Guest post by GivingDNA
When hosting a fundraising campaign, your nonprofit needs to do more than just ask donors to give. You’ll need to present compelling reasons why your nonprofit is worthy of this support and how donations will impact your cause. This is where your case for support comes into play.
A case for support is a printed or digital document that contains the core messaging of your campaign, including its purpose, fundraising goal, and connection to your mission as a whole. This resource can inspire generosity among your donors and ensure your team is on the same page about how to communicate your objectives to prospects.
In this guide, we’ll cover three ways to craft an effective case for support that can maximize donations and strengthen supporter relationships. Let’s begin by breaking down the building blocks of a strong case for support.
What are the essential elements of a case for support?
Putting together a case for support is simple when you know what to include. NXUnite’s guide to building a case for support recommends:
The campaign’s purpose: Think about why you’re hosting this campaign and how it ties back to your overall cause. For example, a breast cancer research organization hosting a walk-a-thon might explain how all funds raised will go toward its mission to find a cure. Highlight the gravity of the issue to create an emotional response. You might share visuals that demonstrate the problem’s severity—think about a disaster relief organization including a photo of a destroyed home in the wake of a hurricane.
Your solution and plan: Address how your nonprofit will use the funds from your campaign or event to address this problem. Continuing with our disaster relief example, the organization could explain that they’re hoping to raise $50,000 to provide shelter and food to families affected by the hurricane. Make your plan as concrete as possible so supporters have a complete understanding of how their donations will lead to positive change.
Urgency: Consider why now is the time for your plan and proposed solution. Even in situations where the need for urgency might seem obvious, it’s important to clearly articulate the context of your campaign. For instance, let’s say you’re an animal welfare organization planning a capital campaign to build a new shelter location. In your case for support, you should bring attention to the need for a new shelter, such as inhospitable conditions in your current location or the ability to house twice as many animals in a larger space.
Your unique position: There are likely other organizations in your space competing for donors’ contributions, so reflect on why your nonprofit is the right one for the task. Build your credibility by highlighting the impact you’ve already made in your sector. You should also speak to your strategic plan and the value of your approach to solving the problem.
Costs and goals: Provide more context behind how you came up with your fundraising goal and how this will address the costs of a proposed project. Explain the different ways you’ll raise money, such as by connecting with donors, earning grants, and receiving corporate sponsorships. For instance, you might already have a corporate sponsor who is willing to match gifts up to $15,000. Mention this in your case for support to demonstrate credibility and trust while showing how donors can increase their impact and play a more fulfilling role in your organization.
How donors can help: Consider the different ways donors can drive impact for your campaign. While donating will be a top priority, you can also ask supporters to help volunteer, participate in peer-to-peer fundraisers, sign petitions as part of an advocacy campaign, or repost your content on social media.
Now that you understand the fundamental elements of a case for support, let’s take a closer look at the best practices for creating this document.
What are some tips for developing a case for support?
Reference your data.
Creating a compelling narrative is integral to your case for support, and you can’t do so without concrete data. Referencing data can increase the effectiveness of your case for support in the following ways:
Strengthening your nonprofit’s credibility. Use statistics to show why your organization deserves donors’ ongoing support. For example, you could include metrics like the number of individuals served or impacted by your organization's programs.
Bringing attention to the gravity of the issue at hand. Statistics can show why the problem you’re hoping to solve is so urgent. An environmental conservation organization might highlight deforestation rates and the resulting permanent decline in wildlife populations if nothing is done immediately.
Sharing your fundraising goal. GivingDNA’s guide to data analytics explains that you can use predictive analytics to forecast outcomes and come up with an ambitious, yet reasonable, fundraising goal. This ensures your campaign goal is doable and within reach.
Identifying major donor prospects. Major donors are pivotal to your nonprofit’s success, especially when hosting a capital campaign. Using a fundraising analytics and wealth screening tool, you can identify prospects with the capacity and willingness to give to your cause. With this information, you can then organize meetings with qualified prospects to discuss your case for support and persuade them to give.
A donor is much more likely to be persuaded by strong claims backed by data as opposed to vague statements about the problems the community is facing. Threading data throughout your case for support will make this communication and marketing asset much more convincing and actionable.
Use storytelling.
Emotional stories that appeal to your donors’ passions and interests can help push them closer to giving. Let’s take a look at a storytelling example an animal welfare organization might use for its capital campaign case for support:
“Meet Bella, a stray cat rescued from the streets that our shelter found emaciated and injured. With your support, she received care and love, blossoming into a happy, healthy cat with a forever home. Now, we need your help to renovate our shelter, ensuring more animals like Bella find safety and care. Join us in giving our animals a brighter future.”
Make sure to provide images that bring your stories to life. In this instance, the organization might provide before and after pictures of Bella the cat to show exactly how donations are used to spark change.
Design your case for support.
Once you have the written content down, it’s time to focus on the visual design of your case for support. A strong visual design will help grab your audience’s attention and encourage them to engage with your content. Keep these tips in mind when designing your case for support:
Incorporate your branding: Ensure that your case for support reflects your nonprofit's brand identity by including your colors, logo, and fonts. Consistent branding reinforces brand recognition and trust among donors.
Create an engaging layout: Design a visually appealing layout that is easy to read and navigate. Use ample white space to break up sections, include headings, and divide longer content sections into smaller paragraphs to guide the reader's eye.
Use graphics to illustrate data: Incorporate infographics, charts, and graphs to visually communicate the data you referenced in the first step. This will make complex information more accessible and engaging for donors.
You can also use your case for support to create more marketing collateral, like brochures, one-pagers, and other resources. These can be shared via direct mail, your website, and social media to inform the public about your fundraising efforts, rally their support, and boost giving.
Your case for support is the key to unlocking fundraising success. By creating a compelling narrative around your fundraising needs, you can effectively convert casual supporters into donors and bring your goals to life. Remember to share your case for support with your entire staff and volunteer base to ensure consistency across your donor communications and marketing.