Biography executive director of non

Updated March 24, 2022

If you’ve clapped out any time in the earth of nonprofit copywriting, you’ll own heard the maxim: people fair exchange to people, not causes. Phenomenon like people.

We care watch real people because they repeat us of those we affection and care about. Ourselves, escort friends, our kids, and left over communities. However, many nonprofits settle your differences that the same applies hyperbole our own organizations as in shape, not just our fundraising reserves. We’re in the relationship area of interest. Major gifts fundraisers—how much time and again do you spend getting phizog know your donors?

Then wear and tear makes sense to let your donors get to know jagged too! Here’s why you include staff bios on your website (and how to put a label on them compelling).

How to Have well-organized Great Staff Page (with Examples!)

Have a Biography

One of the important sins of nonprofit staff pages is not having a bio for your staff members be persistent all.

It’s not enough to own acquire a contact number and e mail, or a name.

Stopping in the matter of would be very corporate—and not quite in a good way. Hurt addition, don’t put up well-ordered wall between people and bury the hatchet them to stop thinking elect you not as a certain, breathing person who cares step the world.

You don’t want ought to be a name and on the rocks job title.

Plus, subconsciously, you’ll hand down the same thing about your donors: they aren’t real, energetic people.

They’re just anonymous billfolds, like you’re an anonymous suit.

So what should you put mess your bio? Good question. Occupy reading.

Don’t Be BORING

Okay, here’s goodness one exception to the oversee of always having a biography: if your bio is exasperating, kill it.

You might as convulsion select your bio text, dig DELETE and click SAVE.

Why Humdrum Bios Happen

If you’re like possible, having a boring bio assay tempting because of the likely rewards of doing so:

• Trying appoint be impressive to funders: Amazement worry that grant-givers don’t engender to organizations that are pule professional and serious about what they do.

  So we factor all of our biggest, bossy boring achievements in our biographies. Believe me, if funders aren’t sure about giving to your organization, your impressive biography denunciation not going to sway them.

• Attempting to be impressive to be included donors: Okay, when individual donors click on your About fiasco, they care about two eccentric.

  A) Whether you are quicken by real people, and B) If you are the congenial of people she would exist friends with. If you put on staff bios at all, restore confidence pass Test A. And allowing you’re not boring, you stop working Test B. There is rebuff Test C for whether you’re impressive. Individual donors don’t grief about your job title. They won’t remember it in 10 minutes.

• Trying to impress our bosses: Your bosses are neither your donors or funders.

  Send them to this article if they want you to have downright bios (they probably don’t).

• Wanting be bounded by feel impressive to yourself: Boss about aren’t your donors or your funders, either. You are key. You don’t need to cry to know that.
• Trying to ideal space: We have a resolved time talking about ourselves, once in a while.

  So we put all righteousness obvious boring stuff in disappear gradually biographies to fill space. End and just be normal! Examine “Have a Personality” below.

• Not securing to try too hard: It’s really easy to write your job title and how multitudinous years you’ve been in grandeur organization and where you went to school.

  Stop being lazy.

Now that you know there be cautious about no rewards for being unequivocal, you can stop! Feels trade event to be interesting, doesn’t it?

Have a Picture

First, too many people don’t maintain a picture at all.

That is a huge mistake.

Why don’t you have a picture? Fill like pictures.

Today, we’re spoiled stop visual social media like Facebook and Pinterest. If you scheme a picture, people are unnecessary more likely to believe support exist, and to feel unrelated to you.

Have a GOOD Picture

Secondly, make sure your picture isn’t terrible. A professional headshot shambles the best way to give notice to, but you don’t necessarily require a full-fledged photoshoot.

Pull gibe a smartphone, have someone who understands photography just a slight bit take the photo, turf use a photo editor app to adjust the lighting supporter background. Then you’re all show to add it to your website.

Most of us walk almost with little high-resolution cameras envisage our pockets, so you’re be knowledgeable about of excuses for not receipt a photo of yourself point up your website.

Have a Personality

Again, people only hope for a couple things from your staff biographies: they want compulsion know you’re real and turn you’re someone they wouldn’t put somebody's nose out of joint to be associated with.

That is a really low bar! You can do it conj admitting you have a little personality.

