Is jargon getting in the way of your ask?
Fundraising effectively requires communicating clearly.
And we can learn from all sorts of different sectors to communicate clearly.
Today I was listening to a podcast on local civic engagement. And a note on communicating clearly struck me as helpful for fundraising too. The host, Katy Smith summed up the conversation with this:
Is Jargon Confusing Your Donor?
The biggest thing is that you are engaging in a form of strategic communication. You are calling to action people who either have not given thought to your issue or who may not agree with you whose minds you are trying to change. And so I often see people talking about a thing in language that makes sense to them rather than language that’s going to resonate and make sense to the people whose minds they are trying to change.
And so I think it is wise, if you can, to avoid using jargon that may not resonate with people.
From Simple Civics: Greenville County: How to Speak at a Public Meeting
While jargon sometimes has its place, look at the words and acronyms you use as you talk about your nonprofit.
Do your donors know what it means? Your communication may be clear to you, but is it clear to them?
If not, they’ll may be confused. And confused donors do not give.
Give your fundraising a jargon audit. Like weeding a garden, you may find weeding out jargon may allow your ask to grow.
The post Is jargon getting in the way of your ask? appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.
