6 Copywriting Tips For Charities

Communication is key to a charity’s success. Producing content and quality copywriting is an essential part of that communication. Your charity copywriting needs to be on point whether you’re talking to charity recipients, donors, or other stakeholders. Here are six copywriting tips for charities that will help them improve their communication with their audience.

Copywriting Advice for Charities

Copywriting and content writing are very similar activities, but they do have some distinct differences. Content is essential for charities in terms of branding, but copywriting can be vital in showcasing the work of the non-profit and how it’s impacted its beneficiaries.

Define The Purpose

The first approach to good copywriting is defining the purpose of a piece. Without understanding why you are writing a piece of copy, you will not produce the desired outcome. To establish the purpose, you need to consider;

• Who is the audience of this piece?
• What information am I trying to convey?
• Is there an action I desire them to complete after reading the copy?

For a charity, take a look at these copy examples to understand the purpose.

• An information leaflet to support bereavements. The audience is those that have lost a loved one, and you are trying to provide information that can help them come to terms with grief. An action may be to seek further support with listed resources, such as a helpline or additional reading.
• A report on your charity’s impact. A large piece of copy for stakeholders conveys what finances you have received, where that money has been spent, and the impact. The action you may be inspiring is further donations or simply continued contributions by reassuring stakeholders you have made the right impact.
• Selling a charity product. The audience is the buyer who wants the charity product or merchandise. The information you need to convey may be about the actual product and how purchasing will benefit the charity, purchaser and/or broader community. Convincing them to make the purchase is the action desired.

Gather Information

Once you understand the purpose and intent of your writing, you’ll be able to make a more straightforward argument. But, one more step before putting pen to paper is to do research. Gathering information about your copywriting subject is vital to writing a coherent and persuasive piece. This is especially important when dealing with support information and impact reports because data must be clear, concise and accurate. Research is key to improving your copywriting skills and is our top tip for copy for charities.

Make it Accessible & Inclusive

While all businesses should be striving to be more ethical in their marketing and copy practices, charities should hold themselves to the highest of bars. Making copywriting accessible and inclusive ensures that your charity can reach more people. This is from the perspective of both reaching those who need help and those who can help through donations or fundraising. Creating copywriting accessible to the broadest number of people will expand your reach. Writing with inclusivity in mind can help readers feel supported and included in your mission. Accessible content is also a great way to make your website more accessible to the broadest range of users. Read our resources section below for copywriting tips on inclusivity and accessibility.

Ask for Donations Carefully

A tough balancing act for charities that accept donations is when to ask for them. Of course, it may be evident to your audience that you want funds for your work, but it doesn’t mean you should plaster a piece of copy with calls for money. Instead, use call-to-actions asking for donations sparingly. Convince your reader with your copy of why they should donate. Don’t simply rely on a big button at the bottom of the page that says ‘Donate Now’. If the purpose of your copy is for donations, then showcase why your charity needs to help and how you can help. Providing real-life examples of your charitable works is more convincing than a begging button. Consider utilising the same approach as a corporate business would and write copy that shows rather than tells.

Spread The Love

While it may seem like every organisation is struggling to maintain their donor’s attention, it doesn’t mean your copy should be exclusively about you. Charities are often about community and citizenship. For example, Together for Sheffield, a Sheffield organisation that supports the third sector recorded 1.24 million hours of volunteer work throughout their network. That’s a fantastic amount of people’s power. Charities should utilise their network and support other organisations to bring awareness to each other’s needs. It should not be about fitting for the crumbs but building a whole bakery together. To make your copywriting creative and community-led, share the love and include links, stats and mentions of other charities and social enterprises doing fantastic work.

Review and Edit

The most important tip for good copywriting for charities is to review and edit your copy thoroughly. Proper review will ensure quality spelling and grammar, it can highlight the right tone, missing info, and possible pitfalls. Here are some more reasons why proofing, reviewing and editing is vital.

• Proofing is vital for spelling and grammar and ensures your intentions with the piece are correct. It’s not just about the wording but also about how it reflects on the charity.
• Editing can ensure the copy is snappy, and engaging and drives home the right call to action.
• Reviewing by others can ensure that the context is right and that a sentence will not be misinterpreted. Charities can fall foul of this as much as a business, so reviewing by someone else in your team or an outside editor is key.

Further Copywriting Tips for charities

I hope you’ve found these copywriting tips for charities a helpful guide. If you require copywriting for your charity, non-profit or social enterprise, I can help. I provide ethical copywriting and content marketing services. Accessible and inclusive writing is core to my ethical marketing practices. Please get in touch to discuss your project and learn more about my services and rates. Let’s grow your organisation together.