Having a stroke

There is a new saying that seems to be gathering steam in the nonprofit field: “Stroke a check.” As in, the donor just “stroked a check” to my organization.

I hate this saying.

I hate it because it makes the charitable donor sound cavalier and uncaring, which is the exact opposite of what I consider our supporters to be. Donors don’t just “stroke checks.” They write checks from their bank accounts—giving away their hard earned money—to support a charitable cause that they care about.

So, to all you nonprofit workers out there, I now decree that the saying “Stroke a check” is forbidden from your lexicon.

I have spoken.