Attention not-for-profit organisations! Five ways charity copywriting is guaranteed to increase your income.  

With over 60,000 charities registered in Australia today, the competition to win the donated dollar is fierce.

According to Philanthropy Australia, Australians spent over $1.3 billion on charitable donations in 2014. This highlights that the income is still clearly there for the taking however people these days are becoming a lot more selective on who they’re giving their money to.  For a myriad of reasons, donors are no longer saying yes to every good cause just because someone asks them for their support, and it’s crucial that now more than ever, charities are getting smart with their fundraising to maximise all opportunities to increase their income.

With fundraising strategies becoming more sophisticated throughout the sector, the competition is hotting up, and it’s vital that as a not-for-profit owner, you’re using every available tool at your disposal to assist you with your fundraising to make sure you are achieving optimum success.

One of these essential tools which is often mistakenly viewed as a luxury, is a copywriter. If you’re the decision-maker in a grassroots charity, it’s likely that due to low budgets you’re also the administrator, the accounts department, the fundraising team-of-one, and probably the events coordinator too! And that probably means that all charity copywriting tasks also fall on your shoulders.

This severe level of multi-tasking which is commonly taking place within grassroots charities across the country means that fundraising copy is being churned out without being given the love and attention it deserves. The result is unstructured and ineffective appeal material which is missing simple opportunities for small charities to turn prospects into donors and increase their revenue.

Understandably, there are many entrepreneurial copywriters out there who specialise in the corporate industries who might not give you the best bang for your precious buck, but without a doubt, hiring a copywriter with significant professional fundraising experience, will.

If you’re not convinced you can afford to splash out on an experienced fundraiser, here are five ways that hiring a copywriter with professional fundraising experience will increase your revenue, save yourself valuable time, and allow you to increase the social impact your organisation is having within the community.

1) A fundraiser knows how to appeal to your donor’s emotions

Not only does a fundraiser know how to put the nuts and bolts of your cause into words; they also know how to make it into a story that will appeal to the emotions of your existing and potential donors.  They are experienced in writing emotively and sharing testimonies in such a way that they capture the attention of your reader so that by the time your reader puts your appeal piece down (yes, well-written material will always be read to the end!), they’re already writing out a cheque with your name on it.

2) They know how and when to make the ask

The number one reason that people donate to a charity is that someone asked them to. Sadly, this simple yet elemental fact is one that is often overlooked by grassroots charities. Either people feel uncomfortable asking for money, or they make their request at the wrong time of the relationship-building which throws both the donor and themselves, off track. There is a right time and a right place to ask someone to donate to your cause, and an experienced fundraiser knows exactly when both of those are and will pinpoint the timing and execution perfectly in their writing.

3) They will save you time

Creating compelling fundraising material which is an appropriate length, style and is relevant to your cause takes time; a whole lot of time. And what’s the one thing all busy not-for-profit workers lack? TIME!

Often in a non-profit office; social media posts, newsletters and appeal material are all written in short bursts before the phone rings again, and while multi-tasking to the max.  A professional copywriter has the time needed to create your copy to make sure it is of exceptional quality and stands out from the barrage of appeal letters that have dropped through your potential donors letterbox on that same day.

With a copywriter using their time to write your appeal material, you can use your freed up time to network and concentrate on the day-to-day operations of your charity which will all help your organisation to produce more income and most importantly, grow.

4) They have experience of tried and tested communication strategies

Successful donor engagement is so much more than just asking for money. Ongoing communication is vital to make sure your donors remain loyal and this relationship often starts before they’ve even given a cent. Appeal material, regular newsletters, social media posts, and event invitations all need to be combined to produce a wider engagement strategy to create an overall donor experience. A successful strategy not only increases your short-term income but will also move donors further up the fundraising pyramid to ensure they reach their maximum giving potential. Not only will this put money in your bank today, it will also give you financial sustainability into the future.

5) They are familiar with grant applications and government forms

Aside from appeal material and donor communications, a large part of a charities potential income sits in grants available from trusts, local councils and the government.  While the grants process has the potential to be incredibly rewarding and can catapult your charity to another level when executed correctly, it is often overlooked because applications are so time-consuming. This is a grave error as significant opportunities for income and growth for your organisation are being missed.

Grant application forms often require very precise, technical, information, but you’re only given a limited amount of space to get your worthy point across. A copywriter with fundraising experience knows exactly how to complete these complex forms to give your organisation the best possible chance of success.

Words and the Bees has a solid background in professional fundraising and is extremely passionate about using their words to help small not-for-profits and grassroots charities make a difference in their communities. With budgets always at the forefront of our mind, all work completed will attract a reduced, charity rate and will be completed to a standard that is guaranteed to increase your income.

Donors have so much choice on who to give their money to these days, and by using the correct words, you can make sure that their choice is YOU!

Contact us today for an informal chat about how Words and the Bees can help your not-for-profit or charity organisation increase its donation income so that you can take your service to the next level and make even MORE of an impact in your community. To find out more about our charity copywriting services, CLICK HERE.

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Jo Robinson

Jo Robinson

Jo Robinson is the owner and senior writer of Words and the Bees Copywriting Services. Words are Jo’s passion and she spends her days creating copy and written content for small business and non-profits to help increase their online presence and improve their social impact.