The best way to Construct a Case for Assist

Convincing an viewers to take any form of motion requires making an efficient pitch. Nonprofits know this all too nicely. While you depend on folks’s donated assist to push your work ahead, it’s essential to have the ability to confidently clarify to your donors what you want, why, and what the profit will probably be.

A nonprofit case for assist is on the root of the way you make a compelling pitch to donors. It’s an important a part of operating fundraising campaigns and successfully speaking your mission.

What’s extra, a case for assist can (and will) be an lively device for higher fundraising—not only a pre-campaign process to get out of the best way, however an actual asset that may gas your success.

So how do you create one? What ought to your case for assist include? What errors must you keep away from? We’ve bought you lined. This crash course will cowl all of the necessities, together with:

Nonprofit Case for Assist FAQs

Let’s begin by establishing some context:

What’s a case for assist?

A nonprofit case for assist is the core set of the reason why donors ought to assist a specific marketing campaign, mission, or group’s work as a complete. It’s a basic fundraising framework or idea on which you’ll construct your campaigns.

Instances might be developed for all kinds of contexts and audiences, making them extraordinarily versatile instruments to information the fundraising course of in any state of affairs. They basically search to reply the questions, “Why ought to somebody care, and what are we asking them to do?”

It’s necessary to notice that whereas this time period is usually used to explain a tangible doc or different useful resource, the underlying set of arguments themselves comprise the case for assist. We’ll check out some examples under.

Whereas a case will probably be distilled into varied printed and digital assets throughout a fundraising marketing campaign, overly fixating on a selected doc can in the end restrict a nonprofit’s imaginative and prescient and the general effectiveness of its case.

Why are instances for assist necessary?

Instances for assist give your fundraising crew a transparent roadmap and speaking factors to make use of when selling your campaigns or total mission to donors.

When created and used nicely, a case for assist will standardize your messaging and be sure that you talk a transparent, unified, and compelling imaginative and prescient to potential supporters. Then, with the scaffolding in place, your crew can use it to create tailor-made variations, individualized pitches, and all types of useful assets that may assist the general imaginative and prescient of your fundraising marketing campaign.

When do nonprofits create and use instances for assist?

Nonprofits develop instances for assist in a spread of various conditions. They may be created to assist:

They’re mostly mentioned within the context of capital campaigns as a important early step within the marketing campaign planning course of.

However word that you just’ll profit from a case for assist in any state of affairs wherein your crew might want to make a transparent pitch to donors to solicit assist. So long as you perceive what a case for assist is and what it ought to accomplish, you should use its framework to assist your targets.

Who in a nonprofit ought to create a case for assist?

A case for assist ought to be created by the fundraising or growth crew that will probably be straight concerned in operating that specific marketing campaign. An overarching case for assist for the group’s work as a complete also needs to be owned by the fundraising crew.

You would possibly assume that these key speaking factors would possibly sound just like the sections of a grant proposal, and also you’re not mistaken.

Nonetheless, understand that, in contrast to a grant proposal, a case for assist might be extra versatile and tailored to your particular targets. There’s nobody particular format to observe—this will probably be formed by the particular fundraising context when you’ve established the core set of arguments and particulars listed above.

Growing a Case for Assist: 9 Steps

You’re able to develop your subsequent case for assist and drive your greatest fundraising outcomes but. How do you get began? We break it down into these key steps:

1. Type a crew. A small group of fundraisers or growth employees ought to oversee the case growth course of. Relying on the aim or scope of the fundraising marketing campaign, nevertheless, you might wish to proactively contain a board member or different organizational chief. Group-wide or capital marketing campaign instances for assist are cases when getting a broader management perspective early will probably be useful.
2. Decide your case for assist pointers. What’s the context for this case for assist? Is it for a specific marketing campaign or initiative? Align your crew on the context and objective.
3. Draft your key components. Work by the checklist of key components of a case for assist above and draft just a few sentences for every. Brevity is essential—a handful of extremely impactful sentences will carry rather more weight than rambling paragraphs. Apart from, at this stage, you’re in search of to create a framework, not a accomplished construction!
4. Guarantee coherence. Learn your preliminary case for assist carefully to make sure that it clearly ties again to your group’s mission. Do the important thing factors you’ve made align with how the marketing campaign is being mentioned internally? Are there extra compelling speaking factors or impression particulars that you just would possibly have the ability to present?
5. Assessment and revise. Take a while as a crew to assessment what you’ve developed. Proofread and search for weak spots in your argument the place your claims or calls to motion may very well be higher supported. Make fast revisions as wanted, however don’t get too slowed down in creating the proper completed product simply but.
6. Take a look at and refine. Subsequent, search suggestions outdoors of your case for assist committee. Different fundraisers, entrepreneurs, and leaders in your group could have useful views. In case you’re creating a case for assist for a capital marketing campaign, that is once you’ll collect direct donor suggestions by a feasibility examine. Make changes to your case and marketing campaign plans as wanted to make sure your technique and argument are set as much as succeed.
7. Safe buy-in. Current your finalized case for assist to organizational and/or marketing campaign management as wanted. Get their suggestions and approval to maneuver ahead with utilizing the case as the premise on your fundraising messaging going ahead.
8. Save and share. Save your case for assist in a central, accessible digital location. Then, publicize it to your broader fundraising and advertising groups.
9. Distill into marketing campaign supplies. Over time, as your fundraising marketing campaign progresses into new levels that concentrate on completely different audiences, use your case for assist to information the messaging in new marketing campaign supplies. Brochures, e-mail appeals, letters, texts—every part associated to your marketing campaign or this specific fundraising push ought to be a part of a coherent entire.

