How to Write Reports in Plain English for Nonprofits
Learn how to write reports in plain English with practical steps, FCRA-friendly templates, and editing tips designed for nonprofit volunteer programs.
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A volunteer coordinator is reviewing a background-check report before assigning a mentor to a youth program. The report is technically accurate, uses familiar FCRA language to the compliance team, and lists every relevant search. Yet the coordinator still can't answer the practical question: approve the volunteer, pause the assignment, request more information, or send a notice?
That uncertainty has a real cost. A confused decision can delay a program, lose a willing volunteer, or create a complaint when the applicant can't understand what happened. Learning how to write reports in plain English means more than shortening sentences. For nonprofits, it means making screening documents easy to use while preserving the exact facts, conditions, disclosures, and legal language that support a defensible decision.
The working standard here is simple: use familiar words, active voice, short sentences, and visible structure. Keep statutory triggers intact. Explain technical terms instead of deleting them. The result should help a coordinator act quickly, give an applicant a fair opportunity to respond, and leave the organization with a clear record of what it communicated.
Table of Contents
- The Moment a Clear Report Becomes Urgent
- Lock In the Four Decisions Before You Draft
- Building the Report Block by Block
- Rewriting a Pre-Adverse Action Notice Side by Side
- The One-Pass Plain English Editing Checklist
- Putting It Together in Your Screening Program
The Moment a Clear Report Becomes Urgent
The coordinator scans the first page again. A section labeled with an internal code appears beside a county search result. The report says a record “may be associated” with the applicant, but it doesn't make clear whether the result is verified, whether it affects the volunteer role, or what the coordinator should do next.
The document may be accurate and still fail its audience. Accuracy answers whether the words match the underlying information. Usability answers whether the reader can understand those words well enough to take the correct next step. In volunteer screening, both standards matter.
Clarity doesn't mean removing precision
A plain-English rewrite shouldn't turn a qualified finding into a final conclusion. “Record matched” may be too definite if the information still needs review. “No record found” may be appropriate for a completed search, but it shouldn't imply that every possible record has been ruled out if the search scope was narrower.
Use the wording that matches the evidence:
- Search result: “No record found in the searches listed below.”
- Potential match: “A possible match requires review. See the details and identifiers.”
- Verified information: “The county record lists a misdemeanor conviction from the date shown.”
- Decision status: “No final decision has been made.”
This approach keeps the report readable without promising more certainty than the screening process supports. It also separates facts from decisions, which helps prevent a coordinator from treating a report finding as an automatic disqualification.
The defensibility test
A strong report lets three readers find what they need without forcing them through the same explanation. The program manager needs the action. The applicant needs understandable facts and a fair chance to respond. A reviewer or regulator needs a complete record showing what was searched, when it was searched, and how the organization communicated the decision.
Plain-language practice has a long federal history. The movement took shape in the 1970s, became more organized when federal employees formed the Plain English Network in the mid-1990s, and reached a major milestone when President Obama signed the Plain Writing Act on October 13, 2010, making plain writing a formal requirement for executive agencies. Digital.gov's plain-language history and timeline shows why clarity is better understood as an operating discipline than a cosmetic preference.
Practical rule: Simplify the explanation, never simplify away the condition that makes the explanation legally accurate.
Lock In the Four Decisions Before You Draft
Most report rework starts before the first sentence. A coordinator opens a blank document without deciding who will read it, what action it should prompt, which compliance conditions apply, or how formal the voice needs to be. Resolve those choices first, and the draft becomes much easier to control.
Decide who needs to use the document
A program manager may need a concise screening summary. A board committee may need a documented rationale and policy reference. The applicant needs direct language about the information being considered and the opportunity to respond.
The trap is writing for the most legally skilled reader. A sentence such as “The aforementioned consumer is hereby advised of contemplated adverse action” might satisfy a style inherited from an old template, but it speaks poorly to a volunteer applicant. Write “We're reviewing whether to keep you on this assignment” when that is the actual decision under review.
Define the action before describing the background
The reader should know whether the document asks them to approve, pause, follow up, request documentation, or issue a pre-adverse action notice. For example, a coordinator reviewing a possible identity match may need to contact the screening provider before making any placement decision.
Don't hide the action in a final paragraph. If the action is “do not assign the applicant until review is complete,” state it near the beginning and explain why.
Identify the compliance path
Ask whether the report involves a consumer report, information from a consumer reporting agency, an investigation, a pre-adverse action process, or a final adverse action. FCRA Section 615 requirements can affect what the organization must provide and when it must provide it.
The trap is paraphrasing a required disclosure because it sounds formal. Mark required language as controlled text in your template, then simplify the surrounding explanation.
