Content Writing for Nonprofits: Emotional Connections are Key

Passion Communicates.

When marketing for nonprofits, the emotional connection is key – and a terrific way to forge this connection is with purposeful and engaging written content. It’s occasionally overlooked, but in capable hands, high quality copy can be an invaluable asset to your organization’s outreach efforts.

Writing great copy isn’t easy, but if you’re knowledgeable and passionate about your organization’s mission, you’re halfway there. Remember the importance of creating that emotional connection, and don’t lose focus on your audience. Maintain a conversational tone, and tell a story about your organization – its goals, the challenges it faces, and most importantly, the tangible benefits made possible by your supporters’ contributions and continued engagement.

Let’s talk about a few ways you might use content writing to tell your story:

Website Copy…
…has the task of being informative and engaging, while also conforming to best practices for web writing. Focus on brevity, and break information into easily digestible chunks. Some pages on your site can feature longer pieces of writing, but your landing page and “About Us” section should be stingy with respect to word count.

Email Marketing…
…can vary in tone depending on its purpose – fundraising emails are aimed at persuasion, for instance, while a monthly newsletter would be more focused on providing information – but, again, you should keep things brief. People won’t read emails that are too long. Put important information towards the beginning to increase the odds that it will be read.

Blogging…
…can be an outstanding way to share your story, and encourage loyalty to your organization and its mission. You can vary the length of posts – don’t be afraid to mix in some more long-form content for your loyal readers. But, as with email (and most other web writing, really), it’s a good idea to front-load takeaway information.

Social Media Posts…
…encumbered by strict character limitations, put an extreme focus on brevity. Since your writing on social media is typically meant to accompany videos, links, or other types of content, consider your task here similar to headline writing. It requires a different skill set than many other types of writing, and it’s often tougher than it looks!

If you need a hand with your content writing, Rosie’s Creative is here to help. We can provide you with succinct and engaging copy suitable for a variety of applications, and tailored to your unique marketing needs.