Jargon is bad for communication.
I know that's easy to say. And a lot of people say it.
But you still find it constantly in fundraising. Those insider professional terms being thrown at donors, like: Food insecure, at-risk youth, capacity building, holistic, civil society ...
It's very simple: these are specialist terms, and only specialists know them. Few of your donors understand such terms, and even fewer are moved by them.
Stay away from those terms.
But there's another kind of jargon that's even more insidious, as pointed out at Clairification: How Jargon Destroys Nonprofit Fundraising & Marketing.
It's those odd phrases we sometimes use to avoid being specific when we're asking for money -- but we're either uncomfortable with asking ... or we have brand guidelines that insist on a blanket of idealistic abstraction around our communications. Phrases like:
- Change your world today
- Restore hope
- Empower a child
These phrases are no better than the technical jargon that can trap us.
To communicate clearly and raise more funds, keep these two anti-jargon rules in mind:
- If it's professional terminology, don't use it.
- If it's abstract, don't use it.
Use plain, concrete, non-specialist language all the time!
from Future Fundraising Now https://ift.tt/2mi4SFR
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