Amy Rutter – Charity Copywriter, Editor and Proofreader

I'm a Copywriter, Copyeditor and Proofreader with about 15 years' experience. I support charities and non-profit organisations to connect with their readers through the magic of words 🪄

About Me & Services

Hello! I’m Amy and I’m a freelance Copywriter, Copyeditor and Proofreader for charities and social impact organisations. I'm based in Northamptonshire but my clients are all over the UK. Thanks Zoom.

I’ve been trained by the National Council for the Training of Journalists and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. I've got about 15 years of experience writing and editing. Ooof, that makes me feel old.

I went self-employed after leaving my full-time role in Cats Protection's Comms team and relocating across the country. I had a baby a few months after that too. It was a busy year!

I’ve recently worked with the RSPCA, Oxfam GB, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, Neighbourhood Watch, the Royal College of Pathologists, Cats Protection, the Raspberry Pi Foundation and North Devon Hospice.

Here's what I can help you with...

Copywriting

Marketing copy

Copy that moves the reader to “yes”. My process combines copywriting with the science of psychology, data, customer research, and proven persuasion techniques to motivate people to act.

I'll do thorough audience research to understand your audience’s desires, frustrations, motivations and objections so I can create carefully crafted, targeted copy.

I can support you with:

  • Website copy
  • Sales page copy
  • Case studies
  • Email sequences

Fundraising and direct marketing copy

Compelling and engaging donor-centric copy that inspires and incites emotional responses to recruit new supporters and retain current ones.

  • Direct mail
  • Fundraising appeals
  • Thank you letters
  • Inserts and lifts
  • Donor newsletters

Editorial copy

Impactful and engaging copy to deepen relationships with supporters for print and digital publications such as:

  • Membership magazines
  • Annual reports and impact reports
  • Supporter newsletters
  • Brochures and leaflets

    Copyediting

    Fine-tuning your copy to make it ready for publication. Copyediting ensures that your copy is accurate, clear, easy to follow and fit for purpose.

    • Correcting errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar
    • Ensuring accuracy and consistency in spelling, style and formatting
    • Removing ambiguity, irrelevancies and unnecessary repetitions
    • Checking for factually incorrect statements
    • Ensuring that the structure of the text is logical and consistent
    • Rephrasing or restructuring for clarification, where needed
    • Ensuring copy aligns with your brand guidelines/tone of voice and style guide

    Subediting

    Using Adobe InDesign, I subedit and typeset copy for print publications.

    • Editing for the available space
    • Fixing any inelegant or confusing problems with the layout, for example, inconsistent line spacing, widows and orphans
    • Ensuring consistency and clarity
    • Correcting any errors
    • Fact-checking sources
    • Writing engaging headlines, standfirsts, pullquotes and picture captions
    • Ensuring copy aligns with house style

    Proofreading

    A final quality check and tidy-up before you hit 'publish' or send to print.

    • Fixing any minor typos
    • Ensuring consistent design, styles and formatting throughout the text
    • Checking everything is logically ordered and arranged
    • Ensuring images and captions correspond with each other and with the text
    • Reviewing headings, subheadings and page numbers
    • Checking the table of contents against section titles and page numbers

    Brand voice development

    Are you finding all your writers sound different and there’s no consistency with the language you use? Struggling to pen down what your brand story is? Don’t have a defined tone?

    Your tone of voice should capture the brand's personality, convey your outlook and values, and help you to connect emotionally with your supporters. Without one, you’ll get an inconsistent and incoherent personality that confuses your readers and obliterates their trust.

    I can help you to build a verbal identity that’s led by strategy.

    You'll get:

    • Brand voice guidelines with examples and tips for applying it
    • Editorial style guide

    Now over to you! 

    To speak to me about your project, please get in touch via the Contact page.

    Can't wait to hear from you.