Voice and tone is how we sound when we’re speaking or writing as Brooke.

Our voice is the unique, distinctive Brooke personality. Tone is how we flex our voice for different situations, depending on who we’re talking to, what we’re talking about and what we want the audience to do.

Our voice remains the same, but our tone changes in order to communicate appropriately. Voice and tone affect the impression people have of Brooke and their interactions with us. They’re vital tools for building positive relationships with our audience.

Voice

Our voice is determined, plucky, assured and caring.

1. Determined, but never dogmatic.

We’re passionate, assured and motivated. We’re not halfhearted and we don’t speak in platitudes; we understand the issues deeply and share our ideas for a better world. We’ve done extensive work in our field but we’re not preachy, close-minded or haughty.

All too often these animals are forgotten – their suffering neither seen nor heard. This must change. We must recognise the immense and critical part they play in the sustainable development of some of the world’s poorest countries.

We recognise the huge interdependence of horses, donkeys and mules, and the communities that depend on them. Working with, and in, over 10,000 communities worldwide, our holistic ‘One Welfare’ approach helps us to overcome the greatest barriers and root causes of poor equine welfare and deliver lasting change.

Working horses, donkeys and mules are mistreated because their owners don’t know how to care for them. Brooke teaches them the right way to make sure animal welfare procedures are followed correctly.

2. Plucky, but never headstrong.

We’re eager and purposeful, but not domineering or pushy. We’re working hard towards a better future but we’re pragmatic in our approach. We acknowledge challenges and are measured in our responses. Our work is guided by evidence as well as enthusiasm.

At Brooke, we generate and analyse evidence through a range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Approaches include research, monitoring and evaluation, and also case studies of animals and people we have helped.

Voices of animal-owning communities are also a key element helping us gauge impact of our work and determine further needs. We also work in coalitions and in partnership with other organisations, including with universities and government organisations to produce evidence that is robust and relevant. Ultimately, evidence enables us to improve the lives of working equids around the world and the communities who rely on them.

Brooke knows the right way to improve animal welfare in the countries we work in, and we intervene to make sure animals are saved from suffering.

4. Caring, but never saccharine.

We’re authentic and relatable. We’re collaborative and approachable, recognising the expertise of others and sharing information freely. We aim to be engaging and conversational; to open up dialogue rather than put up fences.

Millions of horses, donkeys and mules around the world are working hard to support their owners’ livelihoods. Your caring donation can relieve them from suffering and protect them from harm. Together, we can heal their pain – for good.

Whether you can spare a few hours a week, one day a week or one day a month, we value your contribution, and if you choose to join a local volunteer group, your local Brooke community team will be grateful for your help and support at their events, collections and many other fundraising activities.

We would be ever so grateful if you were able to take just one moment to care for beautiful and damaged animals.

Tone

Our tone has two spectrums: From serious to lighthearted, and from analytical to emotional. Where content sits on these scales depends on the context.

Certain types of content will gravitate to a particular point. For example, a technical research report will probably sit at the analytical and serious ends of the scales, whereas an Instagram post about a well-cared for donkey in Kenya will probably be more lighthearted and emotional.

When we are trying to reassure and encourage

We want everyone who collaborates with and supports our organisation to feel they can trust Brooke. When this is the aim, our tone should sit on the serious end of the spectrum and somewhere between analytical and emotional.

If you choose to help Brooke to fundraise in your local area, or alternatively join a group, being part of the Brooke community is a great way to meet like-minded people, have fun and do your bit to help the working animals who need it most. Together we can make a difference to hard-working horses, donkeys and mules.

If you agree to help Brooke to fundraise in your local area, or alternatively join a group, being part of the Brooke community is a great way to meet like-minded people, have fun and do your bit to help working animals who need it most. Together we can make a difference to hard working equines.

How to achieve this:

• Use data to back up facts
• Use inclusive language
• Avoid acronyms and jargon. Whenever pulling from an internal document, rewrite it for your audience rather than copy and pasting.
• Be specific, not nuanced. Use examples to communicate clearly.

When we are trying to persuade and convince

Striking the balance between identifying the problem (poor welfare of working animals) and showing tangible progress will make our audiences feel motivated to support and work with us. The right tone for this is more emotional than analytical, and is serious, but not rigid.

A donation in your will could help us improve animal welfare and protect the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules today, tomorrow and always.

A donation in your will could help us create that change and protect the lives of equids today, tomorrow, and always.

How to achieve this:

• Write in the first person
• Use “you”
• Show not tell: show tangible examples of our work rather than simply telling our audience about what we do
• Use relatable language

When we are trying to raise awareness and educate

We want to come across as authoritative to put people’s minds at ease. We want people to feel they can rely on Brooke for honest information. To get the tone right, aim for the serious end of the spectrum—less lighthearted—and lean more analytical than emotional.

Thanks to the generous donations from our supporters – including those who chose to remember Brooke with a donation in their Will, in 2022/23 we reached over 1.4 million working horses, donkeys and mules directly and 4.2 million through advocacy work. We worked with over 10,000 communities and completed almost 9,000 training and mentoring sessions.

Thanks to the generous donations from our supporters – including those who chose to remember Brooke with a donation in their Will – in 2022/23 we were able to protect countless working horses, donkeys and mules both directly and indirectly, help their owners and benefit numerous communities.

How to achieve this:

• Use literal language
• Use examples
• Avoid vague language
• Avoid adjectives and embellishments

When we are trying to empower

We want people to feel energised and motivated to join Brooke’s efforts. We want people to feel the energy we put into our work and come away with ideas or energy of their own. The best tone for empowering people is more serious than lighthearted and somewhere between emotional and analytical.

By including a gift in your will, you will be helping to improve the lives of working animals (like Mbithe’s) for generations to come – fostering positive human-animal relationships through education, clear guidelines and mentoring.

People who include gifts in their wills help us improve the lives of working animals. We need your support to continue our important work.

How to achieve this:

• Use “you”
• Write in active voice
• Show, rather than tell
• Be appreciative, show gratitude

When we are trying to inspire and mobilise

We want to create content that not only inspires Brooke’s audience, but also mobilises individuals and groups to take action. For example, our content should be so compelling that after someone reads an article about our work, they’ll immediately want to join our efforts in some capacity, whether it’s to volunteer or donate. The right tone for inspiring and mobilising is on the emotional end of the spectrum and somewhere between serious and lighthearted.

With the help of our generous supporters we’ve been able to develop a farrier-training programme that helps aspiring young farriers learn technical expertise and safe handling.

Supporters make it possible for us to train animal caregivers around the world.

How to achieve this:

• Be specific
• Provide clear pathways to “action” (add your name, donate here, volunteer here, sign up here, etc)
• Write in active voice
• Aim for brevity