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“An excellent read and a top pick for the concerned person with a way with the pen! The pen is very mighty indeed if applied right. “Writing to Make a Difference: 25 Powerful Techniques to Boost Your Community Impact” …gives readers a thoughtful and concise guide to make the most out of their writing. With advice on keeping your message clear, concise, and powerful, Dalya F. Massachi gives readers a solid and educational read with plenty of real world examples.” – Midwest Book Review
“Writing to Make a Difference is a great balance of both instructional and interactive tips, tools, and exercises for those who want to effectively communicate the difference they are making in the world. This book helps to lower the barrier for organizations who desire to tell their story in a way that captures both head and heart.” — Alandra L. Washington, Deputy Director, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
“The Achilles’ heel of many programs is the poor quality of the writing describing what the organization does. Whether on a website, in a blog, a proposal or a direct mail appeal, writing is something nonprofit staff do almost every day. Writing is a skill, and it is a skill that almost anyone can acquire. Dalya Massachi has drilled down to all that is important about good writing in this book. I recommend it for those of us who write regularly and want to improve, and for those of us who don’t write because we don’t think we can.” — Kim Klein, author, Reliable Fundraising in Unreliable Times“
“This book is an excellent resource for professional writers who need to be educated on writing for community-based organizations and for non-writers who are intimidated by the thought of writing materials that will tell the stories of their organizations. Massachi uses her expertise to educate, encourage and arm her readers with confidence in their ability to write about what their organizations can offer the communities they serve…This book is a tool that should be a part of every community-based organization’s library. It would also be a useful resource that for-profit companies can use in their community projects. I highly recommend it.” — Melissa Levine for Independent Professional Book Reviewers (www.bookreviewers.org)
“Writing to Make a Difference is a guide for turning a socially committed person into a wordsmith who can spark the sensibilities and move the imagination.” — Tracy Rosenberg, Executive Director, Media Alliance
“This is an outstanding work, one of the best I have read in the genre. The writing lessons are succinct, the methods to convey them effective, and the style itself an example of professional brilliance. Moreover, the design of the work with its icons and format propels the book from one writing nugget to another. I recommend Writing to Make a Difference because I know that it will.” — Michael Bugeja, Director, Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University and author, Interpersonal Divide: The Search for Community in a Technological Age
“Inspired and inspiring. I can’t think of anyone that could not derive great benefit from this book…. Ms. Massachi’s emphasis on mission and collaboration ensures that the values-based organization will know how to use the technical skills of writing for their true purpose. The well-developed “Writing Workouts” are sure to take the practitioner to new levels of success. Ms. Massachi’s personal stories and humor help to keep her reader connected. This book is a great example of “walking the talk” – offering a model of all its lessons. I’ll be recommending this book to all my clients.” — Deborah Pruitt, Ph.D., Founder and Principal, Group Alchemy™ Consulting
“Massachi’s voice sounds real and helpful. She herself uses the kind of detail that gives ordinary writing the power to shift readers’ attitudes and beliefs. Her breadth of examples is remarkable– learn how dozens of organizations like your own write stirring messages...She includes one of the best treatments I’ve seen of cross-cultural communication and how to recognize and avoid exclusionary language, plus a very helpful “picky” section covering exactly the editing errors people seem to make. I particularly loved the hilarious cartoons and the italicized “Ask Yourself” questions that invite us to go deeper into what Massachi is teaching.” — Louise Dunlap, Ph.D., writing coach, activist, and author, Undoing the Silence: Six Tools for Social Change Writing
“I’ve watched Dalya Massachi succeed by taking her own advice. In the process, she has built a compelling framework for the craft of public-interest writing, and a powerful skill set for helping community activists. Take this walk with her!” — Melissa Everett, Ph.D., author, Making a Living While Making a Difference: Conscious Careers for an Era of Interdependence
“This is it: a straightforward, no muck, comprehensive compendium of facts, examples, and exercises to test the waters, build the boat, and take sail. This is one book I would recommend to every member of my team – grant writers, fundraisers, staff, and every board member. Writing to Make a Difference goes beyond the 25 techniques listed in the title, from tidbits of tips to the appendices of resources.” — Johnson Hor, Esq, Board member, Art Endowment, Inspire to Do, Lawyers’ Club of San Francisco
“Finally someone has produced a single master reference work specifically on writing for community nonprofits. I can now dispense with a whole shelf of books that partially address my needs in favor of one that was actually written for those of us working in grassroots and community settings.” — Chris McKenna, Executive Director, The Mind Body Awareness Project, Inc.
