Recently, I was going through changes a client had asked for on my fundraising copy.

It was one of those cases where every change made the copy worse.

A longer word for a short word. Jargon in place of plain English. Combining two already long sentences into one.

By the time I finished my review, the copy no longer had any warmth, emotion, or personal tone.

If you’ve been a fundraiser for a while, you’ll know this is the opposite of good fundraising copy. You know you need to write as if you’re speaking directly to the donor. You know you should consider donor demographics and also their motivation for giving to you.

If you’re aware of Philanthropic Psychology, you’ll also try to speak to their identity as a donor. And you’ll do all you can to bring them close to those they care for through your charity.

The fundraisers working for my recent client knew this. But they were hampered by their organisation’s strict brand guidelines.

And that’s where the problem starts.

When copy is written or edited to make sure it will pass the approvals process, rather than according to proven fundraising techniques, it becomes weak, generic, and dry.

For example:

• The charity says they want their copy to sound ‘professional’ – instead of conversational and warm
• The charity wants their copy to always ‘be hopeful’ – instead of showing the need
• The charity has restrictive guidelines around how they talk about beneficiaries – instead of showing how urgently people need help (see my blog post on saviourist alternatives while still showing need).

The thing is, when you try to follow guidelines like these, you end up with copy like this:

Your donation today will enable us to connect individuals experiencing homelessness and other social disadvantages with the vital community services they need.

            OR

Thanks to the support of our overseas partner, Mary successfully participated in the Rise Up Program, which equips women with the essential skills required to achieve a sustainable livelihood.

Yikes.

Does that make you feel inspired to care for people? Do you feel your gift made a difference?

Brand guidelines also affect the way a charity does their design. While you want your appeal to have the feel of a simple, personal letter, many charities instead opt to follow guidelines like:

• Splitting the Johnson box between the banner and the headline (people won’t naturally read it this way)
• Using corporate design – banners instead of photos, sans serif fonts instead of serif or ‘home computer’ style fonts
• Putting logos, taglines, and address details in footers.

The problem is, when you restrict how your campaigns are written and designed, everything is so overworked it loses any life or warmth it once had!

Now, I should make it clear I’m very happy to make changes when a client suggests something which makes the copy stronger.

And of course, I always want to fix any incorrect facts, or edit copy to protect someone’s privacy and keep them safe.

Yet when copy is edited for internal approvals rather than to inspire or thank donors, it’s very frustrating, because:

• You’ve hired me to bring in MORE income for your organisation
• The changes you’re making will likely bring in LESS income
• Which means the result is LESS funds for you to do your important work of caring for people, animals or our planet.
• PLUS, I feel it shows a lack of respect to your donors, who deserve to feel closely and emotionally connected to your cause.

So – what can you do about it?

If you’re a fundraiser in an organisation with strict guidelines like this, you have three options:

1. Try and change the guidelines

If you’re in a smaller organisation, or one that’s new-ish to fundraising, you may be able to educate others. Your marketing team or CEO may begin to see how relaxing your brand guidelines improves income and donor relationships.

2. Accept the guidelines

Perhaps many fundraisers before you have tried and failed to make any changes. If you’re passionate about your cause, you may be OK with compromising. After all, you do important work that needs to be done.

3. Move on to another organisation

If you can’t get anyone to listen or budge on the guidelines, and you’re getting frustrated, you might be best to move on. Another organisation who is willing to listen to your expertise on this will be lucky to have you.

If you’re part of the team tasked with enforcing brand guidelines, and you’re open to a different way of doing things, I’d love you to hear from you.

Rather than fundraising and brand guidelines working against each other, I’m keen to find ways they can work better together – so you can make more of the good stuff happen!

Interested? Please get in touch to book an obligation-free meet and greet with me at a time of your choosing.