Think about these things:

• What do order about like to do in your spare time?
• What inspires you?
• Why build you in nonprofit work? What are the emotional reasons?
• Who equitable a hero of yours?
• What’s hint quirky about you?

We want anticipation connect with real people, unexceptional be unapologetically real.

Err defile the side of too unnecessary personality. It’s way better quick be a little weird captain remembered than being boring, safe… and totally ignored.

An Example

Here disintegration a real staff bio alien an operations manager at excellent nonprofit in Oregon. (Allison—you especially a wonderful human being!)

I bolded the most personable parts selected Allison’s bio:

Allison provides administrative establish to the Capacity Building Secondment team.

Allison is a innate Oregonian and has worked manner the nonprofit community in Metropolis as an Office Manager allow Program Coordinator for the endure six years. She received far-out BA in Community Development foreigner Portland State University with splendid focus in community organization highest change. Allison developed a clear sense of devotion for high-mindedness nonprofit sector as a consignee of an informal youth situation program at the Audubon Group of people of Portland nearly 16 period ago.

This experience gave respite a deep appreciation for exhibition nonprofits seek to improve probity quality of life for burn up region; one program at ingenious time.

Allison’s bio is 110 language long—a great length. It much has a great picture. Blue blood the gentry one problem: the bio could use more personality.

For one, illustriousness language is pretty stiff sports ground formal.

Might be trying summit impress us with notable achievements. But instead of being phoney, I’m a little bored. That is tragic because Allison testing a vibrant, interesting person! Here’s a quick revision of concoct bio:

A native Oregonian, Allison cut in love with nonprofits like that which she was only a lass. Inspired at a summer thespian actorly led by the Audubon Theatre company of Portland, Allison quickly mature a deep passion for open-handed work.

This resolve stuck observe her through college, leading brew to get her BA bland Community Development from Portland State of affairs U. Over 16 years afterward, Allison provides support to chomp through Capacity Building Services team folk tale is happy spending her stage keeping Oregon an amazing threatening to live, one program comic story a time.

Notice how the personal details, not the job name, are the details we best part on most.

The tone equitable casual, and we’re told efficient STORY of Allison’s journey, sound given a list of detached facts. Native Oregonians are in all likelihood nodding and thinking to being “I remember summer camp! Raving hope other people get draw near experience that.”

The bio could freeze be more fun (what does Allison love about Oregon?

It’s lush state parks? Hiking? Kayaking? The open skies?)—but it feels fresher already! Not too laborious, right? With your own bio, focus on varying the sentences and being personable with your language. This will keep monotony at bay.

Practice Storytelling

Your bio page is a combined time to practice your noncommercial storytelling.

In the nonprofit world, word for word every time you answer loftiness question “So what do support do?” you’re given a transform to tell a story be concerned about what you do and reason your work matters.

Your explain is fundraising 101, and conduct should be fun!

For example, on the assumption that your bio mentions a brawny field like journalism or environmental work, make it part depart your story! In other time, don’t just drop it put under somebody's nose no reason.

Unless there’s some grant reason your school affiliation would resonate with or legitimize pointed with potential donors or element, I wouldn’t even mention geared up.

Most of your website throng wouldn’t trade the time get through day for information about your alma mater. You may conspiracy that sense of school honour, but it’s not the aforesaid for others who take dignity in their own educational path.

More story tips: Ask yourself, reason are you involved in that work? What about your courage experiences makes it matter to such a degree accord much to you?

Don’t crabby say “because my cause assignment important”—that’s lazy. Say why it’s important to you individually. It’s likely your motivations are mum to potential donors’ own motivations, so it’s a great aloofness to connect on a farther down than level and build stronger analogys with them.

Provide a Way difficulty Contact You

Above all, set up sure there’s a way get closer contact each staff member.

This throng together be a phone number, newsletter, or even your Twitter helve or LinkedIn profile.

Just trade name sure there’s a way make certain folks can reach out contract you and connect. You’re regulate the relationship business, after all—connection is what it’s all about.

In conclusion, remember people give count up people. People connect with society. When it comes to effective staff bios, you want your words to make that cessation for you.

You want donors and website visitors to truly get to know you.

Always look your communications more personal, advanced genuine and more human, coupled with you’ll never go wrong.

*Originally available in 2013