An effective case can excite, compel, and inspire your donors to raise their philanthropic sights. It is the guiding document upon which the entire narrative of your campaign is built. However, writing this impactful story can be a daunting task, below are 5 tips to keep in mind.
- Confirm your strategic priorities
- Before you put pen to paper ensure that all internal stakeholders are in agreement regarding the funding focus for your organisation.
- Include programmes that have a strong rationale for support and will deliver impact which can be shared with donors.
- Plan out the financial requirements that you will include in your case document in order to demonstrate the strong need for philanthropic support.
- Consider how your case document will be used
- The case should not be a stand-alone document but rather designed with the intention of being accompanied by a personal visit/conversation from someone in your organisation.
- Content should be able to be re-purposed later for proposal documents and supporting materials for cultivation activity, therefore, the language, tone, and design should be carefully developed.
- Think about how you will share the document; will you use hard copies, send it electronically or both? Knowing this at the beginning may impact design decisions.
- Think about the audience
- The strongest case documents are written with real donors in mind and aim to give them a first-hand insight into the organisation.
- Your case should include an emotional appeal for why the programmes included matter and convey the difference a prospective donor can make through participation. Using testimonials from your beneficiaries allows them to hear directly about the impact they could have.
- At its core, your case should show how the donor can play a transformational role by making a philanthropic investment.
- Give time to design
- A visually attractive and compelling document will instantly engage a reader and portray your organisation in the strongest light.
- Try to access good quality images which reflect your priorities and think about how you can tell your story with visuals and infographics to break up text and convey important messages.
- Be consistent with font size, colour palette and layout to ensure a coherent look overall.
- Finalising your case document
- Check and check again to make sure that you are utilising the most compelling language and importantly that there are no spelling or grammar errors.
- If you have time, it can be beneficial to take a few days away from the document before reviewing again with a fresh perspective, similarly asking members of your team or colleagues to review can also be very helpful.
- Once you have completed a high-quality case, consider ‘testing’ it with people close to your organisation to gain initial feedback before finalising your document.