“In the nonprofit sector, we all write to make a difference in our communities. Whether we write a little or a lot, few have the talent and hard-earned wisdom of Dalya Massachi. Now Dalya lavishly shares that talent and wisdom in this book, with practicality and power. Her results-oriented approach to writing is unique and refreshing!” — Tess Reynolds, CEO, New Door Ventures
“I have found Writing to Make a Difference to be a delightful and very easy read. It’s as friendly as the For Dummies books, but with much more depth. The areas Dalya covers are so relevant to folks working in nonprofit communications today; it feels almost as if she wrote the book just for me! I also really like the Personally Speaking blurbs, as well as the relevant quotes — these tidbits make the text even more interesting. The book is very well-designed and, of course, exceptionally well-written. I’d give it a 10 out of 10!” — Lori Warren, former Communications Director, Insight Center for Community Economic Development
“Writing to Make a Difference brings to light how individuals can expand upon their current writing abilities to create powerful communications with easy-to-implement techniques. “Writing to Make a Difference” takes an in-depth and comprehensive approach to maximizing all aspects of communication with engaging exercises throughout the book to elevate the reader’s skills with every page turned. I highly recommend this book to anyone connected with the nonprofit sector.” — Lynne Norton, Marketing Manager, OpportunityKnocks.org
“As the only national provider of competency-based curriculum and experiential learning that prepares those seeking to make a difference in nonprofit management and leadership, American Humanics is pleased to recommend Writing to Make a Difference. Nonprofit professionals must write concisely, yet with passion. This new resource provides the tips and examples all will find beneficial to support best our organizational missions.” — SueAnn Strom, Vice President, Academic Partnerships, American Humanics
“Organizations and activists wanting to create a peaceful and equitable world need to communicate their ideas and vision clearly. Massachi’s book, Writing to Make a Difference, gives simple-to-follow guidance on how to do this in a world that is overloaded with jargon and complexity. A valuable resource for writers of all levels.” — Sarah Hobson, Executive Director, New Field Foundation
“I’m sure to recommend this book to my clients. It demonstrates the importance of planning and preparing a good message, and is filled with sound tips, examples, and guidelines. It provides a good grounding for anyone who wants to influence or engage others toward any message, both inside and outside the organization.” — Judith Wilson, M.C.C., executive coach and co-author, Coaching Skills for Nonprofit Managers and Leaders
“One of the biggest challenges the non-profit sector has is creative and effective grant writing. Writing to Make a Difference is an excellent resource. It’s one of the most comprehensive tools I’ve seen. Young people and seasoned professionals will both find useful information on writing in a way that WILL make a difference.” — Elaine Leibsohn, Vice President, America’s Promise Alliance
“If you want to communicate clearly, you have to write clearly. If you want to write clearly, you want this book. While her focus is tilted toward grassroots and nonprofit/not-for-profit community organizations, about 98 percent of her advice is equally applicable to business — especially green, socially conscious, ethical businesses that need to communicate a bigger message than “buy my stuff.”…Massachi has a light touch that turns a could-have-been-deadly subject into an enjoyable read, and the textbook-like format is full of exercises, nice little interjections, personal experience, and such. Which makes it a lot more palatable than the grammar and style textbooks of my youth… I’d even go so far as to say that this is a book that I’d have liked to have written, and certainly one I wish I’d had when I was starting my career as a social-change and environmental action writer…A must for the shelf of any serious business or nonprofit writer, and even more so for employees or managers who are not writers but get thrown a writing project.” – Shel Horowitz, Clean & Green Newsletter
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