Copywriting for charities is about getting your message front and centre. You already do fantastic work, so make sure everyone knows about it with copywriting that celebrates your successes and convinces your audience to help. This is my simple guide on copywriting for charities. I cover why your organisation should use it, where to produce it and how to make it work. Read on to learn more.
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Copywriting for Charities: Why, Where and How
There are so many benefits when copywriting for charities and charitable organisations is appropriately done. It’s beneficial for staff, volunteers, patrons, donors and stakeholders. Creating copy that inspires and educates will ensure your impact increases and information is communicated clearly.
Why do Charities need Copywriting?
All organisations need good copy, but copywriting for charities is even more essential. If you don’t have a clear and precise composition, your charitable efforts may not make as significant an impact as they could. Here’s why copywriting is essential for non-profits.
Inspire Action
Most charities are looking for help, whether that’s more funding or volunteers, but almost all charities can struggle to keep going. Quality copywriting can help inspire the action your charity needs from members of the public or institutions. Copywriting is a powerful tool which can persuade and convince people to take action. If you are not clear in what you want, people cannot offer to help.
Communications
Continuing with the theme of clear copy, charities need good copywriting to communicate effectively with their stakeholders. Let donors know how their donations are making an impact. Staff and volunteers may need clear instructions on discussing specific topics with the public. Or you may need to provide straightforward advice to users of your service. Whatever the campaigns a charity is working on, I can guarantee communication is critical, and that starts with excellent copy.
Gain Donations
Of course, money makes the world go round, so gaining donations can be a significant task for charities. This is especially true for smaller ones without the marketing budgets of international organisations such as Oxfam. Effective copywriting is a cost-effective way to gain more donations. When you can’t produce television ads or be featured in a national newspaper campaign, you must make the most of where you can showcase your work. Ensure your copy gets the money message across clearly and increases donations.
Attract Stakeholders
Attracting the right people to your organisation is fundamental to making a significant impact. Your charity can use copywriting to entice volunteers, donors and staff members to your cause. However, it’s also essential that your copy attracts patrons and clients to your charity. Sometimes, reaching the people you want to help is difficult. Creating copy that informs your audience and helps them reach out when needed is probably one of the most potent aspects of quality writing.
Run it like a Business
It may be unsavoury to some, but charities sometimes need to run more like profit-making organisations to improve their impact. Presenting your charity as a professional body is essential to attract funding and help more people. Copywriting for charities is about creating that professional brand and keeping your messaging clear. Businesses know the importance of quality copywriting, so non-profits should employ it, too, so they can reach their goals.
Where Should Charities Use Copy for Effective Comms
Copywriting for charities should appear in the exact locations as any business would display copy.
Website
A charity’s website is their shop front out into the world. Anyone from anywhere could access your website, so you want to ensure the copy is perfect for the potential stakeholders who may view it. Website design for charities should focus on the big messages of campaigns and calls to action for possible stakeholders. Information on your website should be precise, profoundly informative and inclusive for those it’s there to help.
Social Media & Emails
A charity that wants to make an impact must use social media and email marketing to its advantage. You can spread awareness of your cause and reach those who can help or need help. Copy on your social media posts must capture attention and draw users into your posts. Social copy must be short and snappy, whether captioning on photos, entire infographic posts or links to your website. Email marketing is far from dead and can also be effective for charities. Copy on your newsletters needs to put your primary topics front and centre, but firstly, you need to get their attention with a powerful subject line.
Physical Ad Space & Traditional Mediums
The copy must be perfect if your charity can afford physical advertising space such as banners and billboards. These adverts can be incredibly effective, but they don’t come cheap. So, billboard copywriting for charities needs to be considered carefully if it is to be successful. The same is true of newspaper ads, leafleting and poster campaigns. Working with a designer and copywriter is essential to make sure the wording, as well as the look, is tip-top.
Events & Collateral
If your charity hosts events in the community, copy on banners and stalls is vital to get people to engage. No matter your offering or requests, you want to make it clear from far away what you do and how people can help. Stalls with just people standing ready to talk can be intimidating for many people, but you’ll be more successful if you let some big, bold copy speak your points from afar. It will allow those who may be shyer to approach, and those who love a chin wag will be ready to ask questions and want to contribute.
The same thing is essential when distributing marketing materials, whether in person, on a poster or a leaflet through a door. Your copy should get your message across as quickly as possible. Being upfront with your goals will encourage people to read through your literature, rather than simply tossing it straight in the recycling ( well, at least it’s better than landfill)
Creating effective copywriting for charities
Now you know why and where to produce your copy, you’ve now got the hard work of creating it. Copywriting for charities should be geared towards the principles and ethos of the organisation. How can stakeholders trust you to get the job done if you cannot be truthful in your copy? Here are some tips on creating compelling copy, but you can also read more in the article, six copywriting tips for Charities.
Define Your Message & Purpose
Compelling copy is all about creating a straightforward story for your audience. To make your writing work for your charity, you must clearly define your message. First, consider the audience of the copy. Who is this writing intended for, and where will it be displayed? It would be best to have different messaging and wording depending on the channel and the stakeholders involved. A research document distributed to professionals in your sector will have a purpose other than the social media post inviting people to an event you are hosting. Each copy should have a clearly defined purpose and message to make an impact.
Create Consistency
While the wording and format may differ on a blog post compared to a billboard, your overall brand style should remain consistent. If your charity does not have brand guidelines that include copy usage, consider hiring a brand designer. Understanding and defining your style and tone of voice can ensure that your copy always represents the charity. It will make campaigns consistent for your audience and make writing copy effortless.
Promote Inclusivity & Accessibility
Ensuring your copy is accessible and inclusive for all will help your charity expand its scope. Britain is diverse, and we should celebrate and utilise it in our marketing efforts. Charities are set up for the common good of our communities, so our copy should reflect those we seek to help and everyone involved in helping. Creating accessible content is a skill like all writing, but it’s easy when you understand the limitations some of your audience may face. Copy that is simple to understand and straightforward to read visually will impact a wider audience. Read the guide, Writing with inclusivity in mind, for more tips. The Ethical Move also has some fantastic accessibility and diversity resources too.
Revisit The Guidelines
Copywriting for charity should be more dynamic than a business. Audiences, language and goals change, so revisiting your copy style frequently can ensure you are still on brand and message. Revisit your guidelines on copywriting as often as possible, adapting them for new mediums and updating vocabulary that works for the now.
Consider SEO
When copywriting for a digital format, especially on your website, you should consider SEO. Not only can it help boost traffic to your charity website, but it can help attract the right audience to your charity. SEO is about getting the right people to your website; if you hone your web copy with SEO, you will attract the right users interested in your offering. Non-profits and Charities can use SEO to further their charitable aims. With a good ROI on SEO, it can be a cost-effective way to grow your audience.
Hire A Copywriter for Your Charity
If you need copywriting for charities or non-profits you work with, I can help. I am an experienced copywriting and comms coordinator who can help your charity grow. Read this Case Study about content and comms work I have done for a non-profit organisation to get a glimpse of what I can do. I also offer charitable discounts for those that align with my values. Get in touch today.