The Printed Annual Report: Time to move on

For many nonprofits, December signals the end of the fiscal year, the opportunity to reflect on the past year, and a chance to start percolating plans for the coming year.

My clients embraced digital communication in 2010. They Tweeted, Facebooked and Linkedin. They honed their communications using dramatically different tools that are now available. They’ve planned events without printing a single invite and connected with their donors online. They created educational e-courses for developing nations in communities that didn't have electricity ten years ago.

So why are clients requesting meetings to kick-off printed annual reports? To all of you who believe you need a printed annual report, please reconsider. Invest the time and money in creating your annual report online. You can still have beautiful photography and compelling stories, plus you can include interactive graphs, video and animation. The best part is you can include as many lists as you want using font sizes the eye can actually read.

If you believe your public includes people for whom the digital revolution has not happened, send them a printed invitation to visit a computer and view your annual report there. In 2012, it is time to move on.

Nonprofits: Beware Free Branding

Nonprofits understand the power of branding. Nonprofits also understand the struggle of developing messaging and graphics on a shoestring budget. Messaging and graphics are time consuming and expensive to create. It makes sense to be wary of the offer of a free branding from the distant relative of a board member. What happens when you receive the offer from a legitimate design or PR firm? It’s a no-brainer to accept, right?

Be careful. Clever ideas are cheap. We all have them. The real work lies in consistent execution. You can have a beautiful package developed for you, but where will you be when you’re left with the package? Do you have a brand transition plan in mind? Can you eliminate your old branding swiftly and in a way that won’t confuse your public? Do you have staff available to apply that look-and-feel to your current website and future marketing materials? What happens if the free offer provides you a group of six logo choices and none of them work? Are you permitted to critique or required to accept? Are they completing the research required to truly understand your organization?

If you received a personal makeover and a stylist put you in clothes you couldn’t afford, shoes you couldn’t walk in, a hairstyle you could never reproduce and makeup that took 45 minutes to apply, you would soon return to your own well-worn but trusted style. If you’re faced with the decision to accept a pro-bono re-branding offer, make sure you understand what you’re getting, what you’re not, and how feasible it is for your organization to execute it.

Business Stationery 2.0

A long time ago, branding was all about stationery. Businesses had letterhead, business cards, a variety of envelopes, checks, invoices, estimates, credit memos… all printed to make a matching set of materials for everyday use. The purpose of all that stuff with logos was to present a unified front—cohesive group of materials that communicated personality, professionalism and pride.

No longer. When was the last time you loaded a sheet of letterhead in your printer? And second sheets? Those seem to have forever disappeared. Even business cards last longer than they used to and a box of envelopes takes twice the time to use. Invoices get emailed along with most other daily business communications. Saving trees is great, but the purpose of a consistent look and feel hasn’t disappeared. Organizations still need to have a cohesive group of materials that communicate personality, professionalism and pride. Offices used to keep a closet full of branded paper to have at the ready. We still need the stuff, but we don’t need the closet. Below is a list of digital files to keep in a folder on your desktop. Keeping them convenient will make your branding more consistent and your office more efficient.

Email Template

Create a signature with your contact information. Avoid attaching graphic signatures or backgrounds to email; they make strings of emails very messy. Email software usually gives you a preference to attach your footer to replies. I suggest you do not—you don’t need your footer repeated over and over again in an email string.

Word Templates

When an email is too informal, use a professionally designed template. Create PDFs of your Word files before you send them out for two key reasons: Word files look different on different computers, often making key information hard to find, and Word fades headers and footers, making your logo and contact information dull and in the background. PDFs look the same no matter what. A simple Word toolkit would include a letterhead template, proposal template and flyer template. When you are done editing your template, you can usually create a PDF by going to Print and then Save as PDF.

Logos

Keep several logos in a variety of formats convenient for emailing to people who need them. A basic group of logos includes:

• A low-resolution jpg, gif or png for web use.
• An eps or ai file for print and for designers.
• A square icon to use on Twitter, Facebook, Basecamp, or for commenting on blogs.
• Have your designer create a logo-related graphic that represents your organization in a 16 or 24 pixel square.
• Font files. If someone has offered to create an ad for your organization, you can provide your branding guidelines, logo and fonts.

Boilerplate Text File

Have your Mission, Vision, Values and any other common copy you use in a file that you can copy and paste from. No need to search for or rewrite the stuff every time you need it.

Digital documents have allowed us to work faster, reducing too-tight branding control in favor of flexibility and getting the job done. You’ll still need to print envelopes and a few business cards, and hand-written thank you notes never go out of style, but digital templates allow you to have everything you need at the ready so you don’t have to re-enter information or re-design each time you communicate. Ultimately, a well-stocked digital “closet” of forms, graphics and fonts will make communicating more efficient, productive and consistent.

