How do you get the attention of your target audience with all the other background noise competing for their attention? Create a message that is relevant to them. This seems pretty obvious but quite often leaders in nonprofits will write what they feel is most compelling about their organization’s work. The problem is this does not always extrapolate to the interest of the target audience. Here are two basic thought templates to help guide your message creation and communications strategy.

(1) Customize the format for the type of audience (i.e. institution vs. business vs. individual)

Do you need a business plan? A letter of inquiry? A fact sheet? A brochure? A case for support? It depends on the audience. A foundation requires the most formal communication — either a LOI or a grant proposal. These documents can be quite time consuming because the intent of each word must be thoughtfully considered and you need to backup whatever you write with facts, research, citations or testimonials. Getting the attention of a local company requires a less formal approach — a letter or brochure is fine. Often the best tactic for this audience is to connect directly with the decision maker through a shared acquaintance or cold call. If you are seeking to connect with individuals — to donate or volunteer — get the word out via email, a crowd sourcing campaign or sending out a link to your website (*). For big donors a case for support is an appropriate medium.

(2) Customize the content for the interest area of the audience

To think about this through the right lens, always consider the mission of your audience. The mission of a community foundation is to generate positive ROI for their targeted community. Meaning: if you are writing to the Boston Foundation, they are most likely not concerned about national impact of work, they are concerned about how your programming will improve the lives of Bostonians. The more public benefit to residents of Boston with fewer the dollars = a greater Return On Investment. The foundations generally want to see quantifiable, measurable results. They want you to show them “evidence-based” programs — programs that are based on research and past experience. Foundations also have very narrow areas of interest. So study-up before sending in your letter! Just because they list “education” on their website, don’t assume they will fund an afterschool program. For example, some will only fund systemic reforms that are integrated into schools. On the other hand, some will never fund a program within the system! Unsure? Call a program officer in advance to ask; otherwise you will be wasting your time.

What if you are approaching a small business in your community? They are also interested in helping their community but they are probably equally concerned about exposure and improving and/ or protecting the reputation of their name. To convince them, they need not see a bunch of charts and figures. And you will not have to go through a rigorous a process to get in front of the decision maker. The bottom line for a company sponsorship is how will this help me gain more business in and credibility with the community.  The message for this audience will hinge on proving that your organization is credible. Who you know could be as important as what you have done and certainly more important than what you are planning. A letter of support or testimonial from a respected public official may help, as would a citations of local media outlets that have spotlighted your group.

And the individual? Not as concerned about data or personal profit.  These are people that altruistically and genuinely want to make their communities better. Focus on how you have helped real people! How have you improved the life a child or a family? What have you done to contribute to a better education system? What are you planning that will make like in their neighborhood even better. For this audience, a bit of fluff is ok and don’t worry about being hyperbolic.

Having the right message, in the right format, for each target audience is critical for your messaging campaign to succeed. It will take more time than using the same letter for everything, but the results will be far superior. Need help? That’s what I am here for. Send me an email or call for a quick consult to see how I can help your organization achieve its communication, marketing and fundraising goals.

(*) What about your website? Striking a content-balance can be tricky but is super important. Don’t put entire strategic plan or business plan on the site! That is just too much information to process and you will lose readers very quickly. Make the website fun, visually stimulating and have enough about your mission and program to communicate that you know what you are doing.