How a missed deadline turned into a professional editing and proofreading mission
Highlights
- BIPOC Executive Search missed their deadline and needed a clean copy of a ~12,000-word diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) report immediately
- Copyediting was the main type of editing the client needed
- Results: Client received a clean copy of the report on time
Before: The challenge
It was the late afternoon and Sedina, someone I met when I was still a nonprofit professional on the frontlines, had a deadline to meet for the BIPOC Executive Search organization. Unfortunately, the deadline had already passed. She reached out to me with a clear and concise request: She had a report for another organization that needed editing ASAP.
The challenge: How can BIPOC Executive receive a clean copy not too much later than the deadline and present a quality, professional report back to their client?
During: The solution
After a brief email exchange, I received the report from Sedina with simple instructions: The report needed cleaning. To ensure that I met Sedina’s deadline, I asked her to explain what kind of cleaning she needed. Her answer showed the solution: Sedina needed more copyediting and line editing and less structural and development editing. This priority was important to establish early so that I wasn’t wasting time, not to mention delivering something that no one asked for. In short, she was looking for clarity, conciseness and professionalism. Given that the deadline already passed, I got right to work.
I did a line editing in Google Docs. Here is where I met the goal of clarity. I scanned each line for flow, readability and effectiveness at conveying ideas. If I thought something was way off, I added a comment to explain my thinking and decision-making.
Next, I did a copyediting. Here is where I met the goal of conciseness. I tidied up sentences that were too long, paragraphs that needed structuring or breaking up and grammatical mistakes that were in the way of conciseness and the Canadian Press Style guidelines. As well, I checked for spelling, punctuation and syntax errors.
Finally, I proofread the whole thing. I was looking for anything I missed, such as extra spaces between words, misaligned text or incorrect numbering of pages.
After: The results
Since the report was for a client of BIPOC Executive Search, I also kept in mind how ideas were being explained because their client was the audience. It helped that I was familiar with their client’s work enough to use that insight.
While I was going this editing, Sedina was able to focus on other priorities, such as communicating with her client. She didn’t have to worry about delays or misunderstanding edits. So, Sedina was able to deliver the final report and their client, Toronto Fringe, was able to post a summary of their work.
“Again, immense gratitude for your last minute help. Really looking forward to working with you again”
Reflection
Editing is about more than just correct spelling or noting a grammatical error. It’s about tailoring the words to an audience without compromising professionalism and clarity. The last thing anyone needs is to have their copy or content associated with unprofessionalism or scammers because of silly mistakes and avoidable errors.
Choose professional editing for your nonprofit organization.