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I love words, how they sound, ways to put them together, words that get our attention, and how we can use them creatively to make a point. Though I’ve written about words before, the topic seems worthy of renewed attention.

We need words to describe programs, articulate why they need funding, and reinforce how they support your mission. A clever choice of words can get attention, add emphasis, impress a donor, or surprise the reader. When I see a word I’m not expecting, I keep reading.

Words allow us to create an image to illustrate what might otherwise seem vague. Here’s a wonderful example on the website of Shared Cause, a consulting group with demonstrated success in helping communities achieve social impact.

Solving a tough social problem is like working a jigsaw puzzle. At first, all you see are many separate pieces, but they can be formed into a coherent whole. 

Cool words

I encountered the word juddering in The Library Book by Susan Orlean, and found intriguing synonyms in Merriam Webster including quaking, quivering, shivering, and jiggling. It got me thinking. This particular word might not work in a proposal. However, used judiciously, an unexpected word or phrase can add interest and have impact on a proposal reviewer: “I remember this grant. It’s the one with such creative language.”

Why words matter

Carefully selected words get attention, foster appreciation for the clarity of your documents, demonstrate your commitment to important values, and may very well motivate the reader to give your proposal a second look. Attention to language demonstrates competence, which may boost the donor’s confidence in your organization’s ability to implement the proposed program.

Happy New Year!

The new year is a marvelous time to think about words. You may be writing thank you notes, or conveying appreciation to your team. If your communication is handwritten (I encourage this!), you can use lively colors or include a flourish by underlining a perky word or even adding doodles to reinforce your message about the year ahead.

Fundraising often involves writing proposals (or letters to donors, or cases for support). Information from existing documents such as reports, grants, or online resources can help us get started.

But sometimes we can only get what we need from other people, for example the rationale for an upcoming campaign, or creative thinking about the goals, design, and expected outcomes of a new initiative.

A key role
As writers, we can make important contributions. Our questions can help the people we interview articulate a new model, identify challenges, or work out the kinks. They can stimulate thinking about a big idea, improvements to an existing program, or collaboration with key players.Here’s what helps me get the information I need for an important writing project.

• Plan. People are busy. Ask only for the time you need and assure the people you meet that you will keep the conversation focused.
• Be prepared. Draft your questions in advance and bring an agenda that notes the time anticipated to discuss each question.
• Be efficient, but flexible. Allow time for unexpected discussion. The interview can provide an opportunity for the interviewee to explore new ways of thinking that can have impact.
• Listen. Take notes to make sure that responses with impact make it from conversation to polished proposals.
• Engage experts. If further information is needed, ask knowledgeable contributors for their input.
• Follow-up. Plan time to review your notes directly after the interview, in order to capture salient points.
• Check your understanding of the conversation with your interviewee, when needed, in order to assure accuracy.

Most of all, enjoy
I love conducting interviews. They are opportunities to meet and talk with interesting people of consequence – community leaders, providers, donors, and the talented individuals who do the hard work of helping make the world a better place.

An unexpected moment

One morning I looked out the window and saw a yellow leaf, seemingly unattached yet suspended from a tree in my backyard. It spun like a spiral mobile in the slight breeze, held in place as if by magic.

I wondered how the leaf could remain connected by such a slender thread. I grabbed my phone to take a photo. I clicked, then tried a close-up, then perpendicular and horizontal shots. I imagined an artistic blur of motion, but failed, completely, to capture its gentle turns and perky twists.

What does this have to do with writing?

I consider myself to be a careful writer and finicky editor. However when I’m in a rush, I may lose the opportunity for a new angle or perspective in an article, or a case for a proposal, or even a memo to a team. A few minutes of thinking might improve my writing.

To be fair, it’s easy to miss such possibilities when we’re in a rush and focused on prescribed funder guidelines or organizational writing requirements. Perhaps those who create such formats might explore the value of thinking and creatively writing, in our own words, about things that matter to our communities and our world.

I believe we can improve our writing and increase reader interest by taking a moment to imagine how the sights and sounds around us may inspire new ideas and points of view – and fun words – that can add interest and understanding to our documents.

The leaf

In the time it took to draft this article, the pretty yellow leaf continued to twirl, sometimes slowly, sometimes in an apparent frenzy. By the time I finished, it was gone.

Then, the next morning, I received this Bliss Cartoon of the Day (highly recommended). It’s a very different take on an image of a leaf and a tree, offering more reason to stop and think about what we see and how it fits in what we write.

It goes without saying: writing involves thinking. But what do the experts say about thinking and writing, and can their ideas help improve our writing? 

Steven Mintz, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, states that [writing] is not simply a matter of expressing pre-existing thoughts clearly. It’s the process through which ideas are produced and refined. This helps us reflect, analyze, and reason. 

Marvin H. Swift writes in the Harvard Business Review that we revise our words and refine our thoughts simultaneously; improvements in our thinking and writing reinforce each other. Writing to Think: Critical Thinking and the Writing Process suggests that “the act of putting words on paper helps [writers] invent thought and content.”

I especially love William Zinsser’s familiar phrase, “Writing is thinking on paper,” which I found on the Purdue Global Writing website.

What I’ve learned

• When writing important documents, disconnect from proposal guidelines, word limits, and deadlines, even for a few minutes, to ponder the overarching message that might convince the reader that this program has promise.
• Be alert to intriguing thoughts that appear out of the blue, even if you’re not at all sure when or even if they might be useful.
• Doodling can free us from document requirements just long enough to spark creative thoughts that can lead to attention-getting writing.

Writing this article has reminded me how easy it can be to fall into old habits like getting caught up in the details without stepping back to imagine new possibilities. Thinking before writing can help us better articulate new directions or big ideas that may capture donors’ attention and, potentially, lead to funding for your valuable programs.

I love to write and I love to see art. I wondered if it was an inspired, or wacky idea to put them together in a Short Takes article.

I scribbled notes during a talk by Gloucester painter Jeff Weaver, who captures, magnificently, the city’s working waterfront and architectural diversity. Jeff said “Art helps you see things in a different way.” I pondered the relevance of this to our writing.

I talked to Elynn Kröger, whose glorious colors form abstract landscapes that, she suggests, invite us to blend what we see with our imagination. Perhaps art can spark new ways to describe our vision for a better world.

In the Edward Hopper exhibition currently at the Cape Ann Museum, I learned that Hopper spoke of “beauty in commonplaceness”. I believe that imaginative language like this can encourage closer reading by donors.

Here’s what I’ve been thinking.

• Be creative. Artists are inventive. Thinking outside the box can evoke clever answers to tricky funder questions that foster donor interest.
• Get attention. Like the artist whose tiny dab of color adds wonder to an entire painting, an unexpected phrase may entice the funder to take a second look.
• Start messy. A painting, a sculpture, or a concert may require extended periods of focus. Hours of writing and re-writing may be needed to produce a polished proposal that truly engages the reader. Go with it.
• Start over. Early versions of a work of art may be entirely recreated before the artist is satisfied with the result. Editing is fundamental to a strong proposal, but sometimes starting over is best.

Why does it matter?

Consider how what you see or hear informs your writing. You may find charm in children’s art, energy in graffiti, a new perspective in photography, or excitement in Cuban music. Such experiences can prompt intriguing twists in our writing.

I believe that lessons from the arts can elevate writing from ho-hum to eye-catching, and promote careful funder review of your document from start to finish.

Thank you

To Elynn Kröger and Jeff Weaver for their ideas and talent that helped inspire this article. And to Stephanie Warburg, artist, founder and president of MAXCourge, and faithful reader of Short Takes, for her review of the draft.