Business Stationery 2.0

A long time ago, branding was all about stationery. Businesses had letterhead, business cards, a variety of envelopes, checks, invoices, estimates, credit memos… all printed to make a matching set of materials for everyday use. The purpose of all that stuff with logos was to present a unified front—cohesive group of materials that communicated personality, professionalism and pride in what the business did.

No longer. When was the last time you loaded a sheet of letterhead in your printer? And second sheets? Those seem to have forever disappeared. Even business cards last longer than they used to and a box of envelopes takes twice the time to use up. Invoices get emailed along with most other daily business communications. It’s great to rid the world of all that extra paper, but the purpose of a consistent look and feel hasn’t disappeared. Organizations still need to have a cohesive group of materials that communicate personality, professionalism and pride. We’ve just replaced the paper with digital documents. Offices used to keep a closet full of branded paper to have at the ready. We still need the stuff, but we don’t need the closet. Below is a list of digital files. If you have these handy, you’ll be more consistent with your communications and more efficient in what you do:

Email Template

Create a signature with your contact information. Avoid attaching graphics or backgrounds to email; they make strings of emails very messy. 

Word Templates

When an email just won’t do, use a professionally designed Word template. Create PDFs of your Word files before you send them out for two key reasons: Word files look different on different computers, often making key information hard to find, and Word fades headers and footers, making your logo and contact information dull and in the background. PDFs look the same no matter what. You can create Word templates for anything, but a simple toolkit would include a letterhead template, proposal template and flyer template. When you are done editing your template, you can usually create a PDF by going to Print and then Save as PDF.

Logos 

Keep several logos in a variety of formats convenient for emailing to people who need them. A basic group of logos would include:

• A low-resolution jpg, gif or png for web use
• An eps or ai file for print and for designers
• A square icon to use on Twitter, Facebook, Basecamp, or for commenting on blogs. Have your designer create a logo-related graphic that represents your organization in a 16 or 24 pixel square.
• Keep your font files handy. If someone has offered to create an ad for your organization, you can provide your branding guidelines, logo and fonts.

Boilerplate File
Have your Mission, Vision, Values and any other common copy you use in a file that you can copy and paste from. No need to search or rewrite the stuff every time you need it.

Technology has allowed us to relinquish control in favor of flexibility and getting the job done. Digital templates give you everything you need at the ready so you don’t have to re-enter information each time you communicate. You’ll still need to print envelopes and business cards; hand-written thank you notes never go out of style. But if you can make it digital, make it digital, and keep it handy.

Writing for Design: 5 Tips for Clear Communications

There are many different kinds of writers: technical writers, reporters, TV writers, novelists, and writers who can be observant, funny or pithy within the 140-character limit of Twitter. There is no such thing as a design writer, but there are techniques that create clarity as copy moves from a page in Word to a web page, e-newsletter, brochure or annual report.

As a designer who reads a lot of copy, I have noticed common threads among writers who write well for design. The goal of both writer and designer is clarity, in the form of language for the writer and layout for the designer. High-quality, organized copy makes design easier, which saves money and time. Here are 5 tips to keep in mind when you’re writing for design:

1. Write in layers

The Main Layer. In both writing and design, copy is usually kept organized by headlines and subheads. This is the main layer.

The Highlight Layer.  Initially, a reader may not want to read a large amount of copy. Throughout your copy, indicate the most interesting points by highlighting key sentences in color. The designer can then create design elements from those sentences to draw the reader in.

The Side Bar Layer. Write a few separate, but related stories that support the main layer but can stand alone. For example, if you are writing about a program that educates girls in Liberia, you could include one or two brief stories (no longer than 1/3 of a page) about one or two specific girls and the benefit of education in their lives. Readers go to sidebars first and may be pulled in to the main copy by one or two compelling stories.

The Visual Layer.  As a writer, keep charts, graphs, tables, photography, illustration and video in mind. Dig around for visuals to support your copy so that you can write captions; readers often scan captions to decide whether or not to read more.

2. Stand your ground... writing comes first

Write what needs to be written and don’t be concerned about what goes on which brochure panel or the exact layout of a web page. That’s the designer’s job. Writing comes first. If you are writing to fit an existing template that confines you to a format that will not achieve the project goals, then either the format or the goals need to change.

3. Suggest visuals

When you are writing about something technical and you think a graph or table would be more effective than words, suggest a visual and supply the text for it. No need to craft 1,000 words when a picture will suffice.

4. Create repetition

People like to see things repeated. It creates consistency and familiarity. If the copy calls for it, write a series of tips to scatter throughout the publication or include testimonials. The designer can format and scatter those testimonials or tips throughout the publication. 

