One of the things that kills fundraising copy is stilted, odd, jargon-filled, legalistic language that’s hard to read or understand.
It happens because everyone inside the organization completely understands that copy. It’s in insider language, and you can’t detect how weird it really is.
Here’s a solution, from Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! — Talk like a human:
Hire someone (permanent or freelance) to review everything you write. De-lawyer it, de-engineer it, de-jargon it. A few days of rewrites will completely change how your customers perceive you and relate to you.
Jeff Brooks has been serving the nonprofit community for more than 35 years and blogging about it since 2005. He considers fundraising the most noble of pursuits and hopes you’ll join him in that opinion. You can reach him at jeff [at] jeff-brooks [dot] com.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.