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.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "Write a case for support."
- "Write our fundraising case statement."
- "Make the case for our capital campaign."
- "Why should a donor give to us?"