5. Get Acrobat

After your copy goes into layout, you will still need to edit it. Acrobat allows everyone on a project to edit and comment on the same PDF file. For example, if you’re writing for website, pages are saved as PDFs and commented on directly. It is tedious to go through an email with many small changes, but not as tedious as it is to write that email… “On page 15, second column, top paragraph, third sentence, change the period to a comma.” Acrobat has fantastic tools that make editing more efficient for both the writer and designer.

Show your story. Don’t hold back.

It’s easy to create a website for an organization that serves young children. Young children are beautiful, innocent and blameless. People are sympathetic to young children in tough situations. We can all relate to them because we are either raising children, have raised children, or were children at one point.

Sadly, we have less sympathy for a homeless man, or a gay couple who wishes to marry. Sometimes, when we can imagine a scenario of blame, we feel justified in removing ourselves from the solution. We protect ourselves by thinking, “That guy with the sign could get a job… he should be trying to get one right now,” or “You’re gay, you can just get married in Canada.” Some of us don’t like looking at photos of the really old because they magnify fears of our own future. Images of disabled people make us feel helpless. We choose to look away.

It is your job to make us look.

Open our eyes. Tell a hard story in a positive light. Show a disabled child laughing with her family. Show a homeless family accepting help. Show personal stories that will attract more helpers. Social service nonprofits need to build awareness and acceptance in order to raise money and motivate volunteers. Photos and videos build awareness, which is the first step towards solving tough social issues and creating a more socially just world. You are out there working towards your mission every day. Don’t shy away from your mission when it comes to showing potential donors or members who it is that you serve.

Custom Photography: A necessity for social service nonprofits

Social service nonprofits serve increasingly diverse populations. They improve the lives of children, families and individuals who are young, middle-aged, old, Hispanic, African-American, Native-American, Asian-American, gay, lesbian, transsexual, bisexual, disabled, deaf, sick, or recovering. Stock photography of diverse faces is accessible and cheap, but it is at best inaccurate and at worst misleading.

Showing the faces of those you serve in your publications is important for four reasons:

1. Potential donors, members or volunteers need to believe you would be a good investment of time or money. A photograph of a real person accompanied by a positive outcome unique to that person is proof of your ability to solve real problems.
2. If the population you serve sees themselves in your communications, they are more likely to remember you and seek out your services.
3. Photography is a part of branding. Over time, you will develop your own style of storytelling through photography. It is impossible to make stock photographs consistent in terms of a unique style.
4. Exposure to diversity changes public perception and makes us more tolerant. As gay couples expose their personal stories and struggles, we increasingly support their rights. Listening to  parents of disabled kids makes us more comfortable inviting a disabled child into our own kids’ classrooms.

So why not use stock photos? They are cheap, readily available, and you can search “ethnic child” and get 3000 results.

Maybe. But the story you are telling is unique. The face of that story is unique as well. The true face of a drug addicted mom who found the strength to beat her addiction and get her kids back cannot be found in stock. You may find a photo of a mom with kids whose ethnicity is close enough to the real mom, but the real mom’s face will express true loss and triumph. You also risk alienating your public if your definition of “ethnically close enough” isn’t the same as your public’s definition. And for the real mom, having her story told publicly in a sympathetic way can be a nail in the coffin of her past.

Be truthful in your communications. You can find a stock photo of some crayons or a wheelchair if you need one, but invest in a photographer to photograph your people. One shoot per year will give you enough images to work with over time. Cull your supporters and you may find a photographer who is willing to donate her time and talent. You will eventually grow an archive that highlights your success through the years.

Words go first. Design follows.

Design and words are the form and function of communications. Design is form: it is to words what tone, volume, intonation and gesturing are to speech. Words are function: they provide structure and purpose. Design and words are each worth 50% of successful communication. When the balance shifts, trust fails. Similar to the person who always has a point, but he is arrogant and wearing too much cologne so you just want to get away. Or that thing in the middle of the art gallery that looks really cool, but you’re not completely sure it’s okay to sit on. Or the massive amount of copy on the page after the magazine ad for a life-changing medication. The expression "form follows function" is only part of the design story. The other part is that both are equally important.

Though design and content are equally important, it is key to remember that content drives design. The flavor of the copy informs and often dictates design. This is not a chicken and egg question. Words come first. A designer takes the words, organizes them, makes them easy to follow and understand, beautifies their presentation and then gets out of their way. 

Don’t expect good design if you can’t provide copy first. Take the time to write. For example, before you design a logo, make sure your mission, vision, values and personality are figured out. Get a good writer to pare down what you’ve written into a clear, smart toolbox of organized text. Then work on design. The designer will internalize the words and express them visually. Design grows from words. Without words to inform design, there is only meaningless decoration.

10 ways to achieve visual consistency in communications

Visual consistency keeps you in charge of your organization’s public perception. For some organizations, visual consistency seems to be second nature, effortless. For others, every new marketing opportunity begets a scramble to get things organized and out the door.