Choose a tone that respects the reader
A nonprofit can be firm without sounding accusatory. “The information below requires review before we make a final decision” is direct and neutral. “You failed to satisfy our screening requirements” may sound conclusive before the review is complete.
These four decisions form the spine of the report template. Skip them, and you'll likely rewrite the document after someone asks, “Who is this for?” or “What exactly should happen next?”
Building the Report Block by Block
A report becomes easier to read when each block performs one job. The following structure works well for a volunteer screening report because it separates identification, scope, findings, supporting detail, and action.
Start with labels readers recognize
The header should use label-value pairs rather than internal codes. Write:
- Applicant name: Jordan Lee
- Volunteer role: Youth mentor
- Screening requested: Criminal and registry searches
- Report date: Date the report was issued
Avoid labels such as “Subject,” “Client Ref,” or “Disposition Code” unless the audience uses them. If a specialist needs the internal identifier, include it as a secondary field rather than making it the main label.
The screening summary should take one or two sentences. It might say: “We searched the jurisdictions and databases listed below for Jordan Lee. The searches were completed on the report date shown above.” That sentence tells the reader the scope without implying that the search answers questions it wasn't designed to answer.
For background on the kinds of information that may appear, link the reader to what shows on a background check, then keep the report itself focused on the actual searches performed.
Make the findings scannable
Use one row for each check. A coordinator shouldn't have to read a narrative paragraph to discover whether a county search produced a result.
| Report block | Purpose | Plain-English example |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant details | Identify the person and role | Applicant name: Jordan Lee. Role: Youth mentor |
| Screening summary | Explain scope and timing | “We searched the listed jurisdictions on the report date.” |
| Findings table | Show each check and status | “National criminal search, No record found” |
| Narrative detail | Explain a result requiring review | “The county record lists a misdemeanor conviction from the date shown.” |
| Recommended action | Tell the coordinator what to do | “Pause assignment and complete the review process before deciding.” |
Choose dispositions that describe status without overstating meaning. “No record found” is clearer than “negative.” “Record matched, see details” is clearer than “adverse.” If the result is only a possible match, say so.
Keep the detail factual and bounded
For a hit, name the source or record type in full the first time. Use active voice: “The county record lists a misdemeanor conviction.” Avoid: “A misdemeanor conviction was identified through the course of the investigation.” The second version is longer, passive, and less useful.
Legal precision still controls the rewrite. If the document relies on the exact term consumer report, retain that term when it has legal significance. Explain it in plain English nearby, for example: “A consumer report is information provided by a consumer reporting agency for employment or volunteer-screening purposes.” Don't replace a legally meaningful term with a looser synonym because the synonym sounds friendlier.
The recommended action should be operational. “Review according to the volunteer-screening policy before making a final decision” gives the coordinator a usable instruction. It doesn't declare that the applicant is disqualified, and it doesn't leave the coordinator guessing.
Rewriting a Pre-Adverse Action Notice Side by Side
A pre-adverse action notice needs special care because the reader may already feel that a decision has been made. Consider a volunteer mentor whose report includes a misdemeanor conviction from seven years ago. The notice should communicate the information clearly without treating the record as an automatic disqualification.
| Jargon-heavy draft | Plain-English version |
|---|---|
| “The aforementioned consumer is hereby notified that, pursuant to FCRA Section 615, adverse action is being contemplated based upon information contained within the consumer report.” | “We're reviewing whether to keep you on this assignment because of information in your consumer report. Federal law requires us to send this letter before we make a final decision.” |
| “The applicant has a disqualifying criminal record due to a misdemeanor conviction from seven years ago.” | “The report lists a misdemeanor conviction from seven years ago. This information does not automatically disqualify you.” |
| “The consumer may avail themselves of the opportunity to dispute the accuracy or completeness of the foregoing.” | “You may dispute information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.” |
The substitutions do more than improve tone. “The aforementioned consumer” becomes “you,” which identifies the reader directly. “Adverse action is being contemplated” becomes “we're reviewing whether to keep you on this assignment,” which states the current status without implying that the final decision is complete. “Pursuant to” becomes an explanation of why the letter is being sent.
Protect the controlled language
Don't rewrite the details that give the notice its legal function. Preserve the consumer reporting agency's name, the applicant's right to request a free file disclosure within 60 days, and the dispute address exactly as required by the applicable process. Keep the report and rights documents attached when the process requires them.
The conditional language also matters. “We may take action after reviewing your response” is clearer than “adverse action is being contemplated,” but removing the condition entirely would change the meaning. A friendly tone can't replace an accurate statement of process.
The pre-adverse action notice template can help coordinators identify the standard components, but every organization should have its own counsel or compliance reviewer confirm the final language and timing.
