Authors
This how-to guide was created by Mark Barratt This guide has also been edited by MarkBarratt, WEditor and chrism
How to write a how-to
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CloseThings you'll need
- Knowledge and experience of the subject you're writing about.
- Details of any further sources of information your readers might find useful, if you have them.
- An ability to write simply.
This is a brief guide explaining how you go about creating a how-to for KnowHow NonProfit; what to do and how to approach writing it.
What should I write about?
Decide if you have some experience or knowledge that you think other users of this site would find helpful. Choose something that you can convey as a set of instructions or guidance rather than just talking about your experience.
It can be related to anything in the third sector - you might be a 'specialist' who knows a lot about charity accounting, or you might have had some experience setting up your own charity that you want to share in order to help others who may be in the same position.
How to create the how-to
Create a new how-to by clicking on the 'add a new how-to' button.
You will see a page with a set of blank text fields that you'll write into.
There are simple instructions to the right of each text field telling you what you need to write in each.
'Title' and 'Introduction' fields: Make sure you give your how-to a title and a simple introduction that make it clear what the how-to is about.
'What you'll need' field: Fill in this list so readers know what they'll need to do or get before they start, in order to get the most from your advice. This is a bit like the ingredients list in a recipe.
It'll automatically turn it into a bullet list for you.
Structuring and writing
The how-to template is structured so you can divide up your main text into easy-to-follow steps. Think about how you can structure your advice in this way so it comes across as a simple step-by-step guide.
Each step has its own heading field and text field. You can add bullet lists, pictures and any other formatting you like, as you would in a typical Word document.
- Give each step a heading which describes what the step is about.
- Each step should cover one self-contained task or 'stage'.
- Make sure you write the steps in the order that they should be carried out!
Try to write simply and clearly:
- Your how-to doesn't have to be long. Less can often be more!
- Don't use long and complex sentences.
- Try to use active sentence construction rather than the passive. For example, 'file your accounts by January' is better than 'your accounts should be filed by January'.
- Avoid jargon, acronyms or specialist words that people might not be familiar with.
Further information?
You can include any further sources of information you know about that might be useful, eg websites or publications.There is a 'links and further information' text field especially for this.
That's it!
Publish your how-to! Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
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How-tos are written by the users of this site; they can be anyone working within the charity sector. By sharing knowledge we can all support each other across the sector and help make things better.
How-tos are collaborative - we encourage other users to add to, edit and update existing how-tos as they see fit. Changes can also be undone. Don't worry, you can't 'break' anything!
If we see inappropriate or abusive behaviour we will prevent that user from making changes.
So log in, join in, and help make a difference!
