Clear the Air

When dealing with complex environmental issues, such as protecting land and water or reducing toxic emissions, it’s vital to use clear language in a fundraising campaign. Environmental groups must make the connection between the problem and [donors’] everyday lives.

“Too often in the environmental movement we become bogged down in science jargon — biodiversity, ecosystems, habitat,” O’Connor says. “These words can be exclusionary instead of inclusive. We prefer to talk about community, open space, connecting people to place. Find out why nature is interesting to people and connect conservation to that.”