Write Smart, Write Successfully… Write Your Case for Support
As you gear up for the coming year, it's a perfect time to look at what you need to meet your fundraising goals, and that includes your Case for Support or Case Statement. If you already have one, regularly updating it when January rolls around is a best practice. If you don’t, writing a Case for Support is a great way to start your fundraising year off with this fundamental tool for success.
The Case for Support, or Case Statement, is defined by the Association of Fundraising Professionals as a document that presents “the reasons why an organization both needs and merits philanthropic support, usually by outlining the organization’s programs, current needs, and plans.” A Case for Support describes who you are, why you exist, what you do — and how donors can and should help.
Why do you need one?
The Case for Support is your non-profit organization’s foundational fundraising document. It is one-stop shopping for the information you need to write grant proposals, marketing, and donor materials that succeed, while also presenting these developments with compelling and incisive language.
You’ll cut and paste from it, over and over. It is, however, not a static document! Ensure it gets refreshed periodically as your organization grows, program changes expand, and once accomplishments are produced.
Writing your Case for Support:
Well, actually, you’ll be writing cases — three separate but interrelated documents:
1) Internal Case
Start with a comprehensive, internal document that corrals your greatest hits – your best, most compelling language that moves the reader to understand and identify with the importance of your organization. It employs agreed upon language ratified by your leadership that provides a clear understanding of your organization and fundraising focus in full. There will be purposeful redundancies as each section needs to stand on its own. Tired of re-inventing the wheel? You won’t have to with this organizational Wikipedia that will serve as the basis for fundraising, marketing, newsletters and other uses.
2) External Case
Take your Internal Case, remove the redundancies, and make it strong on graphics and design. Your most discerning, information-loving donors will thank you for it with their financial gifts.
3) Executive Summary
This one to two-page document should be written last and is just what it says it is: a summary of your case, transformed into a well-designed handout that will be a cornerstone for donor and marketing purposes.
Words to the wise: Tone is all important. If you’re writing about being unhoused, you won’t want to be light and breezy, but if you’re building a playground, that can work. Make sure you’re on brand by using language that is consistent with how your organization expresses itself. Keep your writing simple and straight-forward, avoiding wordiness, acronyms, and jargon. When you get to your External Case and Executive Summary, you’ll want to make sure to have good design, exceptional editing, and engaging graphics.
Your case statements should answer these primary questions:
What is the vision?
Who are you, why do you exist, and where are you going.
What is the need?
What is the problem you’re tackling? Be specific and make sure that meeting the need is possible, so that supporters will know they can make a difference by supporting you. You can’t end world hunger, but you can start a community food bank. Be clear about who will benefit when meeting the need.
Why is this a pressing need?
Explain why the need must be addressed soon. Use data, expert opinions, or quotations from those who benefit to back what you say.
How is your organization uniquely qualified to address the need?
Describe what it is about your program that is innovative and differentiates your organization from other groups tackling the same need. What are your organizational credentials – how are you qualified to be successful in addressing your mission?
Is your program realistic?
Your program description should respond to the outlined need and make sense within the context of your organizational resources. It should be clearly stated and specific. What is your plan? What are your realistic objectives and activities?
What are your compelling arguments?
How are you going to inspire others? Tell an engaging story that provides hope and direction for why people should help you.
What will change because of what you do?
Describe what you intend to accomplish, and how things will be different when you do — how the community and the people your organization serves will benefit, including donors. Your potential for impact should be the focus and stated throughout the document. Donors don’t fund organizations — they fund results.
Consider providing your Case for Support elements in this order:
Introduction that includes your mission and a brief summary of your work
Need statement
Organizational description
Project description and plan
And invitation to support your work.
The purpose of your Case for Support is to inspire and motivate. It should be brimming with information, clear and compelling. While it may involve a linear outline of what your organization does, it should evoke an emotional response. Providing information is, of course, its purpose — but the way it is provided should always be in service of moving people towards supporting your innovative and impactful work.