Making the Case for the Dartmouth Cancer Center Food Pantry
The Client:
Earlier this year, our client Dartmouth Health needed a case for support that would help donors understand the impact of an on-site food pantry for food-insecure cancer patients. A pilot study had been completed, and the potential was clear. Now, it was time to raise more money to expand the program.
The Process:
We followed the same steps we use when developing any case for support, beginning with setting a timeline for the work and ending with client approval after a healthy amount of research, drafting, design, and review.
We studied the materials that already existed for the Dartmouth Cancer Center Food Pantry, interviewed the social worker who ran the pilot program, and worked with our clients in development to understand the full range of donor audiences and contexts this appeal would reach.
Our conversations also revealed that the client would welcome ideas for stewarding and engaging donors who supported the project, so we also developed recommendations for keeping stewardship efforts on track and informing donors about their impact.
Finally, we refined messaging through several iterations of drafting and review before collaborating with the client’s in-house designer to bring the piece to life.
The Result:
A visually interesting and impact-driven 4-page case for support that:
Clearly describes the need and how to address it
Explains how philanthropic dollars will have an impact
Balances real stories with data
Has a clear call to action
Creative recommendations for engaging donors around this effort, including:
Ways to streamline stewardship and collect impact stories
Inventive donor recognition vehicles
Possibilities for activating hospital spaces and Dartmouth Health events with food pantry messaging
(Click on each image to enlarge or download the full PDF.)