Skilled Suggestions for a Extra Compelling Case for Assist

Now that you just perceive the method and objective of making a case for assist on your marketing campaign, what are the tactical ideas to bear in mind when really drafting it? We’ve bought some suggestions.

1. Make it impact-centric.

Your case for assist ought to revolve across the constructive impacts of your success. That is the last word motive for the marketing campaign and its goal, so there ought to be a crystal-clear throughline from the ask to the target to the impression.

Not solely will this guarantee coherent, compelling messaging throughout your marketing campaign later, nevertheless it’s additionally more and more regarded as a prerequisite by many donors. If donors are unclear on what precisely will occur with their present and the way it will go in the direction of the issue at hand, it’ll be tougher to safe their assist. Actually, youthful generations are more likely to say they won’t donate in the event that they’re not sure what the charity will do with the cash (37.8% of Gen Z donors vs. 15.2% of Mature age donors).

2. Collect compelling storytelling particulars.

Whereas your core case for assist ought to be concise, intention to embed compelling storytelling components that may assist make the ask and impression actual to your donors. Assist them perceive and really feel the urgency surrounding the issue that your marketing campaign’s goal will clear up.

Whereas making ready a case for assist, collect a spread of storytelling particulars that you should use later when creating extra fleshed-out and tailor-made variations on your marketing campaign advertising supplies. These may embrace:

• Anecdotes and testimonials from constituents and donors (with their permission)
• Photographs of your nonprofit’s packages at work
• Information to assist your claims about the issue and your goal’s projected impression

Assembling this type of “case for assist equipment” will probably be extraordinarily useful as soon as it’s time to create marketing campaign supplies like net pages, brochures, e-mail templates, and extra—see the examples under for this technique in motion.

3. Increase your persuasion energy with clear writing.

Persuasive writing is direct, clear, and evocative—set your fundraising supplies up for achievement by baking these qualities into your case for assist from the very begin. Think about these greatest practices:

• Preserve sentences brief and impactful. Write as particularly as attainable to naturally hold issues concise.
• Keep away from utilizing too many adjectives and adverbs to explain issues and issues. Let the small print and the context communicate for themselves and paint an image for readers.
• Be intentional and particular along with your phrase decisions. It’s simple in nonprofit work to get slowed down in obscure generalities and jargon, however these won’t ever provide the impression you have to make a convincing pitch to individuals who aren’t knee-deep in your mission all day.
• Perceive the ability of passive and lively voice. Energetic voice tends to be clearer and extra impactful and will take priority in your core case for assist. Passive voice has its position and is extra useful for explaining advanced ideas and conditions, however attempt to wait till you’re writing longer-form marketing campaign supplies to make use of it.

4. Perceive your viewers and context.

Actively take into consideration who your case for assist is talking to and why they need to care about your mission and ask.

For a lot of instances for assist, you’ll be writing to a basic viewers of supporters. In others, you’ll be concentrating on a extra particular section from the get-go, like

• Main, mid-level, or lower-level donors
• Volunteers
• Occasion attendees
• Potential donors for a selected giving program
• Potential company sponsors

Draft your case for assist with the pursuits and motivations of your viewers in thoughts. For instance, constructive model consciousness is a primary motivator for company companions, so ensure that your core case statements spotlight the scale of your viewers and the general public attain that your group has. Tax incentives typically encourage main and non-cash donors, so you possibly can point out these when discussing the constructive impacts (each on your mission and your donors) that your fundraising initiative could have.

Getting Particular: Utilizing Information to Take Your Case for Assist to the Subsequent Stage

Concrete particulars make for simpler pitches. When compiling a brand new case for assist and any related kits of particulars and tales, don’t neglect the information.

For a case for assist, this supporting knowledge would possibly embrace info like:

• Particulars about different funding sources for the marketing campaign or mission
• Details about your company companions
• Your group’s present matching present income
• Statistics about your volunteer program

Why collect this info? Relying on the viewers and context of your case for assist, being ready with this knowledge might be extraordinarily useful.

For instance, main donors would possibly wish to understand it to gauge your group’s effectiveness earlier than committing to a big present. Foundations and sponsors would possibly require this info. In very particular circumstances, like in the event you’re laying out the case to recruit sponsors for a particular donation match problem, details about the scope of your fundraising efforts will probably be integral to the settlement.

