Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

A few months ago, I got a bit huffy when I saw that my husband and I were listed in a local nonprofit’s annual report as “Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Miller” for a donation we’d made. I’ve been living in a small town in the South for five years, so I guess I should be used to being relegated to “wife of” status by now, but my Berkeley feminist roots were pinched. I chalked it up to the cultural and generational divide between Boomer and older age groups (who make up the board of directors of the group and probably most of its donors) and my cohorts in Generation X who were raised to expect equality in all aspects of life.

I didn’t think about it again until the ever loyal husband told me he had informed the development director of the group about my little dining room outburst and disappointment in the group for not taking what I considered to be a more modern approach to their donor list. The next solicitation letter we received from the group a few weeks later was addressed to Mrs. Kivi Miller and Mr. Edgar Miller.

This issue came up again recently when I was working on a client’s annual report. Because of the way their database was set up, the donor lists included entries like “Mr. and Mrs. John Smith” and “Sally Jones and James Smith.” About half of the entries used Mr. and Mrs. and the others didn’t. In other words, if the two people who donated together were not married or the woman had kept her maiden name, she was included by name in the donor list. If she had taken her husband’s name, she was not. The staff noticed this aberration and spent a few days rejiggering their database reports to create a new list that included the first names of both partners, regardless of marital status. In this particular case, all Mr. and Mrs. courtesy titles were removed from the list. This particular group is very progressive, as are their donors, and it was definitely the right decision for that group.

So what should you do in your annual report?

I recommend that you list donors however they request to be listed. If someone fills out a donation slip with Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Miller, then print it that way. If they complete the form like we always do (Kivi and Edgar Miller) then list them that way. I quickly reviewed about ten annual reports from major nonprofits this week and found the majority used a mixed list. I don’t know how they are deciding when to use the courtesy titles and when to use the first names of both partners, but I hope it’s based on the donors’ stated preference.

What do you think? Is using the courtesy titles with the husband’s first name only as the default style for a donor list still OK in 2007? Should both first names always be used sans titles? Or is a mixed list based on donor preference OK, even if it makes your list look a bit messy and inconsistent? You know how I feel. Tell me what you think.

I have to admit, I am thoroughly sick of all the nonprofit branding talk, so when I saw “Branding Is for Cattle: What Really Matters to CEOs” in the MarketingProfs e-newsletter, I clicked on it immediately. The point of the article is that marketers who get all wound up in branding often forget why they are marketing in the first place: to reach the customers and to respond to their needs.

I am all for a unified look in nonprofit marketing materials and for updating that look every now and then. I constantly advocate consistency, so you won’t get an argument from me on that one either. What bothers me about all the nonprofit branding chatter I’ve been hearing is the near breathless anticipation that a cool color scheme, groovy graphics, and some Flash on a website will suddenly make people “get it” about an organization or issue. Anyone who makes you believe that branding will solve all of your communications problems is selling you nothing but Snake Oil 2.0.

Branding is good, but it’s only one part of the overall communications and marketing picture. You still have to know who your audience is. You still have to know what they care about and why. You still have to figure out how to reach them. Don’t give your branding (or rebranding) project more importance than it deserves.

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).

You realize that it is time to publish your newsletter or that your website hasn’t been updated in months, and the dread sweeps over you. “What are we going to write about this time?” you wonder.

You can take much of the anxiety out of the publishing process by creating an editorial calendar for each of your publications. You can use them for newsletters, websites, blogs and anything else that you publish regularly. An editorial calendar can also help you stay focused on your audience and your goals for the publication. As an editorial project manager for several clients and for my own publications, I simply can’t live without this tool.

It’s easy to create an editorial calendar. Create a table in a Word or Excel document. Across the top of the first row, list your newsletter publication dates. For websites, if you wanted to shoot for monthly updates, list each month. For a more frequent publication schedule (e.g. for blogs), you could list each week.

In the first column, list the categories of articles you include in each edition of your newsletter. For a website, you could list the various sections. For your blog, you can list the main categories or tags that you use.

Then start filling in the grid with a few notes on the article topics.

Here is a sample editorial calendar for a local animal shelter newsletter. I’ve only listed two issues here, but I would normally try to work on four to five issues at a time.

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In Every Issue: Pets Available for Adoption, In-Kind Donations Wish List, List of Donors Since Last Issue

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You don’t need all the details worked out in advance. Notice for example how I list TBD - to be decided - in the Adoption Profile section. This would give me the flexibility to pick which family I wanted to highlight when I started to write the newsletter, while reminding me that I needed to alternate between a dog and cat adoption.

