Audience First: Deepening Nonprofit Impact Through Clear Communication

Forbes

20 hours ago

Andrew Roberts, President, Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
In the nonprofit world, mission is everything—we exist to solve problems and serve others. None of us, no matter our wealth of knowledge or resources, can achieve our mission in isolation. Our success depends on our ability to communicate clearly and effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including donors, staff and volunteer leaders, decision-makers and policymakers and, most importantly, the populations we serve.
Over more than a decade in nonprofit leadership, I've seen firsthand how jargon, overly complex language and vague statements can muddle our messaging and ultimately diminish our impact. That's why I believe in the power of plain language.
Respecting The Reader
Plain language is not about oversimplifying your message. It's about smart communication—delivering your ideas clearly, directly and in a way that resonates with your target audience. Straightforward language signals transparency, respect for readers' time and an authentic desire to engage with them. By being direct about our intentions and our desired outcomes, we can build trust with our audiences.
Putting The Audience First
A common misconception is that plain language looks the same across all audiences—short words and choppy sentences—but that isn't the case at all. According to the International Plain Language Federation, 'a communication is in plain language if its wording, structure, and design are so clear that the intended audience can easily find what they need, understand what they find, and use that information.'
Consequently, a research report aimed at policymakers and funders, an appeal letter to donors and a flyer promoting available services to a local community can and should look very different from one another. Before we write a single word, we should always start by determining the target audience, our desired outcome and the information that will help propel our target audience toward that desired outcome—no more, no less.
Reaching Those We Serve
This is especially critical when working with vulnerable populations or addressing sensitive issues. If our beneficiaries can't understand the resources we offer, how can we serve them? Clear, culturally appropriate and jargon-free communication is an essential component of impact.
It's particularly important that nonprofits working in human services—areas like education, health or food and housing insecurity—consider literacy levels as they craft their communications. Our work at the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy is driven by the knowledge that low literacy is linked with many of today's most pressing issues—often the intractable problems targeted by our fellow nonprofits.
Nearly 60 million Americans—28% of adults aged 16-65—read below a third-grade level, finding it difficult or impossible to fill out an application for employment or social services, read a medication label or understand information distributed by their children's school. As we craft communications aimed at our direct service populations, we must take their potential literacy levels into account and tailor them accordingly.
Bridging The Clarity Gap
I'm fortunate to work with a team of literacy experts who ensure the accessibility of our parent/caregiver-facing communications, making sure that readers can easily find what they need, understand the information and then apply the information in the appropriate context. Below are top tips I've learned from them for communicating with service populations that may have literacy challenges:
• Keep sentences short and to the point. Be direct and write in short paragraphs using headings to make it easier to read and find the information that is most important to the reader.
• Use a readability tool to check reading level and to screen for overly complex text. The Flesch Kincaid tool is a great starting point. Search online using keywords like "readability checker" to find an option that suits your needs. Be ready to read and revise the text a few times to simplify it.
• Avoid industry-specific terminology that may not be familiar to the reader, as well as unnecessary acronyms.
• Avoid diluting your communication by including extraneous information that is not relevant to the desired outcome. This is a common pitfall for highly knowledgeable nonprofit executives.
• Use simple fonts (like Arial) and use bolding to highlight important information. Avoid the use of script fonts, all caps or italics.
By keeping these tips in mind, you can help ensure that your audience understands the first time they read or hear your message.
Building Vital Connections
As nonprofit executives, it is our calling and our privilege to serve some of our society's most vulnerable populations. It's easy to get caught up in the rush of pushing out resources as quickly as possible, especially when our missions address urgent, overwhelming needs. But using plain language that centers and respects the communication needs of the families and individuals we serve is essential to our work. By intentionally building authentic, two-way relationships with those we serve, we are reaffirming our commitment to keeping them exactly where they should be: at the heart of everything we do.
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