If your organisation needs support, from anyone, for anything, ever, then it is critical to have a written Case For Support.
Do you have one? If so, when did you last spruce it up? Or view from your stakeholder’s perspective, or take it home and show your partner, your Mum or your cat?
If you don’t have a case for support, please write one. Today if you can, tomorrow if you must. Heck, get Hodwell Associates to write it for you.
This short, (two pages at most) document should sit in the heart of your communications strategy, reminding you (yes, you will forget from time to time) and everyone else why you exist and why supporting you is such an important case.
Written well, your case for support will tell your story and sell your idea. A concise, compelling factual narrative pulling together the mission, activity, and impact that you are delivering for your beneficiaries, to benefit communities, society and probably the whole darn world.
Once read, the idea is that donors, sponsors, supporters, and volunteers will be hammering down your door in order to support you.
It needn’t be hard to write, just use our suggested Headers below and write naturally, then share to refine and hone it – especially existing supporters who will tell you like it is.
Who are we?
Like all good stories, start at the beginning and ease people in.
Tell your audience when you were founded and why, what your mission is, who your beneficiaries are and where you are on the journey.
Working together we can….
You see? Draw them into the story with a vision of the change you can make as a collective.
You need amazing people to join you on the quest. What will you achieve together? Use action-orientated verbs like ‘Give’, ‘Provide’, Relieve’, ‘Build’, ‘Increase’.
People support us because….
Establish in the reader’s mind that they will be in good company with a motivated, like-minded team.
By joining in your mission, they’ll be working with you and others to accomplish great things together. Try sentences that begin with ‘They want to help….’, ‘They want to improve…’ They want to ensure….’, ‘They have empathy and concern for those who…’
We respond to our supporters’ motivations by…
This is the bit that shows that you want to meet your supporters' needs as well as those of your beneficiaries. What do you give back to them? How do you meet their expectations and create value for them?
If you are wearing your clever trousers you can read the research literature on the donor-beneficiary charity accountability paradox.
However, for now just think about your communications channels, ‘ways to give’ and ‘ways to volunteer’ resources, photography, case studies, stories, social media, impact reports, thanking and recognition processes, celebratory events, volunteering opportunities and all the communication and engagement you can reasonably provide.
How can you support us?
This is where you get practical, you have guided them into your extraordinary adventure, now what exactly can they do?
When you really think about this you’ll be amazed by how much you need but never ask for.
Think: is it easy for them to donate, to take part in a fundraising event, or consider leaving a gift in their will? Do you have a Wish List of required resources on your website? Can they sponsor? Recommend? Influence? Spread the word on social media? Volunteer, and if so, when and how and where? Can they subscribe? Sign up? Protest? Write to their MP? Knit? Run? Bake? Mentor? Champion? Professionally advise?
What do you, as a supporter, get for your time, money, and resources?
Here is the opportunity to wrap up the document and give them the bottom line of value in return for their gifts. The psychological returns that money alone can’t buy.
This could be peace of mind, or the pleasure of knowing they are playing their part. It could be the simple satisfaction of seeing and hearing about the impact of your work, or the redemptive qualities that come from being part of a social justice, equity, and inclusiveness movement working in a broken world.
I’d love to know what you think about these headers. What do you include in your Case for Support?
Hodwell Associates develops exciting, compelling Case for Support statements to drive marketing and communications. If you’re still stuck then email stephen@hodwell.co.uk and let’s see if we can create something together.