Care and Feeding
of Donor Relations People

Debbie Meyers
Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer, EDiT!

Photo Credit: Adobe Stock

One way to take care of yourself is to improve your writing and communication. Here are some tips and tricks on how to make your writing more concise and effective.

Take out the garbage.

In order to complete the project, collect plenty of specimens.

What’s lost if you leave out “in order?”

The program is designed to help(s) patients recover more quickly.

Same for “in an effort to," which sounds like maybe you were unsuccessful. Just because something was designed to do something, or was an effort to do it, doesn't mean it happened. No need to cast doubt. Be strong in your conviction!
 

They serve 20 different kinds of pancakes.

Of course, they’re different. “Kinds” means different.

​​

She spoke to both the fathers and the mothers of her students.

At first, it sounds like “both the fathers,” as in two fathers. It’s not necessary; “both” is implied with “and.” When you say something benefited you both personally and professionally, you may think you’re emphasizing that it benefited you in two ways. You don’t need “both” to emphasize that.

You’re not an attorney.

And even if you are, you don’t need to speak like one.

Per our conversation, enclosed please find an application form. 

How about, “As we discussed, I am sending you the enclosed application form.” We do not live in ancient Rome where the locals spoke Latin or on the set of Mad Men.

Duties include but are not limited to the following.

​Include means that other things might be part of the whole. My house includes a kitchen and living room (but it also has a bedroom and basement). Job descriptions should not sound like legal contracts.

Don’t be so intense.

Intensifiers define the degree of an adjective or another adverb and come before the adjective or adverb they modify -- e.g., very, so, somewhat, quite, rather.

• Instead of using an intensifier, strengthen the adjective or adverb: “speak aimlessly” becomes “jabber.”
• Or just leave it out. If it’s cold, it’s cold. “Very” cold doesn’t make it seem any colder than just plain “cold” does. One newspaper editor suggests using “very” as you would “damn.”
• “So” should not be used as an intensifier. If you use it to show cause and effect, you also need a "that" (explicit or implied) clause:

                   Right: The story was so depressing (that) I didn't even want to finish reading it.
                  Wrong: The story was soooo depressing.
  

Choose your words wisely.

Literally, extremely
Literally means exactly, truly. It does not mean figuratively. Extremely means to an extreme extent and thus has a negative connotation. It does not mean very. For instance, if Susan is extremely cautious in traffic, she probably will end up causing a wreck rather than preventing one.

Trendy trash

That said, that having been said, with that having been said, it is what it is. At the end of the day, trendy is no substitute for clarity of thought – just so we’re on the same page and thinking outside our boxes and comfort zones. No need to pivot through unprecedented times and navigate troubled waters. Because we’re all in this together, right?
 

 Having worked in advancement for more than 30 years, Debbie Meyers has honed her editorial skills by writing countless acknowledgments, talking points, proposals, gift agreements, and impact reports.

During that time, she created or enhanced operations, communications, donor relations, and stewardship programs at Chautauqua Institution, the University of Maryland, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Florida. She also built communications and development programs for a Catholic high school, an art museum, and a health center development office.

An ADRP founding board member, she chaired the international conference in 2011 and has presented at every other one.

Living in married bliss in Mayville, NY, with her high school drum major, Paul, she has four grown children and three grandchildren, along with two rescue mutts: Bo, a pit-lab, and Marco Polo, a chihuahua.

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