Consistency doesn’t stem from a staff of marionettes controlled by a puppeteer higher up the chain of command, nor does it require the employment of a frazzled, hall-monitor type of manager. In a nonprofit organization, consistency is achieved by the creation and maintenance of a toolkit for each staff member. With the right tools, a staff member is able to represent your organization within a framework that is immediately recognizable to the recipient, without having to invent that framework for each interaction— whether face-to-face, written, or within your social network.

Visual consistency does not require high-price design or excessive, time-consuming control. The right toolkit will allow your staff to work toward your mission with minimal frustration, adding their personality to their work without diminishing your organization’s brand. Following are 10 ways to achieve visual consistency. 

1. Embrace your logo. For most organizations, the seed of who you are is your logo. Is it casual? Formal? A little edgy? Defiant? The colors on your website come from your logo. The tone of your newsletter comes from your website, which comes from your logo. The personality you project on your blog comes from your website, which comes from your logo. See how that works? If you don’t embrace your logo, consistency will be a problem. If your logo doesn’t well represent your organization, scrap it. 
2. Customize your pages. Twitter offers customizations that allow you to change the background and images on your page. Facebook lets you upload images and graphics. Do your pages match your website? Do a test: open your Twitter page and then open your website in a window next to it. They don’t have to be identical, but they should feel like they are rooms in the same house. 
3. Unify email signatures. Make sure everyone in your organization sends out emails that match. Is everyone using the same signature? Fonts? Type size? Have everyone in your organization send an email from his work account to your home account and see what the emails look like. If this seems restrictive, you can create several graphics users can choose to include in their signatures. 
4. Create a Word template. If your staff creates documents in Microsoft Word, give them a template with your logo and relevant contact information in place. Define a few styles in Word so that the user can pick from what’s already there. This will allow users to do their jobs more efficiently and consistently without spending time on design. 
5. Create a PowerPoint template. Have a PowerPoint file with some very simple background pages so when your staff needs to prepare a quick presentation, it’s ready. Better yet, see what happens if you skip PowerPoint. Sometimes a good speaker making personal contact with an audience is more compelling. 
6. Use consistent conference displays. Create a display that is easily customizable, but includes your logo and mission. 
7. Have frequently used graphics on hand. Give your staff a collection of logos and frequently-used images to send out when required. Basic formats include: jpg, gif, eps and pdf. 
8. Create an E-Newsletter template. If you use an email marketing website like Emma, eTapestry, or Constant Contact, make sure you have a template for e-newsletters. The basic building blocks of the template are a header (usually a graphic) and predefined type styles and layout. Does the template relate to your logo? Does the font you choose match your website? 
9. Maintain some printed material. It’s a good idea to give your staff a postcard or brochure that includes a little about you and the various ways to connect with you. Printed material is still a great way to connect with potential donors, especially in person. It acts as a physical invitation to visit your digital domain. 
10. Give thanks. Come up with an easy way to thank people, either with a thank you letter template in your email marketing software or physical thank you cards with envelopes that you hand write and mail. Social service nonprofits rely on personal connections to build a solid donor base. A hand-written note is always well received. 

One final note on visual consistency: It’s not about everything being perfect or beautiful. If you make something ugly, make it consistently ugly—like Craigslist.org. Or consistently (defiantly) simple, like Google.com.

10 tasks that need to be easy for nonprofit website visitors

I’ve noticed many articles lamenting how disconnected technology has made society. It’s true that some of us hide behind our little devices, but in many ways technology has made us self-sufficient, giving us the ability to rely on our own initiative to seek answers, help and opportunities. We have achieved a level of comfort with technology that allows us to meet our own needs without bugging anyone else unless absolutely necessary.

Visitors to social service nonprofit websites expect their good-doing impulses to be met online the minute they are inspired to do good. Other nonprofits partnering with yours will want stuff from you like press releases and logos. Most important, social service nonprofit websites can be the point of contact that will keep a family warm and safe, remove a woman from an abusive situation, or connecting a troubled teen to a mentor.

By quickly meeting those expectations and needs online, and providing receptive service by phone and in person, you will get exceptional results. Look at your site and see if you make it easy for a user to:

1. Read a single sentence on your homepage that describes your focus (your full mission can be deeper in)
2. Make a donation and/or become a member
3. Get immediate access to the services you provide (how, when, where to get help)
4. Read success stories, view photos or watch videos
5. Choose a way to connect with you (Facebook, Twitter, Blog, via email)
6. Find events happening soon and sign up
7. Access press releases
8. View a list of your staff and board (with contact information)
9. Download a good-quality logo
10. Use a form to contact you (if a user is on a public computer or doesn’t want to email from his device)