Nonprofit Communications

By Guest Blogger Claire Voyant

If you’re a later baby boomer, maybe you remember “The Archies” singing their animated hearts out during the Saturday morning cartoons.

“Sugar, Sugar . . . ah, honey, honey. You are my candy girl . . . ”

Now that you’re a grown-up, working in the wonderful world of nonprofits, you may be singing that song quite a bit. Only it’s this version:

“Sugar, Sugar . . . ah, MONEY MONEY.”

That’s ironic, isn’t it? The very term, “non-profit” conjures up an image of NO MONEY, little money, or at least, not thinking about turning a profit. What’s that old saying, “Money is the root of all evil?”

But the joke is, “The LACK of money is the root of all evil” – and we know, the lack of money is no laughing matter when you’re trying to run a nonprofit. Money really matters. Every penny, every nickel, every thin dime must be spent wisely.

In Kivi’s survey of upcoming webinars (do it now if you haven’t already), one topic focuses on getting the most out of your communications consultant. When I saw this, I wanted to grab my tambourine and sing, “ . . . you are my candy girl!”

Spread the word, Kivi, and help save those dimes. I know that one message will be, “quantity does not equal quality” and another will be “learn how to identify billable busywork.”

Spreading your message is extremely important, and it doesn’t have to break the bank if you know what you need – and what you don’t. You may only need a sprinkle of sugar and a dab of honey to sweeten your communications. The more you know about the sugar and the honey – the more you’ll get out off your candy girl (or guy.)

Jeff Brooks at Donor Power Blog is looking for posts on what’s good or bad about fundraising for next week’s Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants. Here’s what’s bad about fundraising from my perspective as a nonprofit marketing and communications consultant.

These are the three reasons that I nearly always turn down requests to write grant applications and direct appeal letters (although I gladly do supporting materials like case statements and donor newsletters).

1) Nonprofits blame you, the grant writer, if they don’t get the funding, even if their project is really weak or they are applying to the wrong funding source. Even a beautifully written grant application can’t turn a lousy project into a winner, nor can it convince a project officer to fund you if the project is outside her area of interest.

2) It’s boring. I find writing grant applications, especially those for government agency grants, really boring. You usually have to follow a specific format and play to certain buzzwords and criteria, which can force you to talk about the project in unnatural ways, while also draining the really interesting points and creative storytelling out of the package.

3) I don’t want to keep up with the latest and greatest in direct mail marketing. With all the various metrics out there for direct mail these days, and the mix of art and science that direct mail marketing has become, it’s now a really specialized segment of the field, and it’s not one I’m interested in keeping up with. Maybe this is just a perception perpetuated by fundraising consultants who don’t want to share clients with those of us who focus more on general communications and marketing, but it’s working on me.

I’m sure there are people who love, love, love writing direct appeal copy and grant applications, but I’m not one of them. If you are, tell me what I’m missing by leaving a comment.

If you are interested in hiring a consultant to help with your communications or marketing and want to compare a few firms or freelancers, you should put your needs in writing in an RFP (request for proposals).

Nancy Schwartz at Getting Attention has drafted some great guidelines for marketing RFPs.

Here are a few more tips I’d emphasize, in addition to Nancy’s.

Include the dollar range. As Nancy points out, nonprofits can rarely pay for all that they really want, so don’t worry too much about consultants jacking up the price to match your budget. By including a range or a maximum, you let experienced consultants like Nancy and me tell you what we can give you for that money. You can then compare how much you are getting for your dollar when you look at all the responses to your RFP.

It also demonstrates that you respect the consultants’ time. A proposal for a $5,000 or $10,000 budget will be vastly different from one for a $50,000 or $100,000 project. It takes hours to put even a basic proposal together, so make it worth the time by helping us focus on what you really need and are capable of paying for.

Know what’s important to you and don’t ask for more. If you know how you’ll evaluate the proposals, you can ask for information that addresses those criteria. Don’t ask for a bunch of information that you won’t really use in your decision. For example, is my complete work history since high school really relevant? It’s doubtful that you need to know where I waitressed in college. When I see RFPs that request irrelevant details like that, I ignore them. You might even provide an outline that you want the consultants to follow in their proposals. Putting this outline together will help you decide what you really need and what you don’t.

Consider asking for a pre-proposal. If you are still in the fishing stage (you know you need help, but you aren’t really sure exactly who could help or how), ask for a two-page pre-proposal that outlines a general approach to your project, or some options, along with some basic information on qualifications. Most consultants can quickly whip up two pages and it will give you enough information to narrow down the candidates to a few from which you can request full proposals.

Tell consultants what additional contact they can expect. Will you let us know that you received our proposals? Will you let us know when you’ve made a decision, even if we are not selected? Common courtesies like these go a long way in helping consultants determine whether they want to work with you or not.

If you are looking for a freelance writer or editor to help with your nonprofit communications and marketing work, I will post your listing on my other blog, Writing for Nonprofits, which is read by freelancers interested in working with nonprofit clients. I want to post only links and very short descriptions, so you’ll need to have the project description and your contact information online somewhere else, like your website, blog, or other listing service (e.g. Craig’s List).
Send your link to me at kivi AT writingfornonprofits.com and I will post it within a day or two.

