How to Write a Case for Support

Wouldn’t it be nice if you never had to ask for money … if donors were jockeying in line to rush up and hand it to you? That’s every nonprofit’s dream, but sadly, it has yet to pass for almost all of us. Instead, we have the humble case for support.

Now, that might not sound very sexy. However, a good case for support is worth its weight in gold, helping potential donors understand exactly why your cause rises above the rest.

Its uses range widely, too. You can send a fully designed and formatted pamphlet to potential donors, use it as a roadmap for a one-on-one convo, or treat it as a library of facts and figures when needed.

In other words, it’s time you learned how to write a good one.

What is a Case for Support?

A case for support is a flexible framework that enables you to collate all your fundraising information in one place. Essentially, it answers the question: “Why should I give you money?”

Cases for support can take the form of a PDF, a speech, a video or a webpage. The term doesn’t refer to the piece of media itself, but rather to the ideas you’ve woven together to support your cause. As long as it tells someone why they should care and moves the donor relationship forward, you’re doing well.

Once you hammer out your case, you can use it to create a huge variety of fundraising collateral. Of course, since you’re going to be using it so widely, you’ll want to make sure it’s good.

Types of Case for Support

When we say “types,” we don’t mean the media format (written, video, webpage, et cetera). Instead, we’re talking about the most common case for support examples by purpose. These include:

• General: You simply tell the potential donor what you do, why you do it, and where their money will go. It’s pretty evergreen.
• Campaign–oriented: When running a specific campaign, especially one important to your nonprofit’s bottom line that year, you have to craft a specific case for support around it.
• Gift–oriented: Maybe you want something specific, such as a new play structure for your after-school program. Build a case for why funding that gift will bring true meaning to the world (and the donor).
• Event-oriented: An event’s case for support should answer why the donation is needed, why it’s needed at that event and why the donor’s attendance really matters (e.g. sponsor gift-matching will only happen that night).

With more specific cases, you’ll want to drill down to what you need, why, when, how, from whom and in what form.

On the other hand, a general case for support should include the main benefits of your nonprofit’s work, why a donor would want to be a part of it, and some main talking points for crafting more serious marketing collateral around it.

The Importance of a Case for Support for Nonprofits

Cases for support provide several essential services. For instance, they:

• Help your team distill their talking points, so they’re always ready to chat up a new donor
• Create a need for standardized messaging, which is critical for ensuring your foundation or nonprofit is always on-brand
• Provide scaffolding for more complex or more niche marketing materials

How to Write a Case for Support

All right, enough of that. You already know you need a case for support, so now it’s time to learn to write a good one. We’ve honed our process well, and we’re happy to share it with you!

Identify Target Audience

First and foremost, figure out who you’re talking to. Only a shoddy case addresses the world at large, because “the world” is not your donor. You have a specific audience, and you’re speaking to them.

If you’re not sure who your audience is, do a little nonprofit prospect research to find out. If you’re still unsure, comb through your donor databases or read a how-to on finding donors if you’re just starting out.

On the other hand, you may know exactly who your audience is and need to refine it further. Sometimes, cases will speak directly to audience segments, such as:

• Major donors
• Mid-level donors
• Individuals
• Corporate partners
• Foundations
• Peer-to-peer fundraising donors

Whoever you’re talking to, make sure you’re clear on it before you do the work. Otherwise, you may find yourself barking up the wrong tree.

Determine Your Purpose and Goal

Some people can sell milk to a dairy farmer. So sure, if you’re good enough, you can just kind of wing it.

The rest of us? We need a few guidelines, which is why you should set out your purpose and goal ahead of time. Always know precisely what you want, why you want it and how the donor’s money will help you achieve it.

A prospect wants to know that their contribution will make a difference. Even if you cannot promise them a concrete result immediately, you can specify what their money is working toward (e.g. improving the gardens, rehabbing the kitchen, building a new website for food distribution).

Collaborate with Your Team

There’s no such thing as a case for support written in a vacuum. It’s critical you talk to your team and ensure everyone is on the same page.

That includes both internal and external stakeholders.

Internally, make sure you talk to the heads of departments involved, especially fundraising, marketing, donor management, and specific departments that pertain to the campaign. The number of people involved will depend on how big your organization is.

Externally, you’ll want to contact donors and community recipients. The latter are especially important since they are the ones that provide proof of your efficacy, so you should get their opinion on what is and isn’t working.

Gather Data and Testimonials

While you’re speaking to your community members, ask for success stories. How have you helped change lives? How is your mission alive and well?

Don’t just get stories, though. Cases for support thrive on facts and figures, so make sure you have number-crunchers who can measure the good you do. Answer questions such as:

• How many people were served by X program?
• How many people benefited from X program (notice outcomes versus outputs)?
• How many people returned for follow-up engagement?
• How did related metrics change as a result (e.g. nutrition, housing, education)?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a good story or data point must be worth a million, right? Spend the time to track them down.

Write the Message

With your stakeholders in tow, it’s time to consider your message. It should be succinct, impactful, and non-hysterical. Naturally, it should also tug on the heartstrings a bit, but in a tasteful way, not a fearmongering one.

Line up your messaging with past approaches to maintain a consistent brand. Pull in important words and phrases, anecdotes and figures. Draft an outline that incorporates them all before you begin any serious writing.

Then, write. If you have someone on staff who can do it, wonderful. If you don’t, then engage a good copywriter. Excellent writing is a pivotal element in asking for donations.

Whatever you do, make sure your case for support includes the following five elements: vision and mission; funding need; impact stories; photos, infographics, or graphs; and a clear call to action.

Vision and Mission

Vision and mission are often lumped together, but they’re not the same thing:

1. Your mission is who you serve and how you do it.
2. Your vision is how the world would change if you could accomplish all your goals.

