The key to moving ahead in any profession is your ability to create clear, concise and effective communication.
And nowhere is this is more crucial than for those in the non-profit world. So, no matter where you sit—in the middle or in top management—this is important.
For example: As a Director of Development, you need to at least be able to craft a heartfelt thank you note to your donors, or to pen a clear document to procure a grant.
While, as a Chief Executive Officer, effective communication is a must when dealing with government bureaucrats or hob-knobbing with top honchos of large Corporations.
Step one: Learn to write.
Pick up your pen or keypad and learn to write. Your words don't have to be immortal, just sincere.
Yes, it’s hard work. Even David Ogilvy of David Ogilvy Advertising wrote one hundred headlines for this legendary ad until he was satisfied:
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When I worked for Ogilvy Mather Advertising in Toronto, this headline that I wrote for Sears weather-beater outdoor paint: Make that one coat a raincoat, did so well, that we had to pull the ad after two months because the entire inventory was sold out from coast-to-coast.
Yes, the pen is mightier than the sword.
Writing lets you express your outrage as a voice for justice or stir people to action. That something that lets a rock star to sing his heart out in front of 100,000 people should move you to take a pen in hand and write a few lines—to express what’s in you heart.
I have been teaching at Seneca for 20 years and the most important thing I teach my students is effective writing. Here are two books that will help you do that:
Step two: The pinnacle of success comes when you write your first book.
We all have a book inside us: a book that tells our story, or a book that documents the challenges we faced and how we overcame them.
If you are still afraid of writing, don’t be because today, there are plenty of aids to help you: from automatic spell check to checking the readability of your writing on the Hemmingway website. Here is the link: http://www.hemingwayapp.com/
Can’t find the right word? Go to: https://www.wordhippo.com/
Looking for related words? Check out: https://relatedwords.org/
Hilborn Charity eNews is not only the newsletter that promotes books, but they also publish them.
I know because I discovered this when Civil Sector Press produced my book, The Handbook of Direct Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations.
Upon publication Ken Wyman, head of the department who ran a Fundraising Course at Humber College, picked up the book as the textbook on Direct Marketing.
So, here is a lead to the top. Call Jim Hilborn at 416-554-9403 or email him at james@hilborn.com. He is soft-spoken and a true pioneer promoting and helping the charitable sector for years.
Finally, just when you thought books are dead in this digital age, here are some surprising statistics:
Writer & Art Director Billy Sharma, has crafted direct marketing and publicity material for over 50 local and international nonprofits, banks, pharmaceuticals, and large corporations, raising over $15 Million for them. Winner of over 80 national and international awards he is also a professor, author, key-note speaker, and ran Brann Worldwide, one of the largest Direct Marketing agencies in Canada.
