AUDIENCES
Board of directors
Our board of directors helps make important decisions for our organization . As such , it ’ s critical that we foster connection between our board and the daily realities of the team members who bring our mission to life . Additionally , we focus on building long-lasting support for our mission , vision and values through a laser-focus on our goals . We achieve these communication goals by sharing impactful stories and data , and maintaining transparency throughout our communications , even if the information is not always light or positive .
Community ( local and regional )
We engage with our community in the form of media stories , event invitations , volunteer initiatives and more . This content is most successful when it leverages storytelling and establishes a memorable , emotional connection with readers . Language should be simple , consistent and clear so that the average person can understand the message . This content often has a call to action that inspires community members to learn more or get involved .
Donors
Our donors help make our mission possible , so when speaking to this audience , we should be simple and concise , and focus on impact . We use more conceptual language to encourage big-picture thinking , but we balance our requests with gratitude . Data and proof points help showcase our impact , which invite donors to consider how they are contributing directly to our daily , lifesaving work . Our goals with this audience are best achieved when we focus on emotion and patient success via storytelling .
Partners
Clinical and community partners already understand our work and mission . With this audience , we emphasize the shared value of sustained partnerships , assuming a “ better together ” approach . When creating content for partners , it ’ s best to use “ we ” language that refers to both parties working together in harmony to achieve a shared goal .
Patients , parents , caregivers and families
Our patients and families are at the core of our mission . Whether they ’ re seeking emergency care , healthcare information or guidance on what to do next , our tone always considers how we can fulfill their unmet needs . To do so , we are informative , clear and helpful , as well as warm and welcoming . This audience benefits from concise communication , and we use simple , straightforward language whenever possible . When we are communicating to these audiences about patient health ( such as in a handbook ), we follow health literacy guidelines . In these circumstances , slight differences from AP style are acceptable because they promote understanding . Additionally , while most of our patients are children , some of our programs also treat adults . In these cases , consider shifting your tone with this audience in mind .
Pediatric healthcare professionals
We speak to pediatric healthcare professionals when sharing our latest research and discoveries . We use more complex language with this audience than any others , often relying on data to demonstrate a measurable impact . However , in many instances , we strive for this writing to be compelling and creative . Members of this audience also serve as important partners and research collaborators , so we focus on demonstrating our reputation and rankings in the medical community without losing our humility .
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