How can you use humor in your copy for nonprofits?

Every joke is an opportunity to connect. Inside jokes with friends and family are the best kind because they make us feel uniquely close and effortlessly understood. When you're writing for a nonprofit—which likely targets an audience beyond just your mom and besties—you still want to infuse your copy with a sense of mutual understanding, so your audience feels aligned with your mission. Using highly relatable humor can help you achieve this goal. However, if your jokes conflict with your audience’s preferences, you counterproductively emphasize incompatibility, and push your audience away.

Infuse humor strategically by understanding your audience, using relatable anecdotes, and incorporating light-hearted language. Ensure the humor aligns with the nonprofit's mission, avoiding sensitive topics. Use it sparingly to engage and uplift without detracting from the seriousness of the cause.

When you're working with a non-profit, you may need to be mindful of certain language, and this also counts when it comes to which jokes are funny. Make sure to research the specific language you want to use. If in doubt, there are two things that you can do firstly, you can ask someone to sensitivity check it who is a part of the audience you're writing for/about. Additionally if you're really not sure find something else to say, it's much better than accidentally causing a media storm because of one joke, we've all seen it happen!

Relevancy and timeliness is everything for using humor in your copy and posts as a nonprofit! If you can play on unique qualities of your region /state in a way that’s respectful and not offensive this can be a good way to include humorous references.

It's all about the audience first. You ask yourself if there is a ground for such. If yes, I suggest you use analogy or simile or metaphor to pass the humor.

Stand out from the crowd by using humor. A healthy sense of humor is a necessity in all areas of life. If we can’t laugh at ourselves and give each other some grace, then toxic stress and unhappiness will surely be the consequence. There is an appropriate time, place, and intention behind the use of humor in copy. Know your audience, check your heart, and use humor to infuse creativity and emotional intelligence into your messaging. Life is short, live it well. Flavor it up with good-hearted humor💜😃

One way to add humor to copy for nonprofits is to incorporate light-hearted anecdotes or playful language that aligns with the organization's mission and tone. Ex. For a fundraising copy for a wildlife conservation nonprofit, you might share a story about a mischievous monkey who stole a researcher's hat during a field expedition. You have to tie this anecdote back to the importance of protecting endangered species and preserving their habitats, while injecting a sense of humor and warmth into the message. This is how I write most of my stories because it allows you to engage readers (or donors) emotionally while also showcasing the brand's (organization's) personality and sense of humor in a way that feels authentic and relatable.

There are a few ways to do this. One solid way is storytelling. You can talk about a funny event or personal story that align with the objective or goal of the copy. The usage of words, slangs or phrases that produce the “wow! Oh yeah!” response. A creative copywriter can make people laugh and happy but still maintain the message of the copy. For nonprofits, I water down the tone, make it more friendly, accommodating and funny. I achieve this using storytelling as my weapon.

Craft jokes that subtly emphasize the nonprofit’s commitment to its cause, for example (not the best example): "Join us in the fight against deforestation, and let’s make sure the only thing getting 'axed' are bad environmental policies, not our beautiful forests!" - Avoid jokes that rely on cultural stereotypes or idioms that may not translate well across diverse audiences.

Humour in copy ! 1. Use self-deprecating humor - you can say how you're still trying to figure out the whole "nonprofit thing" or how your team is fueled by coffee and passion. 2. Play with Words: - Use phrases to make people remember your message. A fundraising campaign as "Help us Paws for the Cause!" 3. Use relatable humour: - Share funny stories that everyone can relate to. For example, if you help animals, talk about the funny things pets do. 4.Use humours on the problem your group is fixing. - point out how silly or strange the issues you're working on can be. 5. Use humor to celebrate your successes - Tell funny stories about how your organization is making a difference. It's like sharing good news with a laugh.

Humor in writing and presentations for nonprofits is best when it is provided by those the nonprofit assists. Their stories. Humor coming from staff and directors is meaningless, and can backfire. SJA