Volume 5 Issue 3 – MEMORANDUM

Shining a Light in a Bright Room: Using the Internet for Fundraising

By Mandy Riggs

How can you stand out from the crowd?

When I wake up in the morning, I already have emails asking me for donations.

If I just get on Facebook, I’ll encounter GoFundMe campaigns, Kickstarters, nonprofits and crisis updates from around the world. Before I can put on my shoes, I’ll have been solicited repeatedly.

Nonprofits have new platforms to communicate with their donors, and writing is central to the process. This is good news for nonprofits and writers. Unfortunately, since social media and email are saturated with demands for money and attention, just posting the piece isn’t enough. You can shine a light on your campaign and needs, but any professional writer who wants to shine a light on their campaign is essentially standing in a room full already flashing lights. How can you stand out without being obnoxious?

Know Your Donors

This is a crucial starting place, because it will dictate the rest of your decisions. Spend some time building relationships with people who are passionate about your cause. What is it about your project that appeals to people? What do they want to see their help accomplish? As you go through your routines keep track of how people respond to your outreach. Different people have different reasons for altruism.

Communication Over Content

When you have an email list of people who care about your goals, build your mailers around them. For dedicated supporters, consistent communication is more important than content.

Tammy Riggs is an administrator and writer for Por Su Amor, a nonprofit in Peru. Email works well when people know who you are, she said. People who want to give see the email and are reminded, but they don’t always read the full content. Make sure the most important information is the most readable, and keep letters skimmable and visually interesting.

Don’t Overdo it!

Here’s a sobering thought: Facebook likes may have a negative correlation to charitable giving. When people feel like they have done their part, they move on. It’s good if people know who you are and care, but popularity is not the same as income, especially if you’re doing good that’s not controversial.

Send your emails on a timeframe that works for your donors. When inboxes get clogged, people miss things or get frustrated and unsubscribe. Regardless of the medium, don’t create a crisis for a hard fundraising push unless there is an actual crisis—you’ll vaccinate your donors against your cries for help. Your donors believe in your cause, or they wouldn’t see a reason to give.

Give Back to Your Donors

Ideally, the donor gives to the charity because they believe in the goals of the charity. They want to see good things happen. Sometimes all you can give them is journalism, said Tammy Riggs.

If you describe the reality of the situation you are addressing and how their gift helped, you don’t have to create recurrent false crises. Donations increase when you can connect them to a concrete benefit, Tammy said. Check out charity: water’s “Our Work” page for a visual, fact-based example of nonprofit web design.

Every Dollar Really Counts

In the 2016 election, it was startling to people in both parties that the Bernie Sanders campaign could fare so well on small donations. But it’s simple math. Small gifts do add up, and these days there’s a growing focus on small donation, effective philanthropy. Be sure to communicate to your donors that any gift is helpful. Show appreciation to everyone.

Know Your Voice

It’s important to know who you are. Don’t follow trends that change basic elements of your voice. Maintain a consistent voice across your platforms. Be willing to learn from your experiences, but when you find your voice, stick to it.

Blazer’s Block

By ThaLiscia Rankins

Julie with entire face covered and her head down — Julie struggling with writer’s block

We all have encountered or been the person who watches a cursor blink in silent despair, or changes the font twenty times, before giving up and going to bed.

This feeling of having no idea what to write about and feeling frustrated with beginning a writing assignment is known as writer’s block. If you are reading this article you probably know this feeling. We have writer’s block when we can’t get started writing, or when we are stuck halfway through our paper and can’t seem to move forward.

Reasons why we Experience Writer’s Block

- Fear
  Writer’s block can often occur in the drafting stage of a project

Writing can be scary for anyone, especially someone who is very introverted. We experience fear because we are afraid of putting our thoughts out into the open and being judged by our readers, ultimately leading to stress. Wanting to be as good as everyone else, striving to be perfect when you write something or holding unrealistic standards can lead to writer’s block.

Someone who is good at writing may experience writer’s block because of high expectations and not wanting to let anyone down. Maybe you are presenting an idea in class, and fear of rejection makes it harder to write.

- Content
  Josh is unsure of how to begin his sports article

Several specific things about a writing assignment can lead to stress but the content of the paper is a major reason why we experience writer’s block. Sometimes it is hard to find information about what we are writing about or we run out of ideas for the assignments. The content could be complicated, hard to write about or we just don’t want to do it because it does not interest us.

- Burned Out

If you are a writer who has been working constantly, you are more than likely burned out and need to take a break. Writing too much can be bad, especially if you are not getting enough rest. Remember, not resting your mind can cause writer’s block and sleep deficiency is associated with problems in concentration, memory and the immune system.

