Jeff Brooks has a problem with nonprofit groups that attempt to restrict the use of words that help describe the work they do or the people they serve.

Mr. Brooks, creative director for the advertising agency Merkle, writes on Donor Power Blog that he has worked with several charities that refuse to use the word “kids” to describe children.

“Children,” after all, is a more formal-sounding word. “Kids” is, well, slangy.

But Mr. Brooks says that the prohibition of such words sometimes makes it more difficult for those who raise money for the charity to make a personal connection.

“Kids are children you know personally. That’s usually how I’d like donors to think about the kids I’m asking them to help,” he writes.

“When you eliminate a word from your permissible vocabulary, it’s like removing one tool from a builder’s toolbox. Yeah, he can work around it — but wouldn’t you rather he had all the tools to work with and motivate people to give?”

Does your organization have “forbidden” words? If so, does keeping them out of your copy or your conversations with donors hamstring your fund-raising efforts?

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