From Mission to a Compelling Case for Support
Who benefits from your work and why is it important to the community? What makes you
different than other organizations that meet the same need? What are your plans for future
growth? As most nonprofit and fundraising executives are aware, individual donors and
foundations ask these questions frequently and require immediate and effective answers. A
successful case for support will answer these questions while confidently directing the reader
toward the organization’s urgent needs and their projected costs.
This Topic of the Month demonstrates how to effectively express your mission into a successful
case for support, outlining the steps to create the essential components of this important
document. Note that Cathedral believes all case for supports should include the information
that the Internal Revenue Services requires all major giving programs to have on file for its grant
recipients. This information is included herein.
Uses for a Case for Support
Developing a strong case for support is typically thought of as merely a way to secure donors.
While this is true, we also believe that this annual exercise is the perfect opportunity to continue
developing and reenergize the mission of the organization. Additional uses of the case for
support are the following:
1. Promoting the organization’s efforts and value at a community event, gala, or speaking
engagement.
2. Training new staff, and increasing staff efficiency.
3. Recruiting, inspiring and motivating your Board of Directors.
4. Building trust with individuals within the community or speaking with the community to
determine what interests the public.
5. Forming a centerpiece for other documents such as the Annual Report and Gala
Program.
The Process of Creating a Case for Support
Step 1: Involve the Right People and Listen
Writing a successful case for support that portrays the passion behind the mission does involve
some organizational soul searching. Bringing together staff and board leaders to assist in this
activity will not only strengthen the team but also reenergize the organization, creating a deeper
understanding of the shared passion. Leaders must listen to those who care about the history
and future of the organization. While some organizations have found success in broadening
participation and expediting the process by creating an internal committee of 3 to 5 key leaders
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and board members charged with the creation of the case for support, the Executive Director
must drive this process.
Step 2: Confirm the Mission and Vision
This mission statement describes how the organization works to solve the concerns or issues it
was created to address. The vision statement outlines the future, what the world would look like
if the organization achieved the mission. The case for support demonstrates to the public the
importance of the mission and vision, how it affects the community, and why the organization
should continue to exist to achieve these goals.
The Mission and Vision are the organization’s reason for being, and are therefore the foundation
of the Case for Support. All board members, whose duty it is to set the direction of the
organization, must agree to the mission and vision prior to the creation of the case for support.
Step 3: Comprise the Case for Support
An organization’s case for support should be a strong, influential tool to target major donors,
foundations, and individuals. Assembling your case for support should always be done from the
donor’s point of view because donors have a right to know everything they can about your
organization and how their money will be spent. This perspective shows that investments are
truly treated as an investment, not just viewed as an exchange of dollars.
The case for support should be structured to present the following aspects of the organization:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Mission and Vision
History
Board of Directors and Staffing
Current Programs and Services
Historical Financials
Current Need and Plan to Address Future Needs
Current Need Budget
Summary/Conclusion and contact information
History: The most convincing way to demonstrate an organization’s strengths and longevity is
by highlighting the progress and success already made. The history and background of the
organization provides donors with credentials on how and why the organization’s work has been
beneficial to the community.
Board of Directors and Staffing: Stability in the leadership of an organization is extremely
important to donors. Listing board members and important staff demonstrates that the
infrastructure of the organization is stable and funding will be adequately allocated to prove
most beneficial for the entire organization. In addition, the Board of Directors carries fiduciary
responsibilities for the organization and is an essential element in the risk equation for donors.
Current Programs and Services: Outlining the current programs and services in a case for
support minimizes any possible misunderstandings of how the organization continues to fulfill its
mission. Donors want to know what the organization does every day and the specific ways it
carries out the mission.
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Measurements are key to placing context and describing the impact of current programs and
services. For example, rather than saying the organization “provides free inner-city home
repairs” it should note that the organization “delivers over $2 Million dollars worth of free home
repairs to the poorest zip codes in the 10 county area.” Measurements should also note whether
the organization is among the largest or the smallest groups doing the work, if it operates on a
big or small budget, with volunteers or all paid employees, etc. Dashboards are becoming
increasingly popular as a way to show off accomplishments with these types of contexts.
Regardless, accompanying this information with charts and bar graphs to demonstrate the
organization’s accomplishments makes a bolder statement.
Historical Financials and Current Need Budget: Since most donors made their money through
excellent usage of basic business principals, they are looking to see if the organization’s
leadership has a grasp of these essential skills as well. Providing a summary of the
organization’s financials according to generally accepted accounting principles, along with
organizational and project budgets, will allow prospective donors to understand that the
organization has a system in place that ensure funds are properly managed. Project budgets
also match needs described in the document with their projected costs, allowing donors to
better understand how they are contributing to the mission.
Current Need and Plan to Address Future Needs: While the organization’s services help
individuals today, it is important to also outline what exactly the needs are. This should include
a look forward to foresee what changes might be needed in the future. An assessment of
current and future needs will provide prospective donors with an understanding that the
organization has taken time to plan and strategize what impact changes will have on the
organization and its constituents.
Summary/Conclusion and contact information: The summary should include one or two
inspirational sentences as to how any financial contribution will make the world a better place by
achieving the mission. Most importantly, it should note where donations can be made, contact
information for future questions, and whether contributions are tax-deductible.
Last Step: Test the Case for Support
It may be necessary to have a review process that receives feedback from individuals not
involved in its creation. This can be a small group of donors, strategic partners, or community
representatives. The best way to test a case for support is to use it, understanding that it is a
living document that can incorporate feedback from each donor meeting to make it better.
Additional Items of Note
1. Format and Size
The final format for a case for support can take on many different forms from a brochure to a
booklet, a simple typed document, a video, or all of these. Multiple formats for multiple
audiences and uses are completely natural. Some organizations might need to produce a new
format for each donor meeting. If the dollars are big enough, it’s worth it. Cathedral has found
that a power point presentation created as a flipbook has been extremely effective in most
situations. Remember that pictures also help convey the message and make it real for the
reader.
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Each organization must determine what works best for capturing the organization, its work, and
the passion behind the mission. Note that the content and the messages that are portrayed are
more important than design. Providing a design that allows additional information to be inserted
or change may also prove useful.
2. Tone and Language
The case for support should create a sense of urgent need without expressing desperation. A
distressed organization will not attract donors. The language needs to make the mission
compelling enough that donors will want to help the organization succeed by making the largest
gift possible. The intention is to generate enthusiasm in your community and among your
donors. Seek language that instills confidence in the organization and its leaders. Be careful to
avoid cliché claims at greatness and instead articulate what makes the organization different.
“The only organization providing free home repairs to inner city homeowners” or “The first
organization in the country designed to assist female heads of household” are claims that tout
uniqueness and set the organization apart from other endeavors that may be competing for the
same funds.
Articles for Further Reading
1.
Seiler, Timothy L. “Developing Your Case For Support.” Jossey-bass, Aug 2001.
2.
Stanois, George. “Step 1: Develop a Fundraising Case for Support.”
http://www.12stepfundraising.com/?page_id=7
3.
The Ritter Group. Bringing a Good Idea to Major Gift Prospects.
http://therittergroup.com/2010/06/24/bringing-a-good-idea-to-major-gift-prospects/
Peter Giersch is COO of Cathedral Consulting Group, LLC and a Managing Director in the
Midwest Office. Michelle Fitzgerald is a former Senior Associate in the New York Office.
For more information, please visit Cathedral Consulting Group LLC online at
www.cathedralconsulting.com or contact us at info@cathedralconsulting.com.
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