case-for-support

Case for Support Skill

The case for support is the spine of all your fundraising — every appeal, proposal, and pitch draws from it.

It works when it's donor-centred: not "help us, we need money" but "here's a problem you can solve, and

here's exactly what your gift makes possible." This skill writes that case — urgent, evidence-backed, and built

around the donor as the hero.

Working from a brief

Given "write a case for support for our literacy program", produce the full case anyway — build the

argument from the mission described, and mark invented evidence or figures as *(example — replace with real

data)*. Never fabricate statistics as real; never withhold for missing detail.

Required Inputs

Ask for these only if they aren't already provided (else infer and label for replacement):

• Mission & the need — the problem, who it affects, and why it's urgent (evidence/figures if available).
• Your solution — what you do, the proof it works, and why your org is positioned to do it.
• The goal — what you're raising for (a campaign, program, or general support) and the target.
• Funding opportunities — specific things a gift funds, ideally at giving levels ($X funds Y).
• Audience — who you're asking (major donors, foundations, the public) and your voice.

Output Format

Case for Support: [organisation / campaign]

• The need — open with the problem, made vivid and urgent with evidence and a human face. Donor-centred framing: a problem they can help solve.
• Our solution — what you do, the model, and the proof it works (outcomes/evidence).
• Why us — what makes your org credible and uniquely able to deliver (track record, expertise, reach).
• The opportunity & impact — what a gift makes possible, concretely. Use giving levels where possible:

| Gift | What it funds | Impact |

|---|---|---|

| $50 | … | … |

| $500 | … | … |

| $5,000 | … | … |

• The vision — what success looks like, and what won't happen without support (urgency).
• The ask — a clear, confident call to give, and how.

Mark invented figures/evidence as (example — replace with real data).

Quality Checks

• [ ] Framing is donor-centred — the donor is the hero who solves a problem, not a wallet to "help us"
• [ ] The need is specific and evidenced, with a human element — not abstract
• [ ] "Why us" gives real credibility (track record/expertise), not just passion
• [ ] Impact is concrete, ideally tied to giving levels ($X → Y)
• [ ] There's genuine urgency — why now, and the cost of inaction
• [ ] The ask is clear and confident; invented figures are marked for replacement

Anti-Patterns

• [ ] Do not make it org-centred ("we need funds to keep going") — make it about the change the donor enables
• [ ] Do not present invented statistics as real — mark placeholders
• [ ] Do not stay abstract — vivid specifics and a human face move people, data alone doesn't
• [ ] Do not bury the impact and ask under mission boilerplate
• [ ] Do not skip "why us" — donors fund credible delivery, not just a good cause

Based On

Fundraising practice — donor-centred case construction (need, solution, credibility, impact, urgency, ask) with gift-level impact framing.