The Prehistory of a Successful Case

If you’re running a campaign, a case for support is your most important tool. But writing one requires a lot of preparation before the work ever starts.  

Based on our years of experience, we’ve identified the following pieces as critical for creating a case that will propel a campaign to success.

An up-to-date strategic plan

A strategic plan is an organization’s north star, providing direction over the course of years and cohering its many activities into impact you can see and feel. With one, it becomes clear why a fundraising campaign will be transformative. Without one, it’s difficult to inspire confidence in any donor to support your organization.

Internal alignment and clear communication

If there is a strategic plan, hopefully it creates fertile ground for internal alignment. But if the parties who weigh in on the case don’t see eye-to-eye and provide conflicting directions, the case will be fractured as a result.

A strong understanding of your donors

A case for support doesn’t work according to the logic of, “if you write it, they will give.” You must understand what motivates your donors and what would drive them to deepen their relationship with your org. If you lack this insight, we recommend working with a fundraising consultant before beginning a case for support. (Feel free to reach out for recommendations for trusted partners.)

A 3–4 month timeline

Creating a case requires significant research on your organization and its donors before writing ever starts. And after writing an initial draft, the document should be reviewed thoughtfully over a number of rounds. Then there’s design… all of this takes at least 3-4 months on the process if not longer. 

Capacity to manage consultants

Consultants may do tremendous things for organizations but aren’t a part of their day-to-day operations and they can’t lead internal processes. It takes significant work to be an interface between consultants and internal peers; just be ready for it.