Built for Change
The cornerstone of any good development communications toolkit will always be the case for support. As we’ve described previously, a case is important because it’s more than just words on a page: creating one is a process where the goals of an organization’s strategic plan are translated to a fundraising audience. And with a good case in place, it’s much easier to build out your toolkit with other fundraising collateral.
But a good case for support is becoming more and more difficult to create. Strategic plans are getting shorter, an index of organizations rightly focusing on keeping things afloat against considerable odds rather than planning for long-term stability. In turn, this makes it harder to develop a compelling case for support that inspires donor giving around a coherent vision for the future.
Given this background, let us introduce your new development communications go-to: the messaging platform.
What a Messaging Platform Is
A messaging platform should be a set of key talking points that connect an organization’s core values to its activities and fundraising priorities. This creates a strong but flexible base for fundraising that can remain a consistent resource even during times of change or while strategic planning is in process.
A good messaging platform is a living resource that does the following:
Aligns organizational voices during times of change
Grows and flexes to accommodate new developments
Arms gift officers with talking points to respond to common donor concerns
Provides continuity even as specific initiatives come and go
Powers fundraising for evergreen priorities
Compared to a case for support, a messaging platform should change over time to address new developments that are relevant to the organization and its donors.
What a Messaging Platform Isn’t
While a messaging platform is incredibly useful, it is not a 1-to-1 replacement for a case for support and it isn’t any of the following things:
A beautifully designed, printed piece
Something to share directly with a donor
A static, unchanging resource
That said, the content of a messaging platform can nonetheless be used to move donor conversations ahead and complement other components of a development communications toolkit, like one-sheets, pitch decks, and proposal templates.
The tradeoff when adopting a messaging platform is that gift officers will not have the same designed and printed materials at their fingertips for donor conversations. But the benefit is being responsive in an ever-changing environment, which may do far more to inspire donor confidence at this time than a stunningly produced piece.
