In February we brought you Nick Thomas’s 8 best words for fundraising. This week, Elizabeth Loudon stops in with 6 more of the best words that supporters love to hear.

Big words don’t impress donors; the simpler the better. There are some very simple words and ideas that can have a very big impact on your supporters. Here are just six of the best:

1) ‘OUR’

We all know how important the word ‘you’ is in fundraising communications. So why do charity writers go to such lengths to avoid ‘our’? Instead, they use the name of the charity, often followed by a passive. For example: “Blue Sky outreach projects for elderly people are delivered by volunteers.” If you changed that to “Our amazing volunteers reach hundreds of elderly people every day”, you’d put real people back into your writing. Already it sounds warmer.

2) ‘BLUE’

….Or red, or green, or violet. Colour helps people to paint a scene in their head, which in turn makes giving feel more real.  

For example: “The ivy glows scarlet; the grass is emerald; and for some lucky students at the school, the sky is blue, even when it’s raining. That’s because - thanks to you - there’s scholarship support to help them through.” 

3) ‘MONEY’

Money is such a dirty word in fundraising, isn’t it? We talk about ‘funds’ or ‘revenue’ or ‘resources’ or ‘income’, but we almost never say ‘money’.  

The good news is that the word has regained some of its power, simply by being left alone for a while. It can pack a punch. Tell your donors: “We can’t do this without more money,” or: “We need to ask you for money today so that we can help the people who need us tomorrow.”

4) ’NOW’

It’s easy to design a beautiful campaign with pictures and examples, but still forget to say that the people you help have urgent needs. Tomorrow is too late. Now means now. 

Remember, your supporters are choosing among many different causes. If it’s a choice between helping homeless families who need shelter this weekend, before the bad weather hits, and a homeless agency that talks more generally about helping families next year… guess who will raise the most?

5) ‘WHY’

A bright two-year-old can drive you crazy with this one little word. So can your supporters. But like the toddler, they really do want answers. Why do you need so much money? Why are you asking them? Why are you the best people to fix this problem? Why did the problem arise in the first place?  

Your job is to educate: so in the first instance, ask yourself as many ‘why’ questions as possible in order to see your charity through your supporters’ eyes.  

Better yet, begin a paragraph with the simple word ‘Why…?’ and you’ll almost certainly go on to say ‘Because…’. Your supporters will love learning from you if you too are intellectually engaged.

6) THEIR NAME

So easy to get this one wrong. Is it Geoffrey or Jeffrey? Teresa or Theresa? Dr or Mrs? If in doubt, ask. It’s worth your time: donors who are asked how they like to be treated, and then treated accordingly, are far more likely to give - and give again.

Elizabeth Loudon is director of Prospero Partners.