Our case for support engagements are primarily about process, and the written case at the end is just one of many positive outcomes. This is especially true in the early stages of a campaign's leadership phase.
One step we usually build into our engagements from the outset is a workshop, which can take different forms according to the needs and capacities of our partners.
But why? Why don’t we just do some background research and go from there?
Because the more we hear from an organization’s stakeholders, the better our first draft will frame that organization’s goals with language that resonates with its champions, and with the right sense of urgency.
Interviewing stakeholders is great, and we do that too. But when you get people into a room together, and they can hear each other… that’s where particular benefits emerge:
Internal Alignment
Communicating clearly about a fundraising priority requires getting all internal voices on the same page first. It may seem like alignment is building over email, in comments on document drafts, or during staff meetings.
But gathering the most critical voices together for the specific purpose of answering big-picture questions to co-create messaging frequently brings friction points to light.
Those questions include things like, “What problem are we actually trying to solve?” and “What transformational outcomes do we expect from doing this?”
When stakeholders hear the range of answers from others in the room, they begin to gain an appreciation for the many variables and viewpoints that need to be considered.
External Insights
When we workshop with high-level donors, we are typically testing language after it’s already been vetted by organizational leadership.
Donors may read unintended meanings into words or phrases, or introduce a new perspective that requires us to reframe messaging.
Insights like these are always a gift. They make the writing more resonant with your primary audience, and they uncover donor motivations and beliefs that may not regularly emerge during giving conversations.
Including committed donors in the process is also some of the best engagement you can offer.
Knowing When to Pivot
Sometimes, key donors aren’t at all aligned with an organization’s vision, or we hear completely different things from staff than we do from leadership.
When things just don’t add up, it tells us that an organization isn’t “case ready.”
Being on the receiving end of that information can be frustrating or frightening, but pausing or changing course is the best thing to do in situations like these.
Moving to a different kind of fundraising communication—for example, more limited in scope or focused on evergreen priorities—will lead to greater near-term fundraising success while you work through sticking points.
