Content for Government and Not-for-Profit: How to Show the Impact of Your Work

Government agencies and not-for-profits in Canberra do important work. But the way they describe that work often makes it harder for people to understand or care about.

Look through a government website or annual report and you’ll usually see the same things. There are stock photos of people shaking hands or looking at laptops. The writing talks about outcomes frameworks and strategic priorities. There’s a lot of passive voice and very few real people.

The people doing this work are often good communicators. The problem is that the sector has set habits for how it reports on its work. Those habits were made to account for public money and results. They don’t do much to help the public understand the work.

Who Your Content Is For

Your audience could include a community member who might use one of your programs. Donors, funders and partner organisations read your content too. So do members of the public who want to know if public money is being spent well. All of these people pay more attention to a real person’s story told in plain language.

Say a not-for-profit can show that one person’s life changed because of its program. That’s a stronger case for funding than any framework. Now say a government agency can explain what a policy means for one family in one suburb. That’s clearer to the public than a ministerial statement.

Common Mistakes in Government and Not-for-Profit Content

The first mistake is relying on stock photos. Most people recognise a stock photo straight away, even if they can’t say why. Photos of your own staff and the people you help, in the places you work, are easier to believe. That’s true even when they’re less polished than a stock image. If you need photos like these, see our photography services in Canberra.

The second mistake is writing for people inside the organisation. A lot of this content uses program names and terms that only staff would know. One simple test is to give it to someone who knows nothing about your organisation. Can they tell you within thirty seconds what you do and who you help? If they can’t, start the writing again with that reader in mind.

The third mistake is leaving out personal stories altogether. Privacy concerns in this sector are real and need to be taken seriously. But some organisations remove so much detail that the content no longer says anything useful. You can tell true stories about real people, with their consent and with care.

What Good Content Looks Like in This Sector

The first type is a case study or client story, either written or filmed. Follow one person through your program and let them tell it in their own words, with their face on screen. That’s often more persuasive than a page of statistics. Statistics are still useful, because they show how many people you reach. A testimonial video is one way to tell this kind of story.

The second type shows how the work gets done. That means the people who deliver the service each day and the places where it happens. This kind of content helps people trust an organisation and shows the staff who run it. It’s most useful for organisations dealing with complex or sensitive issues that the public knows little about.

The third type is a plain language explainer. When a policy changes or a new program or service starts, people need to know how it affects them. A short written or filmed explainer is more useful to them than a fact sheet. These can be made on a modest budget. They need to be accurate and easy for the person using the service to follow.

Planning Around Privacy and Approvals

Government and not-for-profit organisations often have rules that commercial businesses don’t. There may be privacy obligations or a ministerial approval process. There may also be limits on who can be filmed or quoted. Build these rules into the plan from the start, so nobody finds out about them halfway through a shoot. Sorting this out early saves time and money later.

The Difference Between Reporting and Communicating

Annual reports and acquittal documents have a purpose. They show how money was spent and what it achieved, and they should keep being made. But they aren’t written for a general reader. A common mistake is to copy their tone and structure in content meant for the public.

Reports are written for funders, while public content is written for the community you serve. Organisations that do this well make both. Their reports meet the funding requirements. Their public content reaches the people the programs are for, in a way those people understand.

People in Canberra should be able to understand the work being done on their behalf. Plain language and real people on camera help them do that.

If your organisation runs public campaigns, read our article on content for advocacy campaigns. Our articles on content for education and content for professional services deal with similar problems in other sectors.