Looking to fill your editorial calendar next month? We have ideas for newsletter articles, blog posts, social media updates, and more.
These ideas come from our Monthly Nonprofit Writing Prompts email newsletter*. If you would like these ideas sent to your inbox a month in advance, sign up for our Monthly Nonprofit Writing Prompts. I send this email newsletter the first week of every month with prompts for the following month. For example, I will email the prompts for May next week. Sign up now to get prompts emailed to you in advance monthly.
*Please double-check any events to see if they have changed due to the pandemic or other current events.
On the Calendar
4/1: April Fool’s Day. Today is a great opportunity to do something a little light-hearted or humorous, even if that’s not usually your style. Try to pull these little stunts in the morning, so you can follow up in the late afternoon with a “retraction” or “gotcha!”
4/2: International Children’s Book Day. Find a good kid’s book related to your cause and use that as a springboard to talk about your work. This works especially well if you have lots of parents with small children on your mailing list.
04/4: Easter. Cover the Christian approach (the resurrection of Jesus) or the secular one (Easter baskets with chocolate bunnies and marshmallow peeps, Easter Egg hunts, etc).
4/4: Tell a Lie Day. Use this day to dispel any myths or rumors about your cause.
4/7: World Health Day. This year is focusing on building a fairer, healthier world.
4/11: National Pet Day. Share your staff pets or ask your supporters to share theirs.
04/14: International Moment of Laughter Day. Create or share a funny meme or video.
04/15: World Art Day. Have supporters create art based on how your cause has helped them or how you make them feel. Or showcase your staff’s artistic talents.
4/15: Income Tax Day in the U.S. How do tax dollars support your cause? Make your supporters feel a little better about paying up by knowing how it helps you. Or maybe you can point out that you don’t use any tax dollars at all!
4/22: Earth Day. How can you connect what you do with protecting the environment, even if your core mission isn’t environmental? This year’s theme is climate action.
04/23: Take a Chance Day. Write about something you’ve been thinking about, but have been too afraid to share. Start a campaign with an audacious goal. or encourage your supporters to take a next step.
4/23: Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. Get some of your staff to bring their kids to work and share what the kids learned about your cause. Or have volunteers bring their kids.
4/27: Tell a Story Day. Time to share stories from your clients or be more creative and tell a fairy tale about how much better the world would be with your org (or a horror story about the world without it).
4/29: International Dance Day. Great for social media videos, you can join in the latest TikTok dance or show your staff getting down to take a break.
April Also Has:
- World Autism Awareness Day: 2nd
- Buddha’s Birth: 8th
- Passover starts the 9th
- Ramadan begins the 12th
- National Volunteer Week: 18th-24th
- Gathering of Nations: 22nd-24th
- Day of Silence: 23rd
- Arbor Day: 30th
- Celebrate Diversity Month
- Arab-American Heritage Month
- National Poetry Month
- Stress Awareness Month
- National Garden Month
- Sexual Assault Awareness Month
- Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month
Metaphor of the Month
The metaphor for this month is weather. Think about rain, wind, tornadoes, heatwaves, cold spells, snow, thunderstorms, light showers, sun, clouds, fog, climates, floods, forecasts, and radar.
How can you relate these things to your organization?
Pop Culture, Events, and News
You’ll see all kinds of news and events related to Spring fashion, gardening, and, of course, Spring Break!
With restrictions lifting in many places (like it or not), local festivals will start popping up on everyone’s calendar again. Google “(your state) festivals” and you’ll see what’s coming up nearby.
Despite it being called March Madness, the NCAA Basketball Championship Games actually take place in April with the women playing on the 4th and the men on the 5th.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards are on the 4th.
The Masters in Augusta, GA takes place April 5-11.
The GLAAD Media Awards are the 8th.
The Country Music Awards happen on April 18th.
Film Independent Spirit Awards are rescheduled for the 22nd.
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is the 24th.
The Academy Awards are rescheduled for the 25th.
The NFL Draft starts on April 29th.
Many TV shows premier or return in April including Law & Order: Organized Crime, Manifest, Top Chef, Wipeout, A Million Little Things, Fear the Walking Dead, The Nevers, Big Shot, American Dad, and The Handmaid’s Tale.
Source of the Month
Read! Whether it’s a novel you picked up for Spring Break or a favorite industry blogger, reading can spark your creativity and show you new ways to look at the world.
Remember to sign up for our Monthly Nonprofit Writing Prompts if you would like ideas like these sent to your inbox a month in advance.
