Business StrategyPublic, Non-Profit, & Religious Organizations

Here’s What To Include in Your Nonprofit’s Case for Support

Sierra Rogers' headshot 2023
By Sierra Rogers

Published
6 min read
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Every fundraising campaign needs a case for support. Here’s what to include.

As a part of your nonprofit’s fundraising committee, you know that securing donations or funding is no walk in the park. Unless your organization has years and years of credibility as an honest nonprofit to lean on, you have likely felt like a salesperson for your mission when convincing potential donors to support you.

Fortunately, there are tactics you can use to make fundraising easier, and one of the most commonly utilized ones is creating a case for support.

Whether your nonprofit is launching a brand new program or is looking to secure further funding for an existing one, if you want your fundraising efforts to be successful, you need a case for support.

Ahead, we’ve got everything you need to know about creating your own case for support, including explanations of each element you should have within one (complete with examples), plus a template you can download to get a head start on creating your own.

What is a case for support?

A case for support is a document put together by a nonprofit for prospective donors. The purpose of this document is to communicate what your organization does, the impact of your work, and most importantly, why a potential donor should support you.

A case for support can also be referred to as a “case statement” or “donor prospectus,” and the focus of your case statement can be centered on a specific campaign (such as securing funding for the launch of a new initiative), or to give a more general overview of your organization and all of its programs.

One of the most common types of case statements is a capital campaign case for support. Nonprofits create these for extensive fundraising campaigns in which they need to raise a substantial amount of money for a new project or undertaking.

What does a case for support typically entail?

Now you know the definition of a case for support, but what does one actually look like?

While every organization’s case for support will look different, the elements they include are typically as follows:

6-elements-to-include-for-a-compelling-case-for-su

An emotional hook

In the same way that a pilot episode determines whether a TV show will stay on the air, the first few lines of your case statement will influence whether potential donors continue to read. So, in order to draw your audience in and make them care about your mission, you should begin your case for support with an emotional hook. You can do this by featuring a quote or story that highlights the needs your organization is determined to meet.

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A quote featured in YMCA Calgary’s Power of Potential Campaign Case for Support (Source)

An introduction to your organization

Next, you’ll introduce your nonprofit organization to your potential supporters. Start with your mission statement (like YMCA did in the example above), then give a brief overview of the history of your organization and all of its ongoing programs. You can also share the names and headshots of key members of your board or fundraising team here as a method of building familiarity with your audience.

habitat-for-humanitys-case-for-support-introducti

An excerpt from Habitat for Humanity’s case for support introduction (Source)

Tip: As you should with all fundraising communications, keep your audience in mind here. For example, if this case statement is for a new initiative launch and will be shared with individuals who have been benefactors in the past, you don’t need to go too in-depth when introducing your nonprofit.

The challenges your organization is addressing

What is the problem that your organization is seeking to solve? In order to have an effective case statement, you need to be able to communicate that clearly to a prospective donor. Using a combination of emotional and rational language, detail the challenges your nonprofit’s efforts are addressing. We highly recommend including statistical data that illustrates the scope of the problem your nonprofit is trying to solve, like in the example below.

a-sample-from-pratham-usas-case-for-support

Pratham USA’s case for support clearly defines the problem their organization is working to solve (Source)

What you are doing to address the problem

Once you’ve laid out the problem in your case for support, it’s time to present your plans for resolving it. If the purpose of this case statement is to act as a general call for donors to support all facets of your organization, you should include explanations of each of your ongoing programs and proof of the impact they've had to date, whether in the form of a testimonial or data, or both.

Alternatively, if this case for support is being used to acquire funds for a brand new program, you should give an overview of the project and provide a timeline of the first few milestones you plan to achieve through it.

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Habitat for Humanity explains their program offerings in their case for support (Source)

An overview of your fundraising goals

This is the most important section of your case for support because it’s your opportunity to ask the reader to contribute to your cause. Before you do that, though, you need to show that your nonprofit has a well-thought-out plan for what to do with your supporters’ financial contributions. If possible, try to include data visualizations of how funds have been allocated in the past and testimonials from former donors and members of the communities you serve.

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Pratham USA’s case for support includes data visualization and explanations of what different levels of contributions accomplish (Source)

Here’s a few questions that will inform what you add to this section:

  • What are your funding needs? Answer this question for your readers right off the bat. Include a clearly defined fundraising goal that has a timeline and a financial figure attached to it.

  • What will be the impact of fulfilling that fundraising goal? Don’t just detail which programs will benefit from donors’ contributions—try to communicate the change or actions that will become possible because of it. For instance, the Freerice game is an initiative where every question that’s answered correctly raises the cash equivalent of 10 grains of rice for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)—a great example of tying a specific outcome to the input of those who participate.

  • How will this create a change in the community? If you are successful in reaching your fundraising goal, what will be the outcome of your organization’s efforts? You can use more emotional language here. Continuing with the example from the World Food Programme’s Freerice game, they will say that they will be able to improve food security and nutrition for communities facing emergency situations through donors’ involvement.

A final call to action

To wrap up your case statement, include a final call for supporters to donate. Add instructions for how they can do this in multiple ways (such as online, via check, or over the phone). If you have any other resources you’d like to plug here, such as a donor communications group, include those as well.

habitat-for-humanitys-case-for-support-cta

Habitat for Humanity’s case for support CTA includes a contact form, a reiteration of what donations help them accomplish, and links to additional resources (Source)

You can also end on an inspirational note by including your vision statement, which is different from your mission statement in that it describes what your nonprofit hopes to accomplish in the future rather than what you’re doing right now.

Capterra tools and tips


Whether you’re working on securing philanthropic support, recruiting volunteers, or improving your communications, we’ve got the resources you need to make that happen. Before you X out of this content, check out these additional tools and tips:

  • Download Capterra’s case for support template, a simple tool meant to help you brainstorm what to include within each of the six sections of a case statement we covered in this article.

  • Browse top-rated and free tools in ourgraphic design software directory. Strong case statements effectively use visuals and branding to pique a potential donor’s interest. Our graphic design software category has nearly 200 different tools to explore, and you can filter products by their user ratings, pricing, and features.

  • Read more nonprofit-related content on our blog. We’re constantly updating our blog with new resources for nonprofit professionals just like you. Check out our latest content, Here's How (And Why) Nonprofits Should Work Towards Digital Maturity, for a sample of how our research translates into valuable insights for you.


Looking for Nonprofit software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Nonprofit software solutions.

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About the Author

Sierra Rogers' headshot 2023

Sierra Rogers is a senior content writer at Capterra, covering human resources, eLearning, and nonprofits with expertise in recruiting and learning and development strategies. With a background in the tech and fashion industries, she has extensive experience keeping her finger on the pulse of the latest trends and reporting on how they impact our world. Sierra enjoys cooking and dining out, collecting vintage designer goods, and spending time with her pets at home in Austin, Texas.

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