Fundraisers need to utilize all available media to them in order to reach the largest possible donor base. All copy including online, direct mail and proposals should be thoroughly edited before released. We generally only check for spelling and grammar and may solely rely on spell check to catch our mistakes. Spell check is helpful but should not be the only double check. Read your copy out loud, print it out and edit on the piece of paper and if possible, read the copy again one to two days later.
The rules for capitalization may appear to be simple: at the beginning of a sentence and for proper names but what about Internet terms, awards and titles. Below are general rules for capitalization.
- Capitalize common nouns when they are part of a formal name. (Catholic Church, Atlantic Ocean)
- Capitalize awards, honours and decorations. (Nobel Peace Prize, Order of Canada)
- Capitalize the proper names of well-known buildings, bridges, parks and rooms. (Parliament Buildings, Calgary City Hall)
- Capitalize geographic and widely recognized descriptive regions. (East Coast, Northern Canada)
- Capitalize holidays, religious feasts and all special times. (Canada Day, Hanukkah)
- Capitalize specific Internet proper names. (World Wide Web, Internet, Windows Explorer)
- Capitalize proclaimed laws, treaties, important legal codes and historic documents. (Kyoto Protocol, Charter of Rights)
- Capitalize names as per used by the organization or person. (eBay, iPhone)
- Capitalize the full name of organizations and institutions but lowercase the. (the House of Commons, the Bay)
- Capitalize all trade names. (Kleenex, Coca-Cola)
Now that you are armed with these tips, the next time you review your work, see if you can find any errors. To learn more, read our common misspelled fundraising terms.
