Armed with these, a communications professional has the best chance of raising awareness of their charity's cause.

After all, they show what your charity is all about.

I'm talking about case studies- accounts from the people your charity supports, campaigns on behalf of and, ultimately, whose lives you aim to improve.

Turning their stories into compelling case studies will do more for your communications than long-winded key messages, overused stats and too many details about how you're funded.

Yet, it's remarkable how many charity publications I see which are case study-less. There may be comment from the chief executive, a long list of achievements and sponsors but no word from the people who can best promote what the charity does.

Over the last few weeks, we've been working with a children's charity to help them build up a database of case studies.

We've talked to families who've been supported by the charity so the communications team can use them in future publications, campaigns or work with the media.

Their words and experiences tell the charity's story best.

Well-written, relevant and useful case studies can help tell your charity's story better too.

It's worth telling everyone in your organisation that you're looking to set up a database of case studies and to let you know if they have contact with potential interviewees. They might be people who've accessed your services, contacted you for support or worked on a campaign before.

Too much charity writing starts with long and laborious descriptions of how funding was won, or with over-detailed background, like this:

The Children's Health Trust has been awarded £300,000 from the Treetops Foundation, to assist its work with young people in deprived areas. The funding will provide places for hundreds of children to go on adventure weekends at Fulton Forest Park in Yorkshire.

Including case studies, starting with the action and then showing how your project has become involved, is much more engaging:

The teenager steams around the corner at nearly 60mph, skids across the oily tarmac and slams the go-kart into a pile of old tyres. Time stands still for a few seconds. And then Stephen waves, gives a thumbs up, and smiles. "It beats stealing cars," he shouts over the din of the others karts. "I never went that fast in any motor I ever nicked."

Trina Wallace is a writer at ngo.media, a copywriting agency for charities.