Some sections of your newsletter may be repeated with some quick and easy updates that don’t require much research or writing, so you can list those at the bottom of the chart as I have with the “In Every Issue” heading.

Charting your articles like this will also help you see where shifts are needed. For example, I can see that the Spring issue is currently “dog” heavy. I might decide to switch the order of the Adoption Profile or the Donor Profile to make it more balanced. This kind of juggling is much easier to do with an editorial calendar in front of you.

Two magazines from two nonprofits I belong to came in the mail last week. One fits the image the organization is trying to portray, and the other doesn’t.

The Sierra Club’s magazine is printed on recycled paper. This is actually a fairly big deal in the publishing world. Lots of magazines write about environmental issues and have terrible in-house practices themselves. (See Marc Gunther’s Fortune article on not-so-green magazines). The Sierra Club’s photography in Sierra is often breathtaking, but they use only a matte coated paper that gives the photos a little shine — no heavy gloss. The design and printing choices reinforce the message: conserve and save the planet.

On the other hand, the Public Relations Society of America’s magazine, The Public Relations Strategist, has a high-gloss cover. It is so slick and smooth that you can’t stack much on top of it because the pile will slide off. I suppose that this is meant to say, “We are high-class.” The problem is that several articles inside the magazine complain about how the public relations profession is derided as being — one guess, here — SLICK! If you don’t want people to call you slick, why is your magazine the slickest thing on my desk?

This same issue comes up with nonprofit newsletters and annual reports all the time. Nonprofits fear that if they make their print publications look too nice, donors will think they are wasting money. My advice is to find the middle ground. You can look sharp and professional without looking glitzy. And make sure the look and feel of your print materials matches your message.

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.

Nonprofit managers, ask yourselves these seven questions before you hire a freelance writer.

Before you start interviewing . . .

1. What do I want a freelance writer to do? The more specific you can be about what you need, the better you’ll be able to recruit a freelance writer who can meet your needs. Most writers think in terms of word count or page count when estimating a job, so you should think that way too. How much writing do you need? How much research or interviewing will the writer need to do? How many drafts do you typically want to see?

2. What is my ideal deadline, and what is the real deadline? Most people want projects they are hiring out to be completed yesterday. While it is fine to suggest an ideal deadline when soliciting proposals from freelancers, know in your own mind how much play you have in your schedule. If the perfect candidate comes along, but can’t meet your ideal deadline for whatever reason, do you have enough cushion in your schedule to hire that person anyway?

3. How much do I have to spend? Rates for freelance writers vary widely. In some respects, you do get what you pay for, but even among highly qualified and experienced writers, you will still find a great deal of variability in rates. Know how much you have to spend ahead of time, so when you begin to evaluate proposals, you can eliminate those that are far beyond your means. At the same time, you should also strongly consider eliminating proposals that seem exceedingly low — It’s a hallmark of an inexperienced freelancer to charge way below market rate.

As you are interviewing . . .

4. Is this freelance writer a good listener? As important as writing and editing skills are the abilities to listen to your needs and to incorporate them into the project. Writing projects include many variables, such as audience, message, and tone, all of which require that you and the freelancer work together to get it right. You should treat this relationship as a partnership, which requires that you both listen well.

5. Does this freelance writer seem flexible? Writing projects are subjective. While some elements, such as correct grammar and word count, are objective, whether the piece meets your needs in terms of style is highly subjective. A good freelance writer knows this and will work with you to get the style the way you want it, even if the first draft is way off.

Also, as the project progresses, you may very well change your mind about how you want an issue handled or what elements should be emphasized. Try to gauge whether the freelancer can “go with the flow” and adjust accordingly. Of course, you need to be willing to pay for extra drafts if you change the scope of work significantly.

6. Do I like this writer’s portfolio and client list? Does the writer have experience with your type of project? Does the writer’s list of clients relate to your organization in subject area, size, or some other meaningful measure? All professional freelance writers should be able to provide samples of their work (many will have online portfolios for you to peruse) and to give you a list of people they have worked for previously.

7. How do this writer’s other clients describe their relationships? Yes, you should check references. Pick up the phone and call. Speaking directly with another client is one of the best ways to judge how well a freelancer works with clients. Ask how many jobs the person has given to the freelancer. Repeat business is always a good sign.