Overcoming Writer’s Block

Quanterrius thinking about what to write — Quanterrius is contemplating what to write

- Ease the Tension

Writer’s block is frustrating and getting around it can be challenging. Sometimes taking a break and doing something fun to take your mind off of a paper for a while can help with writer’s block.

Some creative ways to help with writer’s block includes: listening to music, going for a walk (walking helps to relieve stress and free thoughts), and playing games—whether it’s on a PlayStation, laptop or phone will help you focus on something else.

- Eliminate Distractions

While some people need to ease the tension by doing something like playing games, other people struggle with avoidance and distractions. Turn your phone on airplane mode to mute distractions, use an app like AppDetox to lock individual apps or turn off all electronic devices. Changing your workspace could help eliminate distractions as well. If you are sitting in your room trying to write a paper, going to a library or somewhere quiet with other people who are also studying helps with distractions. A change in setting could really get ideas flowing.

- Just Write

Write about something that is fun and changes the subject to something different. There are websites that support writers and give them a chance to write about something different with fun writing prompts. Sometimes the only way to get past writer’s block is to write what you are struggling with and get it down on paper; handwriting things before typing them can help with your ideas and thoughts.

You can’t think yourself out of a writing block; you have to write yourself out of a thinking block- John Rodger

Controlling Flow in Writing

By Ashton Cook

Coherence and cohesion are important to keep in mind when writing

From news to fiction to blog posts, writers seek to grab attention with their work. It is one of the reasons why creators create: to express themselves in a way that leaves an impact. In writing, however, that impact can be heavily hampered by flaws in coherence and cohesion.

To keep the reader happily invested in whatever they are reading, the text must seem natural and accessible, or flow.

Coherence and Cohesion

For readers to connect to a piece of writing, the text must be capable of comfortably communicating with them, which relates to coherence. But to be coherent, the words themselves must be able to connect as seamlessly as possible, which is to be cohesive.

It can be daunting to revise the flow of a piece. Sometimes, the issue with an article can come down to just one word choice, and finding that problematic phrase can feel similar to looking for a needle in a haystack. There are some ways to help make the process simpler.

Who? What? Where?

First and foremost, to know if you’re communicating fluidly with your audience, you must know who they are. If the article or story is meant for a younger audience, using complicated language won’t be very effective. If the target is an academic group, See Mike hike and similarly simple phrasing might come across too dull.

Another thing to consider is sentence length. While it is good to have some sentences that run for a decent amount of space, having too many can leave the reader feeling like they cannot breathe. Too many short sentences can be equally overwhelming. Utilizing a good mix of the two can help keep a reader from breaking away from the text.

Sometimes the issue with a piece of writing isn’t in the sentences. Paragraphs can be too lengthy or too brief, or they may introduce material at wrong times. Looking at how you could restructure what you’re working on can lead to finding new ways of strengthening it.

Resources Around You

There is some writing that, no matter how much we rethink and revise, we’ll never be satisfied with. Something is forgotten, leaving the whole text feeling incomplete. Or, maybe, something is awkward, but you can’t figure out what it is. Times like these are when you should have someone review your work with you. Visiting the University Writing Center on campus, meeting with a professor or finding a good friend are all great solutions for when revision feels like hitting a wall.

Caret Software Review

By Jana Brown

What is Caret?

Caret is an HTML text editing software that I have been using for Dr. Bacha’s Digital Publishing EH 455 course.

The Caret logo

Chosen for its simplicity and convenience; Caret made html easy to jump into. For anyone who needs to learn basic HTML, Caret is a good option. The Caret logo can be seen to the right. For Chrome users, here is a link to download Caret via the
Chrome Web Store.

Pros

This image shows what happens when the software detects an issue with your code

One of the biggest perks of using this software is that it is free. Thus, it is accessible for anyone with internet access.

Usability is also a major plus. I’m not the most computer savvy individual, which is why I was shocked at the ease with which I began using the software without hiccups. An important aspect that makes it so user friendly is the feature that displays a red X next to any line of code where the software detects an issue. When you hover your cursor over this icon, a tooltip appears that alerts you to the problem with your code.

Cons

Line 37 can be found at the bottom of the image next to “disableBehaviors”

I would recommend this software to new coders. However, aspects of the software need to change in order to improve usability. I don’t like the default setting that autocompletes lines of code.

For example, when I type the opening paragraph tag, the software automatically inserts the closing tag after it. This feature shouldn’t be a default setting, and could lead to learned laziness when it comes to closing tags.

As the image above demonstrates, you can change this setting yourself in the user preferences page by changing “false” to “true” on line 37, beside the phrase disableBehaviors.

