The Case Statement - Don't Leave Home Without It!

Fundamental to any fund raising effort is a well crafted case statement. The case statement inherently answers the questions – Why should I (a donor) give you money?; and, Why should I give it at this point in time? A case statement needs to answer these questions thoughtfully, providing and presenting information that prepares the asker to respond to any perspective that comes up in speaking with a potential donor.

The thinking behind this arrangement of information is to provide enough data around organizational need for philanthropic support of a presentation, a proposal or a major gift brochure. A lot of people get involved in speaking with potential donors and there needs to be a lot of clarity around what each of you is presenting to your consitutents so that the case is lucid. All data and presenting evidence for organizational need should be presented in one place.

The basic composite of the case statement:

• Who you are.  This should be a brief history of the organization; an historical context that explains the personalities of your founders and early leaders and highlights the ways in which those values have become embedded in the personality of the organization.

• Your mission – how has it evolved?  What need does it address?

• Who you are today.  Here you explain what your organization is doing now. The number of people you serve. Your important achievements over time

• What your need is. Here you describe the problems your organization is seeking to address at this juncture. If this is a special gifts effort designed to address a particular problem, then the focus may move quickly to that specific need. Support the donor in understanding how you came to this point of needing to ask them for their help. Present it as ‘doable’. Fund raising inevitably evolves out of a practical situation. It is a ‘business proposition’.

• How do you know this need exists? Here you explain how you came to the conclusion that there is a need that requires special attention. *The case for raising money must always be grounded in the needs of your ‘service recipients’. The Case Statement explains how to connect the needs you want to address to the needs of your constituents.

• Why now? The answer to that question might seem clear but nonetheless, here is where you need to present compelling data that illustrates why you must address these needs now.

• Present a vision of how things will improve because you met this need.  Here you are forwarding the specific need that can be met only through philanthropy. Demonstrate how the fund raising effort relates to the overall mission and its future impact on living into that mission.