Case for Support
A case for support tells donors why your campaign matters now, why your institution is the one to act, and what their gift will do. Foster Avenue writes and designs cases for universities, hospitals and cultural institutions. We build each case on the campaign plan and on what your leaders and donors tell us, because the same team does both.
What goes into a strong case
A strong case answers the three questions every donor asks.
Why now? What is happening outside your walls that makes this campaign urgent. A case that leans on an anniversary gives donors no reason to act this year.
Why here? What only your institution can do about it. Specific strengths, such as a program, a partnership or a record of results, persuade more than claims of excellence.
Why this? What each priority will change, and what a gift at each level makes possible.
A strong case also shows the people who do the work beside the students and patients they serve. It names each priority plainly so a reader who skims still knows what the campaign funds. And it sounds like you. We write in your institution’s voice, and your leaders review every draft for it.
What each piece does, and when you get it
Campaign rationale
The internal blueprint your leaders agree on first: why now, why here, why this, and why the donor. Every later piece draws its language from it.When: First, before anything a donor sees
Preliminary case
A short version for your feasibility study, often about 15 slides, so donors react to your real planWhen: During planning, for the study
Leadership case
The full case for your most important donor meetings. The leadership cases we have written run 16 to 24 pages.When: The quiet phase, before you ask for leadership gifts
Unit and priority cases
Cases for each school, hospital, unit or priority, built from the leadership case so every one tells the same storyWhen: The quiet and public phases, as each unit needs one
Proposals
Templates your gift officers tailor to one donorWhen: The quiet phase, ready for the first asks
How we build it
We start by listening. In discovery, we listen for your institution’s story: what makes it special, and what is happening in the world that creates the need. We build the campaign rationale first, and we write the case only after your leaders agree on it and donors have reacted to it in the study. Writing and design happen together, so the case reads and looks like one piece. Doug Diefenbach, our Vice President for Strategy & Brand, leads our campaign rationale, message strategy, and editorial and creative work.
When a case has no heart
Some cases test well in a feasibility study and still fall flat with donors. The cause is usually a case that talks about the institution’s needs instead of what the donor’s gift will do. We rebuild it around the donor’s role, the people the gift will reach, and one clear reason to act now.
Cases we have written
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. A 24-page case for principal gift conversations and four priority cases, including a $400 million Research & Discovery case. The campaign passed its $1 billion goal. Read the case study.
DePaul University. Ten printed unit cases and one digital priority case for a $650 million campaign. Read the case study.
UNC Greensboro. A 16-page case statement that opens with student futures. The campaign raised $266 million, 33% above its goal. Read the case study.
Arizona State University Foundation. The main case and six pillar cases for a campaign that raised more than $2.3 billion on a $1.5 billion goal. Read the case study.
Questions we hear
What is a case for support?
The main document a campaign uses to explain why it matters, what it will fund and what a gift will do. Gift officers, volunteers and leaders draw on it in every donor conversation.
What will we receive, and what does each piece do?
Most campaigns need a campaign rationale, a preliminary case for the feasibility study, a leadership case, unit or priority cases, and proposal templates. Each has its own job and its own moment, shown in the table above. In our first conversation we walk you through which pieces your campaign needs.
Is a case statement the same as a case for support?
Most institutions use the two names for the same document. We use “campaign rationale” for the internal version your leaders agree on, and “case for support” for the version donors read.
How long should a case for support be?
Long enough to answer why now, why here and why this, and short enough that a busy donor reads it. A preliminary case for a feasibility study can be a few pages. The leadership cases we have written run 16 to 24 pages.
When should we write the case?
After your leaders agree on the campaign rationale and donors have reacted to a preliminary version. A case written before then often has to be rewritten.
Who should write our case for support?
A writer who understands your campaign plan. When the people who set the priorities also write the case, the case and the plan match.
Let’s Talk About Your Campaign
One team for campaign counsel and campaign communications, from the first planning question through the public launch.