “other” field so your donors can give any amount they choose.
Not everyone is comfortable donating online; therefore you need to include your mailing address so your donor can send you a check. Include a downloadable donation form that your donors can print and mail in with their checks. 
In addition, add your phone number to the donation page in case donors want to call in with a credit card number or just ask a question. You should also include a link to other ways of giving, such as planned giving, donating in someone’s honor, or in-kind donations.
Don’t forget to say thank you
After someone has completed their online donation, they should be taken to a thank you landing page so they know that you received their donation and it didn’t end up in the netherworld. They should also receive an e-mail acknowledgement. 

Make sure your message is friendly and personal and doesn’t resemble a receipt you would get after checking out on Amazon. This does not let you off the hook from sending out a thank you letter, which you should mail no later than 48 hours after receiving the donation.
A picture says a 1000 words
Find a compelling photo that captures what your organization does, and put that on your donation page. In the few seconds it takes to view that photo, your donor should get a good understanding of your work.
Recurring gifts
One feature of some online giving platforms is recurring gifts. This is a great way for your organization to raise additional revenue by enticing donors to give larger gifts. A $200 donation might seem more feasible over the course of a year. It also allows you to receive revenue throughout the year instead of at the time you do your annual appeal.
What else to include on your donation page
You can include a link to your annual report on your donation page.  This is an easy way for your donor to look at a list of your accomplishments over the past year.  If your annual report doesn’t have a list of donors, you can put one on your website with a link on your donation page. Be sure to give people the option of not being included on your donor list.  For corporate and foundation donors, consider displaying their logos.  
You can also include links to your 990 forms and any Charity Navigator or other outside reviews you might have.
Online giving will continue to be more prevalent. Make sure your organization is keeping up with the times and has a donation page that is welcoming and donor-centered.
Online Donation Resources

Elements of a Fantastic Donation Page 
Fix that fundraising landing page!

11 Donate Now Best Practices for Nonprofits

Online Giving Grows as Fast as Shopping
Helping Donors Help You: How transparent is your website?
10 Tips That Will Increase Online Donations


The 4 Cs of Writing Good Content

Ann Green marketing, writing
The 4 Cs 


You have just finished writing something, maybe it’s a fundraising letter or newsletter article. Before you go any further, ask yourself if you have covered these 4 Cs of writing good content.


Is it Clear?

What your intention? What message are you sending to your readers? Are you asking for a donation, thanking them, or informing them? 

Whatever it is, make sure your message is clear. If you have a call to action, that needs to be clear as well. You want your message to produce results. For example your fundraising letter should generate a donation.

Make sure you use language your readers will understand (no jargon). Just because something is clear to you, doesn’t mean it will be clear to others. Terms such as capacity building are used a lot in the nonprofit world, but may not mean anything to your supporters. 


Is it Concise?
Can you say more with less?  Eliminate any unnecessary adverbs, adjectives, and filler. Get to the point right away. Concise writing doesn’t mean you need to be terse, or that all of your materials have to be one page. Sometimes they will need to be longer, but the same rules apply. Make all your words count.

Is it Conversational?
Write as if you are having a conversation with your readers, and be personable. Most of your communication and fundraising material can be written in the second person – where you refer to your readers as you and your organization as we.  

Avoid using jargon, cliches, multi-syllable words, and the dreaded passive voice. Would you ever use any of these in a conversation? 

You may think you are impressing your readers by using jargon and big words, but you are most likely confusing them or even worse, alienating them. 

Is it Compelling?
Is whatever you are writing going to capture someone’s attention and keep them interested throughout?  Start with a good opening sentence. Leading with a question is often good. Stories are also great. 

Put a human face on your stories and keep statistics to a minimum. You could start a fundraising letter with a story that leads to a call to action.

Of course, your content should always be free of typos and grammatical errors, and keeping these 4 Cs in mind will help ensure good content that will give you the results you want.

Create a Style Guide for Your Organization

Ann Green Communications, writing ,

Photo by imelda via Flickr

One way to ensure consistency in your communication materials is to create a style guide.  A style guide can cover both elements of your written material (editorial) and the look of your materials (design). Don’t be intimidated by putting one together. You can create one that’s just a few pages long.

