Great Nonprofit Websites Worth a Visit

These great nonprofit websites effectively market the organizations they represent and their overall missions.

DISCLAIMER: I’m not affiliated with these organizations. I admire their websites, and present them for educational purposes only.

1. Loon Echo Land Trust: loonecholandtrust.org
Their home page features little text, and is a good example of “minimalist” copy — sometimes less can be more. It starts with a simple mission statement (like an elevator pitch) that tells us what LELT is and what they do. They then encourage people to get involved with the land they protect, through looking at trails and maps, ways to donate, and opportunities to volunteer, and elaborate on the details of these options on their respective pages.

2. Maine Better Transportation Association: mbtaonline.org
We learn about the association, and some of the issues they advocate for are featured upfront, which is appropriate, given their mission as “a non-partisan voice for investment in a safe, efficient transportation network for Maine.” MBTA events are also highlighted. They also effectively promote their magazine and a policy paper as lead magnets. The font of the copy could be bumped up a bit in size for easier reading.

3. The Telling Room: tellingroom.org
The design features bold, creative graphics, which suit their mission to inspire children to tell stories to improve their literacy skills and boost their confidence, building on their creative expression and passion. The story prompts, good for writer’s block, can help young and older alike. The stories by talented children are spotlighted, and in some cases, the result, of the Telling Room’s work. Students and parents will find out how to get involved with the Telling Room, through such offerings as a writing contest, workshops, field trips, and residencies.

4. The American Cheese Society: cheesesociety.org
Did you know that October is American Cheese Month? That’s among the wealth of facts and information about the curdled dairy product, the Society, and its annual Judging Competition. You’ll find out how to make cheese, food safety techniques, industry data, and more. It’s everything you can think of about cheese wrapped up in one well-crafted website.

5. Center for Creative Leadership: ccl.org
The home page copy starts with an impressive tagline summing up what they do, and it builds from there. It leads into copy that powerfully promotes their mission of leadership development, and boasts they “do it right” because they have research and client experience as proof. The breadth of content offerings, which include workshop kits and assessments, books, webinars and courses, is well-organized. It’s also presented in a visually appealing way, such as through the infographic on their “About” page. Besides the Success Stories, testimonials from students and clients would bolster their claims. Nevertheless, the site is a great resource for those interested in leadership.

Find out how to improve your website and other digital copy in my FREE ebook, “5 Common Online Content Problems — Solved!

What do you think of these websites?

Good Blog Examples: Professional Services Firms

In my Web travels, I see some great and a lot of not-so-great blogs.  These are some good blog examples by professional services firms (law, insurance, coaching, etc.).

DISCLAIMER: I’m not affiliated with any of these sites.  I like their content, and present it for educational purposes only.

1. Johnson Webbert & Young, LLP Attorneys & Counselors at Law: johnsonwebbert.com/news/
I’m biased — because they featured a real Maine legal case about how the lack of an “Oxford” or serial comma in an overtime policy resulted in a “win” for Oakhurst Dairy drivers ups their “greatness” quotient.  And they included a link to a comma quiz in that article.  No call to action for legal matters as a result of run-ins with the grammar police, though.  But, I really like the interesting tidbits about legal cases, the news items, and the opinions from lawyers about cases, which can be entertaining (another favorite post is “Will Robots Take Your Job?“).

2. Richard Brothers Financial: richardbrothersfinancial.com/blog/
These well-written blog posts cover timely topics for investors and people who need financial advice.  Articles about the recently passed Tax Cuts and Job Act and the Equifax data breach in 2017 offer sound advice to readers.  The posts are well-formatted for easy reading, with calls to action to entice clicks for incentives at the end.  This type of “classic” or traditional blog never goes out of style.

3. Noyes, Hall & Allen Insurance: noyeshallallen.com/blog/
This blog covers relevant, appropriate, and timely topics of interest to insurance customers.  Topics tied to trends are crucial for online searches.  The posts answer questions customers probably have or could have asked, which helps engage them and to speak their language.  They’re short, educational, and get to the heart of their subject matter, with the right balance of information, education, and substance for engagement, subtle sales strategies for success.