Here are some tips on what to include in an ad for a freelancer writer/editor:

• Describe the project in as much detail as possible. What kind of publication is it? Print or online? Newsletter, brochure, press kit, fundraising direct appeal letter, etc.?
• Do you need original writing, editing of something a staff member has written, or both?
• How long is the project — word count or number of pages?
• What is your timeline? When does the project need to start and when must it be completed?
• Does the freelancer need any special skills or knowledge of your subject area to do this job well?
• How much will you pay? (I will only list jobs the pay something - no requests for volunteers, please). If you don’t want to list a pay rate or range, specify whether you’d prefer to pay a set project fee, by the word, or an hourly rate.
• Where can the freelancer learn more about your organization (e.g. your website)?
• How do you want to be contacted?

Good consultants work hard to please their clients. Good clients work hard to keep their good consultants. In other words, your relationships with your consultants should be partnerships that both parties value.

In the last two weeks, I received these three notes from three separate clients after submitting work to them:

From a new nonprofit client: “So nice to read something I don’t have to work on further . . . and so well captures the content and spirit of what we want to say. Well done.”

From a long-time nonprofit client: “You are the best! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!”

From a small business client: “This is great. I don’t know what we’d do without you!”

I share these notes not to brag about how much my clients like my work, but to demonstrate that it takes VERY LITTLE to keep your consultants happy. A few sweet little lines and I’m ready to work nights and weekends for these people and I probably won’t raise my rates on them for who knows how long!

Communicate with me so I can do the best job possible for you, pay me on time, and send me a little love note every now and then. That’s all it takes to keep me motivated to do my best for you.

Which of the consultants working for you has done a great job and made your life easier? When was the last time you let them know how much you appreciate them? Send a quick note of thanks right now and you might be surprised at the return on the investment.

I’m interested in hiring a handful of freelance writers/editors who are familiar with InDesign, Dreamweaver, Wordpress and/or Joomla to help me get a number of exciting projects off the back burner. You’ll find the details here. Help me find some good help and I’ll be able to double the amount of resources I can get out to nonprofit communicators.

This question came in to me recently on AskKivi.com:

“Do you have any referrals to non-profit/charity writers who can write brochures? I don’t want a full service firm, I want a consultant who has written copy for charities: direct mail, annual reports, brochures, promotional/fundraising pieces, etc.”

As a full-time freelance writer, I’ve found that most of my nonprofit clients find me either through word-of-mouth from people who know me (including other clients) or via online searches that lead to this blog or my other sites.

If your nonprofit is looking for a freelance writer, my advice is to take these three steps:

1) Ask around. Talk to other nonprofits in your geographic area or field of expertise about who they use. Personal recommendations are always extremely helpful when you are dealing with subjective work like writing, design, etc.

2) Search online. Type in some keywords related to the type of work you need done (e.g., brochures, annual reports), your subject area (e.g., mental health, environment, nonprofit) and the service needed (e.g., freelance writer, graphic designer), and see what comes up.

3) Consult directories. If your state has a nonprofit association (most do), ask them if they have any recommendations or service provider directories. Writing organizations also publish directories of their members.

Where do you find freelance writers when you need them? Please leave a comment on this post with your reply.

P.S. I’ve cut back on the number of hours I’m working with some existing clients to make room for some new faces on my client list. If you need help with your nonprofit communications work, please let me know. I’ll be happy to discuss your projects and provide free estimates. You can reach me at kivi *AT* writing911.com or 336-499-5816 (ET).

I have great relationships with several printers whom I rely on to make my clients’ written materials look great. Here’s how you can develop a great relationship with a printer too.

1) Expect outstanding customer service. You deserve to be treated well. The printing industry is very competitive, so if your printer’s customer service people are rude or condescending, move on to someone else. Most jobs can be handled successfully online, which means you can use out-of-town printers, or even overseas printers, if you are so inclined. I FTP files to printers out-of-state all the time, and we overnight proofs back and forth to each other. It works out just fine. If you need to do a press check for some reason, then you obviously need to pick someone closer to home.

2) Be a good client. Once you find a good printer, keep up your end of the relationship by being a good client. Don’t expect miracles when you turn in sloppy digital files (or no digital files) or expect your job to go on the press immediately. If you don’t know how to preflight your files for printing, ask an experienced graphic designer to help you, or ask the printer for some guidance. They may charge you for the lesson, but it’s time and money well spent.

Build enough time in your schedule for printers to do their jobs well. I usually budget two weeks, which is usually enough time for the printer to get my files, produce a proof, make any last-minute changes I need (and pay for), print the piece, let the ink dry, fold or bind it, and get the copies to me or to the mailhouse.

3) Deal with Problems Directly and Honestly. If you aren’t getting the kind of service you expect, politely explain the problem and ask what can be done. A good printer will welcome feedback, as long as it is presented in a friendly manner. Printers live for repeat business, so most will do whatever they can, within reason, to address your concerns. At the same time, you have to be willing to accept your role in creating the problem. Ask what you can do differently next time on your end to avoid the problem.

When you and your printer work as a team, you save money, time, and frustration, and your print materials look much better for it.