Before sign-off, check that these terms haven't been casually paraphrased:
- Consumer report
- Consumer reporting agency
- Pre-adverse action
- Final adverse action
- Right to dispute
- Free file disclosure
- Dispute address
- Applicable FCRA section
Use plain English around those terms. Don't dilute the terms themselves when they carry a specific legal meaning.
A short visual example can reinforce the distinction between clarity and premature conclusions. The video below shows the kind of side-by-side thinking that helps teams revise formal notices without losing their purpose.
The One-Pass Plain English Editing Checklist
A useful edit shouldn't require a committee to debate every adjective. Run one disciplined pass that checks sentence mechanics, document structure, technical terms, and the reading level appropriate to the audience.
Tighten the sentences first
Treat sentences over 25 words as candidates for revision. This is an editing trigger, not a legal rule. Split a long sentence when it contains more than one action, condition, or decision.
Change “The report was reviewed by the coordinator before the assignment was approved” to “The coordinator reviewed the report before approving the assignment.” The active version identifies the actor and removes unnecessary words.
Replace nominalizations with verbs. “Conduct an investigation” becomes “investigate.” “Make a determination regarding eligibility” becomes “decide whether the applicant is eligible.” These edits make responsibility visible.
Then edit for navigation
Front-load the action. Use descriptive headings such as What We Found, What You Need to Do, and How to Dispute Information. Bold important dates, deadlines, phone numbers, and dispute addresses so a reader scanning the page can find them.
Keep paragraphs short enough to support scanning. GOV.UK plain-language guidance recommends paragraphs of no more than 5 sentences, alongside short sentences, active voice, and plain-language subheadings. The Office for National Statistics writing guidance provides a practical model for applying those choices to reports.
Define what can't be removed
If a technical term has to remain, explain it in parentheses at first use. For example: “FCRA, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, sets requirements for using consumer reports.” Don't create a glossary that readers must search for if a short explanation will work in the sentence.
For a useful distinction between audience-focused plain writing and more specialized technical communication, review LearnStream's comparison of writing styles. The point isn't to make a compliance memo sound like a public brochure. It's to match the level of explanation to the reader's task.
Finish by checking the built-in readability tool in your word processor. As a working target, aim for grade 8 to 10 for volunteer-facing reports and grade 10 to 12 for internal compliance memos. A score won't prove that the document is accurate, but it can expose dense sentences that deserve another look. For examples of the disclosure language surrounding a screening process, see disclosure statement examples.
Editing standard: A readability score can flag friction. It can't decide whether a sentence has preserved the legal meaning.
Putting It Together in Your Screening Program
Plain-English drafting becomes valuable when it works consistently across the program, not only when one careful coordinator has time to revise a letter. A shared structure helps coordinators find the action faster, gives applicants a clearer explanation, and creates cleaner records when someone later reviews the screening file.
The improvement is operational rather than cosmetic. Coordinators spend less time translating internal terminology, applicants can identify the information they need to dispute, and reviewers can compare notices without decoding personal writing styles. The writing also becomes easier to maintain because the organization knows which language is controlled and which language can be edited.
Run a short self-audit
Use the current document set rather than an idealized template. Pull the last five adverse-action letters, score each against the editing checklist, and rewrite the weakest one. Look for buried actions, unexplained abbreviations, passive sentences, unclear result labels, missing scope details, and dates that disappear in a paragraph.
A basic library can contain:
- Screening summary template: Applicant details, search scope, findings table, and review status.
- Pre-adverse action template: Required disclosures, report information, dispute instructions, and response process.
- Final adverse action template: Final decision, decision basis, required notices, and contact information.
Tag each FCRA-required language block as controlled text. Store the templates with version dates and an approval owner. A coordinator should know whether they can edit a heading, a transition sentence, or a case-specific explanation, and which portions require compliance review.
Treat plain English as a control
Government guidance defines plain language through clarity, concision, organization, and audience appropriateness. The Center for Plain Language's 2024 federal report coverage reports an average federal writing grade of B- in its 2024 report card, while earlier report cards recorded movement from a C to a B in 2019 and a drop to a C in 2018. The uneven results make a practical point for nonprofits: clarity can improve, but it needs a repeatable process to last.
Statistical-report guidance makes the same discipline useful for nonprofit impact and compliance documents. Put the main message first, then explain context, strengths, limitations, likely uses, and supporting metadata so readers don't mistake a number for a conclusion. UK Statistics Authority guidance for statistical reports is a helpful reference for preserving interpretation alongside data.
Plain English isn't a softening tactic. A notice that clearly states what information was considered, what decision is pending, and how the applicant can respond is easier to understand and easier to defend.
VolunteerBadge can support this workflow with plain-English screening results, FCRA guidance, and automated pre-adverse and final adverse action notices for nonprofit volunteer programs. Visit VolunteerBadge to review a screening process designed to give coordinators clearer reports and more consistent notice handling.
