How to Write Non-Profit Messaging Donors and Funders Understand

6 days ago

3 min read

A first-time visitor reads your homepage headline, glances at the next line, and decides whether to stay. Most non-profits have a good story and a headline that hides it behind phrases like "capacity building," "systems change" and "stakeholder engagement." Staff understand those words. Donors, volunteers and the neighbour who might become a monthly giver tend to skim past them.

Plain-language messaging fixes that. It uses the words your supporters would use if they described your work to a friend.

Start with the supporter's question

Every visitor arrives with the same four questions, in roughly this order:

Who do you help?
What changes for them?
What do you do to make that happen?
What can I do to be part of it?

A message that answers all four in a few sentences works on a homepage, in a grant application, in an email signature and in a conversation at a fundraiser.

The four-part message

Write one sentence for each question, then join them into a short paragraph. The examples below are illustrative.

Who: students in Grades 2 to 4 who are reading below grade level
Change: they catch up and start to enjoy reading
How: a trained volunteer tutor works with each child twice a week
Ask: give one hour a week to become a tutor

Joined together: “We pair students in Grades 2 to 4 who are behind in reading with a trained volunteer tutor, twice a week, until they read at grade level. Give one hour a week to become a tutor.”

That is two sentences, and a stranger could repeat it to someone else.

Before and after

Here is a typical sector sentence, followed by a rewrite.

Before: "We deliver evidence-based, multi-stakeholder literacy interventions that improve educational outcomes for underserved learners."

After: "We pair students in Grades 2 to 4 who are behind in reading with a trained volunteer tutor, twice a week, until they read at grade level.

The second version names the people, the action and the result. A reader can picture it.

Use your supporters' words

The best source of plain language is the people who already give, volunteer or take part. Ask five of them three questions:

Why did you first get involved?
How do you describe our work to friends?
What made you decide to give (or sign up) when you did?

Write down the exact phrases. Repeated words and images are the ones to use on your website and in your appeals. This is the voice of the customer, and in a non-profit your supporters are the customer.

For PEFC Canada, we provided communications leadership to a very small team. The work included stakeholder mapping, content and communications strategy, visual direction and plain-language messaging.

One message, adjusted by audience

Donors, funders, corporate partners and participants care about different details. The core message stays the same, and the emphasis shifts:

Donors want to see the person and the difference their gift makes.
Funders want evidence, outcomes and a clear plan for the money.
Corporate partners want a clear role and a result they can share with their own team.
Participants want to know what to expect and how to sign up.

Use the same four-part message as the base for each, then add the detail that audience looks for.

A quick test

Read your homepage headline to someone outside your sector, such as a neighbour or a relative. Ask them to say back what you do and who you help. If they can, the message works. If they ask what a word means, replace the word.

Next step

If your message needs sharpening and your team has no time to do it, book a discovery call. We will review your current website and materials and tell you plainly what is working. You can also see how we support non-profit marketing.