By having this knowledge readily available and baked into the messaging pointers of your case for assist, you’ll have the ability to simply create detailed, customized pitches on your prospects.

You would possibly have already got a lot of this info in your CRM. For knowledge particular to your grants or company philanthropy efforts, remember to use devoted grant administration and company philanthropy instruments that make it simple to generate studies and projections (and to lift extra of those funds basically).

Take a look at this video to be taught extra about how the appropriate platform, like 360MatchPro, cannot solely unlock new income streams on your nonprofit but in addition equip you with the instruments you have to construct and report extra thriving giving packages throughout:

Watch Out! 5 Case for Assist Pitfalls to Keep away from

Making a case for assist ought to change into second nature anytime your group takes on a big new fundraising marketing campaign or launches a brand new giving program. What are the frequent errors to keep away from alongside the best way?

• Mistake 1: Beginning with a doc or brochure.
  • Bear in mind, a case for assist is a set of persuasive arguments and particulars, not only a doc. You’ll distill your case into a variety of marketing campaign supplies like brochures, emails, net pages, and extra, however leaping forward to that stage would possibly restrict your imaginative and prescient and the case’s total effectiveness.

• Mistake 2: Not securing buy-in.
  • A case for assist is a foundational fundraising useful resource—your group ought to really feel assured that the pitch it lays out aligns along with your imaginative and prescient and targets for the marketing campaign. In case you don’t get sign-off from marketing campaign or organizational leaders early, you would possibly danger needing to backtrack later to replace fundraising supplies that have been primarily based on an outdated model of the case.

• Mistake 3: Not testing your case for main campaigns.
  • A case for assist permits you to check your pitch within the lead-up to a capital marketing campaign. These sorts of main fundraising campaigns are large investments of your time and assets, and so they have excessive stakes, so you have to guarantee your messaging is as efficient as attainable early within the course of. Use a feasibility examine to introduce a small group of high-impact supporters to your marketing campaign, ask for suggestions in your case for assist, and use their enter to enhance it earlier than shifting ahead.

• Mistake 4: Changing into too donor- or organization-centric.
  • The main target in a case for assist ought to be on the constructive impression that will probably be created once you obtain your marketing campaign’s goal. Nonprofits typically see recommendation about making donors the heroes of their pitches, however that’s not essentially the objective in a case for assist. You may emphasize their position in later messages that you just create utilizing the case for assist. Equally, keep away from overly-centering your group because the lively participant—it’s all concerning the goal and impression at this stage.

Learn the case for assist doc

That is the public-facing case for assist for an bold 10-year initiative, The UNICEF and WHO Joint Programme on Psychological Well being and Psychosocial Nicely-being and Improvement of Youngsters and Adolescents. This marketing campaign seeks to lift $50 million in donation commitments to attain its crystal-clear goal:

“By 2030, kids and adolescents residing in international locations focused underneath the Joint Programme will expertise diminished struggling and improved psychological well being and psychosocial well-being and growth.”

It is a “international” case for assist doc for the marketing campaign, that means it might function the one supply of fact for fundraisers to create new marketing campaign supplies and have extra focused discussions with potential donors. Its prime quality additionally means it may simply be shared straight with prospects and information shops as-is, too.

What this Case for Assist Does Nicely

• Consists of extraordinarily clear and impactful language
• Repeats key phrases and imaginative and prescient statements throughout your complete doc
• Conveys true urgency with out coming throughout as darkish or dire
• Emphasizes the impression of proposed options and offers statistics to again them up
• Very clearly structured with headings that reinforce the aim of the doc

Inner Case for Assist: YMCA

Learn the case for assist doc

That is an internally-facing case for assist written by the crew on the Santa Monica Household YMCA to assist an annual fundraising marketing campaign.

This specific case doc may very well be an especially useful instance on your nonprofit. It provides us a direct glimpse into what a working case for assist seems like and how much info yours ought to embrace.

We love how mission-centric this instance is—each part clearly connects again to the group’s mission of strengthening communities by supporting youth and fostering wholesome residing. With this useful resource in hand, it will be simple for YMCA fundraisers to craft compelling present solicitations and promotional supplies.

What this Case for Assist Does Nicely

• Begins by clarifying the aim of the useful resource for YMCA employees
• Clearly connects all sections again to the group’s mission
• Explains core packages and areas of operation in easily-repeatable language to be used in additional supplies and donor discussions
• Ends with a brief library of constituent tales damaged down by program—invaluable for fundraisers within the discipline!

Writing a case for assist (for a marketing campaign, occasion, or simply on your fundraising efforts basically) is without doubt one of the most necessary issues you are able to do to set your nonprofit up for achievement.

With an easy-to-use information on find out how to speak about your targets, wants, targets, and plans, your crew will have the ability to deal with any fundraising problem with ease. If you have to draft a case of assist of your individual, begin by working by the “Important Components” defined above and following our really helpful steps. You’ll be participating your prospects, funders, and company companions with compelling fundraising pitches very quickly.

To continue to learn, discover these extra fundraising guides: