The second main component of the Fund Development Plan is the organization's case for support. As we stated in the last post, the case for support is critical to fundraising success and derives its foundation directly from the strategic plan.
The case for support comprises the set of reasons why any donor (or all donors) should give the organization any financial support. In short, it makes the case for – or demonstrates why – contributions should be given.
As a result of extensive research by many fund development practitioners and reporters over the last 20 years, we know what donors describe as their top reasons for giving. Therefore, we will fashion our case for support in a way that allows us to speak directly to those reasons for giving money to charity.
1. People give to organizations that are well known in the community and have done extensive work that has been recognized over many years.
2. People give to organizations that produce clear, measurable results.
3. People give to organizations that help the community deal with certain kinds of crisis, such as earthquakes and tornadoes. They also give to organizations that assist members of the community to take advantage of certain kinds of opportunities, such as education and training, art and cultural events, or human services and public policy-related offerings.
4. People give to organizations that have laid careful, workable plans to either deal with a crisis or help a community take advantage of an opportunity.
5. People give to organizations that ask them for money.
6. People give to organizations that tell them how their money will be used, tell them what specifically their contributions will provide or “buy” that meets community needs, and tell them afterwards what their gifts have accomplished.
7. People give to organizations that carefully, thoughtfully and frequently thank them for their gifts and recognize that their contributions have helped alleviate crisis or offer increased opportunities to the community.
8. People give to organizations that are careful to include them in their communications networks, giving their donors the right information they need at appropriate times and in ways they can appreciate and use effectively.
Therefore, we will draft our case for support around these eight reasons why donors give, so that we are sure to meet the needs, wants and values of our donors. This will make our case for support stands out in the philanthropic marketplace and will help us attract more donors than otherwise would be the case.
More on the case for support in the next post.
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