Description Download: A Crash Course In Good Descriptions
Est. Reading Time: 2 minutes
One of the first interactions a potential donor will have with a project is reading the description. This is a very important part of your project. The goal of your project’s description is to get a potential donor to click on your project. This blog will discuss some ways to make that happen more often.
Express The Need
It’s important that the donor knows exactly what their donations will be used for. If the project is for a student’s tuition you could say something like, “Suzie can’t afford to go to school anymore.” This clearly communicates that Suzie needs funds for tuition because she does not currently have the ability to pay for it herself. If you are raising multiple items for a recipient then include a list of those materials in the description. Below is an example from Sarah Stites where she clearly lists the materials needed for the recipient.
Have A Clear Call To Action
So now the donor knows what the need is, what should they do about it? This is where the call to action comes into play. Tell the donor what needs to be done to meet the need you just explained. Clearly state the amount you need. Here’s an example: “A donation of $500 will be enough to pay off the existing loan and expand the small business. Your generosity is their only hope for a sustainable future.”
Make It Compelling
Draw in a potential donor even further by capturing their hearts with the recipient's story. You want to do this in the first three sentences of the description. Below is an example of a project by David Perterka where he draws you into this girl’s story before the “see more” button.
Our donors love when there are multiple projects for recipients. If you do a project like this, make sure to include the link to the previous project. The description is also a good place to fill in any gaps that might be in a low-quality video. This can make a decent video into a great project. Another way to make a description compelling could be to add an emoji or a question that grabs the attention of the donor like, “Could you imagine if you could no longer go to school because you couldn’t afford it?”
Some Things To Avoid
- Misspellings and bad grammar
- Descriptions that are too short (they should be more than 3 sentences)
- Descriptions that are too long or un-compelling (should be less than 3 long paragraphs)