Make sure you include both in your case for support. While your mission is an important who and how, your vision is the why. Your why really matters to people.

Funding Need

Any case for support, as with any donation letter of any kind, should include your funding need. Donors need to know what their money will accomplish and, just as importantly, what you won’t be able to do without it.

For instance, you could ask for $10,000 to “feed the hungry.” But it’s better to ask for $10,000 for a new professional range because, without it, you won’t be able to manage the upswing in the coming winter’s food pantry visits.

Impact Stories

Think of an impact story like a funding need’s happy ending. Nonprofit donors want to feel the difference they make, not just know it. It’s one of the best ways to maintain healthy, long-term donor relationships and therefore minimize turnover.

For instance, once you get your big new stove, you can interview a particular family that was able to eat and warm up in your kitchen all winter while the parents found work and got back on their feet. That’s the kind of thing that keeps donors coming back for more. (And not just because your soup’s so good now.)

Photos, Infographics, or Graphs

It’s important to include visuals. Think graphs showing meaningful change, infographics explaining what you do, and photos showing people benefiting from your services. These not only do a little requisite heartstring-tugging, they beautify your print and digital collateral nicely.

If you’ve been in (not-for-profit) business for 6 months or more, you should already have plenty of graphics from which to pull. If you don’t, hire a graphic designer or photographer to come fill out your stable.

And if you can’t afford that, take to the internet and pull from free image sites such as Unsplash for photos and Canva for infographics.

Call to Action

Lastly, end your case for support with a clear explanation of what you need. Something like, “With your donation of [X amount], we could help [X number of people] to improve their lives through our [X program].”

Asking for amounts directly might feel scary, but it’s helpful. Then, even if your prospect can’t give the full amount, they have an idea of how much you need and can decide what a meaningful contribution is for them.

Review and Revise

Your case for support is not done until it’s brief, intelligible, and error-free. Remember what Blaise Pascal said: “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” You, however, do have the time.

Once you’re done writing it (or have received it from your writer), give all stakeholders a chance to review it and leave feedback. Ensure that the one who collates the feedback is on staff; an outside writer may not know how to sort between what’s important and what isn’t.

You can either design it fully now and make updates as needed for various campaigns or goals, or you can file the template until needed. Either way, make sure a graphic designer gives it the professional treatment before it goes out the door.

Send it Out!

That’s it! You’re done! Whether you’re using it in a solicitation email or as part of a direct mail fundraising campaign, you’ve got a lovely piece of marketing material on which you can rely heavily from now on.

Give it a light refresh whenever you need to and use it to inform:

• SMS and email messaging
• Brochures and websites
• Fundraisers and events
• Solicitation calls

… and more.

Case for Support Examples

All right, who’s ready for some case for support examples? These are shining stars in the nonprofit world, and we thought you might like to take a look.

For Pete’s Sake

In the belief that cancer patients and their loved ones need a break from the trials of the disease, For Pete’s Sake seeks to provide much-needed emotional support and a respite experience. Their PDF case for support is clear, simple, and kicks off with the heartwarming story of its founder, deceased from cancer himself.

Habitat for Humanity

Using a website, Habitat for Humanity leads the reader through a number of statistics explaining the housing problem across the world, complete with the health and racial justice implications. It employs an intuitive user interface along with compelling photos to make its … well, case.

Brilliant Future

Using bold colors and imagery of smiling students, this PDF case for support is the very incarnation of California success. The prestigious UC Irvine uses statistics and emotional language to describe why it’s so important to keep funding its mission of academic excellence.

Mission Kids

What’s more compelling than a banner photo of happy kids on bikes? Not much. Mission Kids uses that and a streamlined website to highlight the power of after-school programs for young children and convince donors to chip in on the effort.

Tips for Writing an Effective Case for Support

Now that you’ve seen a few case for support examples, let’s finish with some hot tips for ensuring the best possible product. Time to get tactical, folks.

Keep it Clear, Avoid Jargon

Resist the urge to use nomenclature, abbreviations, or unexplained acronyms. Spell out concepts that might not be obvious to the layperson. Don’t make your donors work too hard; you want their money, remember?

Before sending it out, have several people outside your industry read your letter. If there are words or concepts they don’t understand, get rid of them.

Focus on the Impact

Put your impact front and center. Donor impact reports speak louder than words, after all, so let the people know what their money is doing for your community of need.

Make it Personal and Engaging

Your case, like your annual appeal letter or email messaging, must feel personal. No one likes to feel like a name on a list, so make sure to get the first name and demographic details right. Talk to the correct audience segment and share the stories that will matter to them.

Utilize Visuals

As discussed, make sure your visual messaging is prominent and powerful. Give the eye somewhere to rest on every single page.

Tailor Your Message for Different Audiences

Tailor your case for support template to your different audiences. Don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole; do as much rewriting as needed to sound genuine.

After the Case: Donor Acknowledgement

And last but not least, it’s important to discuss what happens after you make your case. Just as donors want to feel that their money is going somewhere, they also want to know that you appreciate it.

That’s where a donation acknowledgment letter comes in. Think of it like a thank you letter for donations: It’s a way of saying that you know they believe in you and that their belief matters.

It’s not that your appreciation, per se, is so critical. Rather, you are the only conduit through which they can hear whether their generosity made an impact. This is a great opportunity to let them know, while simultaneously detailing the exact amount of their donation for their records and offering tax guidance to boot.

When you get it right, it’s a graceful one-two punch that both sings their praises and gives them a handy tax incentive that will encourage them to do it again. Make sure your case for support has a donor acknowledgement plan in place as well.

And that’s it! You’re ready to go, you fundraising machine, you. Knock ‘em dead.