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Building trust and support
with inspiring writing

Toronto-based marketing and communications consultant and writer Karen Luttrell serves charities and nonprofits.Toronto-based writer and marketer Karen Luttrell

Good communication can engage your volunteers and donors, strengthen your relationships with funders and partners, and inspire new supporters. With strong writing you can create great fundraising materials, annual reports, newsletters, and news releases – the kind of materials that get noticed and get results.

At this site you'll find original articles and a collection of resources to help you with these and other common non-profit marketing and communications needs. You can also find information about my writing and strategy services.

Please call me at 647-287-4344 for more information.


"Karen is detail oriented with a flair for creative words that bring her written copy to life on the pages . . . I would like Karen to work for me anytime. She gets things done. Thanks Karen."
Lori Nash, Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association

"TurnAround Couriers is a growing social enterprise and Karen has definitely helped me to bring about this growth. She is a bright, perceptive and energetic woman who doesn’t waste time."
Richard Derham, TurnAround Couriers

"As board chair I worked closely with Karen on a number of projects. She was extremely efficient and a pleasure to work with. . . She was objective and had great writing ability."
Terry Pigeon, CATIE

 

News and Views

How to Wow Supporters with Your 2012 Nonprofit Annual Report 

As the new year begins, you may be planning your 2012 annual report. Please join me and video producer Peter Reynolds, of For the Record Productions, on January 24 for a free lunch-time discussion of video annual reports and other exciting trends.  
Event Details . . .

 e-Newsletters and the Path to Donor Happiness

Retaining donors continues to be one of the biggest challenges faced by North American charities. Email Newsletters can be such a cost-effective way to reach your donors and keep them informed and engaged. But you have to get your emails opened and read. And you have to know how to move your donors and give them the satisfaction of knowing they've made a difference and can continue to do so.  Access the audio and slides from a free webinar I presented for Artez Interactive on exactly those topics.

Getting Started in Public Relations Writing

As VP Communications for the Professional Writers Association of Canada Toronto Chapter, I'm co-organizing this event with Chapter President Jaclyn Law. There are some great speakers lined up and on October 23 the panel will offer a wealth of information for freelance writers who are interested in crafting public relations materials, including news releases, fact sheets, bios, and annual reports. I've also shared a post on the subject at the NetWords blog. I'll be live tweeting for @pwactoronto, so follow #pwacpanel to join the conversation on Twitter.

Social Media for Nonprofits Conference Blog Post 

Missed the conference? Organizers and speakers delivered an information-packed event. Read some of my favourite highlights here and get linked to the presentations on slideshare.

Making your non-profit annual report shine

In her blog series for Wild Apricot, Lori Halley shares tips to help non-profits create great annual reports. In part 3 of the series she includes an excerpt from an article originally published right here: From Dull to Dynamic: Making Your Non-profit Annual Report Shine.

Advice for writers who want to work with non-profits

The Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) recently asked me to share tips for writers who would like to try their hand at serving non-profits. See my guest post at their NetWords blog.

From Slacktivist to Activist: Partners in change, one small step at a time

How does a Facebook “like” or a retweet on Twitter move your cause forward? Could the same people who take these simple online actions be among your non-profit organization’s strongest advocates? Please join me, and co-host Amy Sept of Nimbyist Communications, for an interactive panel discussion with non-profit community managers and digital marketing experts. This free panel for non-profits is part of social media week 2012.

Use Your Newsletter to Create an Ambassador Corps

Creating a special "Ambassador's Corner" in your newsletter can help you keep supporters engaged and connected. Sumac Non-profit Software included this concept in their article 8 Brilliant Nonprofit Newsletter Ideas from the Experts.

Your People are your story. Tell it well and inspire supporters.

Before they give time or money, potential supporters want to be assured that your organization makes a difference. People make decisions about which brands and organizations to trust based on recommendations – what they hear from other people. Yet many non-profit organizations don’t maintain a fresh list of testimonials and success stories. That’s why I created the Inspiration Bank, a new writing service for nonprofits.

Karen Luttrell Communications Facebook Page

Please join us at www.facebook.com/LuttrellCommunications to share marketing, communications and fundraising resources for non-profit professionals.

10 Tips for NPO Staff and Volunteers Who Want to Take Great Photos

This article, originally shared right here on the PR for NPOs blog, was republished at CharityVillage.com, my favourite portal for Canadian non-profit organizations.