The Most Common Mistake I See:
Can You Guess it? Are You Making It?

The answer is (drum roll please)… being too general.

I see people talking about their offerings in vague terms that don’t tell us what is really being offered. (In my examples, these include: “many styles,” “other holistic classes,” “fun activities,” and “the trainings we provide.”) I see people talk about the impact of their work without really describing how it changes people’s lives, as in the example, “We see them learn and grow throughout the summer.” I see people applying asking for funding without sharing how many people they will assist and from what audiences/demographics, exactly what they will offer, for how long, and toward what end.

Within the very first paragraph of any article, and usually within the first three sentences, journalists are taught to tell readers who, what, where, when, why, how, and how many. Whether you are writing for customers, donors, or funders, you need to think like a journalist. You may not need to answer all of these questions in the first paragraph, but you do need to answer all of them, and include all the details your readers will care about. It may surprise you how many people don’t do this in their writing for mission-based work; the good news is that it makes your work easier, because just by being clear and thorough, you can start to rise above the crowd.