Your impact statement is your charity's short story – what you do and why you do it in 80 characters.
It's your chance to tell your supporters why your charity exists so they know the impact of their donation. It's short and snappy so it's easy to share on social media and mobile phones where space is tight.
It appears on your Charity Profile Page, in post-donation shares and in Donate Box - a social plugin for your website that makes it easy for people to donate and share their donation with their friends.
How to add your impact statement
Here's how to add yours to your profile.
- Log into your charity account
- Go to the tab Branding
- Select Edit your logo & description
- Go to Your charity's impact statement and enter your text. Each part is 40 characters long and it will tell you what you have left in each box Unfortunately, you won't be able to add hyperlinks in your impact statement or change the 'We' to your charity name.
- Click Publish.
You can edit your impact statement at any time by following the steps above.
How to write a great impact statement
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Use keywords about your cause – your impact statement is split into two, so try including keywords about your charity in both parts. That way, if only one part is used when space is particularly tight, it will still work well independently of the other half.
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Think about your potential audience – what do people need to know and what would make them care about your cause? Use words that you know will have an effect and make potential supporters relate to your charity.
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Be specific – space is tight so don't waste time on including lots of detail and complicated long words. Use simple and emotive language that gets to the point and that you know is going to have a big impact.
Some examples of great impact statements
Take a look at these two from the Stroke Association, Macmillan Cancer Support, and American Red Cross
- Stroke Association: We help stroke survivors to find strength through support.
- Macmillan Cancer Support: We will do whatever it takes to improve cancer support for everyone.
- American Red Cross: We work together in emergencies to help prevent & alleviate human suffering
The keywords for each charity (stroke, cancer, and emergencies) are in both parts of the impact statement so supporters can easily tell at a glance what the charity does and why. And the language is simple, emotive and powerful, so people immediately know the impact of their donation.
Updating your charity profile
Is your charity profile complete? Now you've written your impact statement, don't forget to add your donation prompts and upload your charity logo and description too.