Fundraising for Social Change, 8th Edition

chapter THREEBe Clear About What the Money Will Do

The last two chapters were focused on the importance of raising money from individuals, what motivates people to give, and the value of having a fundraising philosophy. This chapter focuses on knowing why you are raising money—that is, having a clear cause. Traditionally, articulating this cause is called your “case for support,” and it appears in a document called a “case statement.” Basically, this means that your organization sets down in writing why it exists and what it does. The document details three key facts: the need the organization was set up to meet, the way the organization will meet that need, and the capacity of the organization to do so. This written document is for internal use by staff, board, and key volunteers. It is not a secret document, but it will have more information than someone at any distance from the organization would want to read. The document talks about your organization in language people closest to the organization use when they are not trying to impress anyone. This content is then the basis of material for your website, any other virtual platforms, and for proposals, reports, speeches, and so on. The points in your case statement are also used by anyone presenting information about your organization to people outside the organization. Everyone close to the organization needs to agree with the information presented in the internal case statement, and nothing produced by the organization ...