 
Getting Started
You may want to use a published style guide such as the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook (probably best for nonprofit organizations) or the Chicago Manual of Style as your base, and then make additions or changes as needed.  These style guides cover items such as when to use commas (red, white, and blue as opposed to red, white and blue), and when to spell out numbers (one) as opposed to writing them as numerals (1).
 
Fonts
Choose a font that you will use in all of your materials. Serif fonts such as Garamond or Times Roman are best for print, and sans serif fonts such as Ariel or Verdana  work better for online materials. Whatever you decide, choose something that’s easy to read.  Here is some more detailed information on choosing fonts. The Best Fonts to Use in Print, Online, and Email
 
Your Organization
What is the official name of your organization, and what are the acceptable ways to abbreviate it? You could also include your mission statement and a brief history of your organization in your style guide.
 
Language
Figure out language that is specific to your organization. Are you a nonprofit, non profit, or non-profit organization?  Do you serve youth or children?  Are you active in the African-American or African American Community. Is there any language you should never use in your materials?
 
Tag Lines and Key Messages
Include your tag lines and key messages.  If you don’t have these, now is a good time to come up with some.  Be sure whatever you come up with is clear, concise, and conversational. Write in the active voice and don’t use jargon. Include these in all your materials and revisit them (maybe once or twice a year) to make sure they are still relevant.
 
Design
You can also use your style guide to indicate design preferences. Make sure you use the exact same colors in all your materials. Colors have PATONE numbers, which are used by designers and printers. Figure out which ones you will use – here is a guide to help you. Find a PANTONE color You’ll be amazed to see how many shades there are of one color. Having PANTONE numbers will be especially useful if you use more than one print company.
 
Logo
Decide how you want your logo to be sized and where it should be on the page. I recommend you keep your logo in the same place in all your materials to ensure a consistent, recognizable look. You may need to adjust sizing depending on the materials. 
 
Finishing Up
Once you have your style guide in place, go over it with staff, board members, volunteers, and consultants (anyone who might be communicating your message).  Make sure everyone has a copy or that it’s easily accessible on your shared server. When you hire new staff, go over the style guide with them at their orientation.  
 
Creating a style guide will take a little work up front, but it will be worthwhile in the end because your materials will have a consistent message and look. 
 
Here is an example of a style guide that uses AP as a base. VOICEOFSANDIEGO.ORG STYLE GUIDE

Elevator Pitches and Consistency in Messaging

Ann Green brand identity, marketing, writing

If you got your staff or board together and asked them to write a few sentences about what your organization does, it’s likely you might get a variety of different answers.

It’s very important that all your staff, board, and volunteers know what your organization does and that they are consistent with their messaging. 

This is something that should be covered in an orientation (you should have an orientation for your board members and volunteers, too) and revisited periodically.


A 30 second pitch about your organization is often know as an elevator pitch.

If your organization doesn’t have a written elevator pitch, you need to create one as soon as possible and make it available to all staff, board members, and volunteers.  Creating one as a group can be beneficial.

General Information About Elevator Pitches
  • Elevator pitches should be short and conversational.
  • Keep it simple.
  • Keep the following in mind – who are we, what do we do, how do we do it, and why is it important?
  • Don’t recite your mission statement when giving your elevator pitch.
  • Don’t use jargon.
  • Let your audience know the impact and importance of what you do.
Putting Together Your Elevator Pitch
  • What makes your organization unique? Come up with some key words and talking points.
  • Make sure everyone is consistent in their messaging.
  • Remember to revisit your pitch periodically (maybe once a year) to make sure it’s still relevant.
Using Your Elevator Pitch
  • Engage with the person/people you are talking to and tie what you do with their interests.
  • Find a way to tell a story.
  • If appropriate, initiate a call to action. Give the person your business card and ask them to call you for more information or let them know how they can donate or volunteer.
  • Remember that you are always an ambassador for your organization and how you represent yourself reflects upon the organization.
  • Keep practicing!
Photo by robinsonsmay