Building Thought Leadership for Nonprofits with Opinion Pieces

Credit: Markus Winkler

Nonprofits work to build credibility and visibility with donors, policymakers and the public, and they know that establishing themselves as thought leaders helps. The most effective way to do that is to publish opinion pieces — commonly known as op-eds — or their smaller cousins, letters to the editor. 

It’s an excellent plan, but more difficult to execute than ever. The number of news organizations (and the opinion desks that run op-eds and letters to the editor) continues to shrink, leaving fewer places to run such essays. And the opinion editors who remain get literally hundreds of submissions every day of the week. Breaking into the opinion section cannot happen with a lackluster essay.

It’s harder for nonprofits — and the risks are real

More than other denizens of the opinion sections, nonprofit leaders face a higher degree of difficulty in breaking through with an op-ed. Nonprofit leaders are understandably cautious about saying anything too inflammatory. Causing offense can cost donations, alienate allies and put a target on oneself where there hadn’t been one before.

But thought leaders (like leaders of all types) know that leading comes both with inherent risk and potential benefit. Those benefits include establishing credibility and expertise in one’s field, setting an agenda, building morale, bringing respect and authority to the organization and attracting both donors and policy support.

Sounds great, right? Here is a plan to ensure the best possible chance of being one of that handful of essays out of hundreds that get published on a news site on any given day.

1 Have something to say — and then say it

Think about what gets your attention on a news site and keeps you reading. It likely is not something about how wonderful a program is or a personal essay about the good the author does. More likely it is a muscular point of view expressed with feeling, or a sharp analysis of a problem followed by a clear plan on how to solve it. It is something worth your time.

If you want your essay to be worth someone else’s time, have the courage to express your convictions in clear, plain language. This is your opportunity to make a case or convince people to take action or to call for change. You won’t be able to do that with mush-mouthed platitudes or jargon that cloaks what you mean. 

2 Be quick about it — and be relevant

Opinion sections are part of news sites, and it’s important to remember that news is new. That means it is crucial to think and write quickly while your issue is fresh in people’s (and editor’s) minds. If you have something to say about cuts to a particular benefit program, for example, you had better have your opinion out there either before the cuts are final or while there is a chance to alleviate their effect. If you take too long shaping your message, you will have missed your chance.

As a thought leader, however, you have an advantage. You know before many other people what issues are rising to the surface. You know the problems many people face before the rest of the public does. These are the days or weeks in which you can figure out what you want to say and how best to say it. It is always better to be ahead of the news, rather than behind it.

Speaking of the news, be aware of it. Your essay has a greater chance of seeing the light of day if it has some relation to whatever is going on in the world, your region or your field. Perhaps you’ve seen something in your area of expertise that’s related to a larger conversation. Some issues cut across many areas. Artificial intelligence has inserted itself into almost all aspects of society; perhaps you’ve seen its effect in a way that others haven’t. People worry about their health; maybe you know something that could affect their treatment some day. 

3 Use facts and tell stories

Unless you want to be dismissed with The Dude’s classic line in “The Big Lebowski,” use some facts to support your point. If your central point is that a particular budget cut is bad, tell readers the size of the cut. Tell them how many people it will affect, and how. If your argument is that homelessness should not be criminalized, support it with the legal history of that argument. Make your case with facts.

Then make sure readers remember the facts by using stories. Anecdotes make facts real. They are more than diversionary tales to fill out an essay. Often, they are what readers remember. Telling stories is how people connect with each other, and that is the core point of thought leadership.

4 Accept editing

Everyone needs an editor. All professional writers are edited, often extensively. Good editors sharpen the point, improve the flow, bring order to chaos and ensure an essay is appropriate for the site that’s publishing it. 

It is easy to be precious about the words you write. Few things are as personal as an essay about an issue you care about with your name on top of it. But editors are your ally in making sure people care about your words as much as you do.