Why a tone of voice is essential

Every charity, whichever sector it operates in, needs to show it has a unique personality. And the only way to express that personality is through language. This is achieved by creating a tone of voice (TOV). 

Creating a distinct TOV is important as it shows expertise, builds confidence, reflects your purpose and helps build an authentic bond with existing, and prospective donors.

If your charity were a person, who would it be?

When it comes to creating a TOV, a good starting point is to think of your charity as a person. What kind of personality would your charity have? Does your TOV represent the people involved in the charity and reflect your values? When was the last time you reevaluated, or even distributed your TOV internally to all your stakeholders? Who’s monitoring your TOV and making sure it’s being implemented across all your comms?

That’s a lot of questions, but your TOV is so important it needs to be front of mind with everyone in your organisation – even those not producing external comms on a regular basis. 

If your charity doesn’t have a TOV, it needs to, as having one ensures all the team is on the same page. It also means your donors, and perhaps more importantly, potential donors completely understand your ethos. You’ll then be able to communicate in a way that’s compelling, clear and consistent, and makes it crystal clear for your audience who you are, what you do, and why. Here, communication is key. You wouldn’t leave your fundraising to chance, so why leave your communications to chance? 

There are many compelling reasons to create a TOV, but these are the most important:

Stand out

• Your charity is unique.
• Everyone needs to know why.
• A TOV lets you highlight what makes you different.
• When you can articulate this, donors will feel more connected with your charity.

Speak with one voice

• Make sure your messaging isn’t ambiguous.
• Everyone in your organisation needs to sing from the same hymn sheet.
• Your web copy, social media posts and emails need to align.
• Ensure your users know it’s you!

Build trust

• Donors want to know their money will be used wisely.
• They have to trust you.
• You achieve this through consistency. 
• This is realised in the way you communicate your key messages.

Creating a TOV

It can be daunting trying to create a TOV from scratch as you need to get back to basics. Working out your mission, story, key messages and why you’re unique can be a challenge. Often it’s hard to take a step back, which is why getting a third party involved can make life easier.

We now have someone full-time at Fat Beehive, who can help write your TOV. Contact us today, and find out how we can make you stand out from the crowd.