This brings me to the final issue I have with the software: Caret’s user preference page is difficult to navigate. I had to seek out online guides to help me find and fix the problem I had with the auto closing of tags.

Additionally, the online technical support guide is difficult to find when you search for it it online, and could use some streamlining. Click here for the Caret technical support guide.

The Creativity of Grant Writing

By Carli Doyle

Rivka Levin, grant writer

Before I transferred to UAB, I used to tell people that I was a Theatre Major and their first response was to look crestfallen and offer a consolatory: Oh.After transferring and switching my degree track, I can now proudly state that I’m an English major and receive a marginally softer oh instead.For me, a traditional corporate job was never an option, and I know many others in the English department who feel the same way. So what do you do when you have a passion for the arts and a knack for writing? Simple: grant writing.

What is grant writing?

Rivka Levin has been writing grants for The Atlanta Shakespeare Company (ASC) for twelve years, and lives as proof that there can be a happy marriage between corporate writing and creativity.

With a musical theatre background and a passion for writing, Levin ensures that the ASC’s programs—such as their Shakespeare Intensive for Teens summer camp, and In-School Residencies—receive sufficient funding from charitable sources.

To secure this funding, Levin crafts letters to prospective investors/donors, such as the Georgia Council for the Arts or the National Endowment for the Arts, and appeals for grants. In her appeals, Levin outlines what programs the donations will support, the impact of the programs on the community and how the donations will be handled.

What makes writing for a theatre company unique?

Levin:My grants are allowed to be a little more passionate and descriptive than if I was writing for the American Heart Association. Though we use hard, quantifiable data to prove the economic, academic and social value of what we do, many times it comes down to the emotional response of the reader

So there’s a significant difference?

Levin:Yes. In some cases, I have to explain the benefit of the arts. No one needs an explanation of why cancer research is worthy of funding.

Why pursue grant writing?

Being a grant writer for a company that, at its core, is a massive proponent of the arts has allowed Levin to toggle back and forth a bit from dry business-speak to something a bit more personal.

Why write grants for the performing arts?

Levin:Many of the people who need our programming the most […] benefit from grants. The grant money often subsidizes programming, allowing an arts organization to offer free or discounted programming for those who can’t afford it. Not only is the act of grant writing personally fulfilling, the result directly impacts the lives of the children and teenagers who gain self-worth and insight from the ASC’s programs.

In your opinion, why should prospective English majors should consider grant writing?

Levin:If there is something about which you’re passionate—animal welfare, cancer research, the arts, prevention of domestic abuse—grant writing can be a way to earn a living as a writer…and advancing your cause at the same time.

Professional Writers Wield Power on Society

By Hunter Freeman

digital illustration — Media is influencing our lives more than ever before

Professional writers have the ability to destroy the world—hard stop.

The Status Quo

Every day, people make decisions based on available information usually sourced from the Internet or social media. Most of the time, these decisions are insignificant: Should you wear a jacket? What drink should you buy at Starbucks? On the grand scale, taking a left to avoid traffic will not detonate the Earth.

Contemporary professional writers play the role of the information middleman. Businesses and organizations hire them as a buffer between the institution and the audience: to perform upkeep on public appearances, to report the demands of the people, to rally the forces against opposition.

More and more, professional writers are assigned to positions in the public sphere as social media managers, technical communicators, and content editors. At the same time, society is increasingly turning to social media and the Internet for news and information it can depend on.

This is to say, the work professional writers do affects public opinions more than ever. Professional writers choose what is displayed on the platforms that people are turning to for information.

The Shift in Responsibility

But what happens when society’s information platforms (Facebook, Twitter, websites) are corruptible? Fake political ad campaigns plagued Facebook and Twitter in the 2016 presidential election. It is still up for debate (at the time of writing this) how much the manipulation affected the results, but it certainly played a role in the election.

The argument is not that professional writers can’t handle the task. Writers are uniquely trained to create messages: they consider the audience, fact check the data and correct mistakes. But the adage about great power will become a central operating philosophy for professional writers of the future.

In a scenario that would make George Orwell cringe, professional writers will determine what the public sees. They choose what information is displayed on a landing page. They assign a hierarchical importance to data. They shape your opinions. They influence your thoughts.

The job is changing with the landscape. With the advent of information technology, messages and videos now go viral, potentially reaching millions of people in a few hours. Wordsmiths will have to be more careful with the messages they create. The same skills that make a person a capable professional writer are the same that can wreak havoc on the public.

By selecting information responsibly and considering the impact of words, professional writing will become a new occupation in civic service. Borrowing from the words of Senator Richard Burr, professional writers will stand as our first line of defense from the damage that words can do.