4. The Law Offices of Joe Bornstein: joebornstein.com/blog/
This accident and disability law firm posts interesting, informative monthly advice on related topics, which include winter weather accidents in Maine, trends in increases in car accidents and pedestrian fatalities, and Halloween safety tips.  They’re enjoyable reading, with lead sentences written with personality.  Check it out — you just might learn something new.

5. Lean East: leaneast.com/#ht-blog-section
These experts in Lean Six Sigma and other ways to eliminate waste in operating processes coach organizations on how to improve their effectiveness.  The posts aren’t letter-perfect, but they offer good advice presented in an interesting way with helpful examples.  They truly show the value of their work to potential clients.

Need help with your blog?  Read my free ebook for some pointers: “5 Common Online Content Problems — Solved!

What do you think?

Common Online Content Errors: Examples

The good thing about mistakes in online copy is that if you control the publishing platform (blog posts, newsletters, social media), they’re fairly easy to fix. But, that’s no excuse to make them. 🙂  These are some of the ones I see most often, with corrections.

1. wrong tense

Example: We’re double-checking our verbs so that we’re ensuring they’re correct.
Revised: We double-check our verbs to ensure they’re correct.

2. unnecessary punctuation

Example: Everything that could go wrong, seems to go wrong.
Revised: Everything that could go wrong seems to go wrong.

3. No punctuation when punctuation is necessary.

Example: The marigold like the zinnia is an annual flowering plant.
Revised: The marigold, like the zinnia, is an annual flowering plant.

4. misspelled words

Examples: Explicatives are considered foul language.
Revised: Expletives are considered foul language.

5. missing words

Example: There seem to questions about proper lifting techniques.
Revised: There seem to be questions about proper lifting techniques.

Which mistakes do you tend to make?

For help with these and other online content dilemmas, download my free ebook, 5 Common Online Content Problems Solved!.

5 Ways to Focus on Writing

1. Distractions – Kids could be playing, neighbors could be blaring loud tunes, or your roof could be leaking.  Whatever the disturbance, you need to get your writing done. Period. To focus on writing, silence the sounds, move to another location, if possible, or try earplugs, music, or white noise to drown them out.

2. Obsessions – Maybe your inbox calls to you every five minutes. Perhaps the Facebook page on your desktop caught your eye. Or, you feel the urge to snack whenever you even think of writing. Lead yourself not into temptation — even for just five minutes — to get some prose on the page.

3. Excuses – Sometimes, if we tend to procrastinate, we blame other things for our lack of accomplishment. Whether or not the dog truly ate your homework, you have to look yourself in the mirror and face that you didn’t get it done. Don’t let excuses get in the way.

4.  Problems – We all have them. There’s always someone who’s worse off than you are. If you don’t let obstacles prevent you from moving forward, you’ll start to get things done and clear the path to success.

5. Concentration – Sometimes, we just can’t focus on writing. If you’re struggling to finish a piece, writing in five-minute bursts can ease the way to the end.


Quotes

“Words are a lens to focus one’s mind.” ~ Ayn Rand

“I focus on the writing and let the rest of the process take care of itself. I’ve learned to trust my own instincts and I’ve also learned to take risks.” ~ Sue Grafton


Comments? Suggestions? Need help? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com

5 Ways to Write Concisely

1.Plan ahead. This will help you decide how long your piece will be and how much information to include.

2. Write a “listicle.” Listicles are numbered lists just like this one. Your title usually covers the number of items in the article, and then you just need to elaborate slightly to flesh out those concepts.

3. Brevity. If your online piece is longer than 500 to 1,000 words, consider breaking it down into a series in your e-newsletter or in your blog posts. This will help you keep each article short.

4. Don’t use two words when one will do. Examples include qualifiers (“very,” “pretty,” etc.), redundancies (“oval in shape”) and words and phrases that merely repeat what has already been written (“tiny little bit”).

5. Set a total word count and keep it. If you want a 500-word piece, a short list is great, or you can cover just one or two key points in the piece overall.


Quotes

“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

“I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.” ~ Truman Capote


Comments? Suggestions? Need help? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com