Researching and creating a short, focused list of well-aligned foundation donors for your small nonprofit is a huge and necessary step forward in securing grants. Having a roadmap to follow and then finding the time to generate a meaningful list of foundation funders (and then cull that list further into a short, focused Grants Calendar) for your organization is no small feat. Many small nonprofits never get that far.
But once you have that list, another question comes into focus: can your organization clearly explain what it does, why it matters, and what a foundation would actually be funding? This is where having a strong Case for Support comes into play.
A Good Prospect List Is Not Enough
Many small nonprofits assume that once they find the right funders, the hardest part is over. In reality, this is often where a different kind of challenge begins.
You may have a short list of likely prospects, but if your organization cannot describe its priorities clearly, articulate a compelling need, and explain why its work is fundable, even the most well-aligned foundation is unlikely to fund your work. A good prospect list opens the door, but to draft and submit a strong and compelling grant application, you need a Case for Support to build from.
What a Case for Support Actually Is
A Case for Support is a core fundraising document that explains your organization’s priorities in a clear, persuasive, and reusable way. It is more comprehensive than a mission statement, more strategic than a single grant proposal, and more useful than rewriting the same answers from scratch every time. In practical terms, it helps guide grant writing and broader fundraising by giving your organization a strong, consistent foundation to build from.
For small nonprofits, this really matters. Without a strong Case for Support, you can fall into a cycle of unending reactive fundraising. A board member forwards a grant that is not really a fit (see here for tips on “How to Say No to a Grant Opportunity”). A good grant opportunity comes up with a short deadline and no language is ready. A returning donor wants something “new,” and suddenly your organization feels pressure to reshape its work around outside expectations (beware of mission creep!).
A Case for Support not only helps prevent these scenarios, it gives you a clearer sense of your actual priorities and the confidence to move forward when the right opportunities arise (both planned or unplanned).
What a Case for Support Usually Includes
A strong Case for Support is a short, concise document (we recommend no longer than 5 pages) that is built to answer the questions that foundation donors ask again and again. While formats vary, it often includes:
- Your mission and history
- A clear statement of need
- A description of your programs or services
- Goals, outputs, and outcomes
- How you evaluate success
- Collaboration and partnerships
- Structure and staffing
- Sustainability and funding model
In other words, this document helps you quickly and clearly explain:
- What problem you are addressing
- How you respond to that problem
- What makes your approach credible
- The change you hope to create
- Why someone should invest in your work
How to start building a Case for Support
A strong Case for Support starts with priorities. Most small nonprofits do not have a strategic plan in place or a logic model that they can simply reference to get the Case for Support off the ground. That is perfectly normal and rest assured you are in the vast majority. In order to identify your goals and priorities as an organization, ask yourself and your team these initial questions:
- What are our organization’s naturally occurring goals this year? These are not goals you are sitting down and creating from scratch but a list of aims you are already at least loosely tracking thinking about. Think of these as overarching goals for your whole organization. Don’t overthink it – just generate some bullets to get started. Here are some examples:
- Increase philanthropic support by $100,000 over the next three years, with special attention to annual giving and foundation grants
- Further diversify our Board of Directors to ensure that our leadership reflects the people we seek to serve
- Hire at least one new full-time staff member to support a program that is expanding
- Create a strategic plan in partnership with the Board of Directors to help guide our efforts over the next 5 years
- Invest in a new facility, renovate a current facility, or purchase important equipment that will enhance your organization and help serve the community better
2. What parts of the organization (programs and services) are growing, improving, or evolving in ways that are already consistent with your mission? This is where you might get into a slightly higher level of detail of exactly what parts of your organization (and the services you provide) are changing or growing already. Start with bullets as you did before. Here are some examples:
- Serve 20% more clients through our primary programs to better meet community need
- Improve outreach to a certain neighborhood you want to serve better
- Invest in translation services for your website or your client materials
- Work on building close partnerships with organizations serving the same population with complementary services
- Begin to expand data collection on key services to better track client outcomes
Once you have created this initial list of goals and priorities, from there, the process is usually iterative. Continue to talk with key staff. Gather program data and anecdotal insight. Always start with bullets before trying to write a polished narrative, and work your way through the key categories to create your Case for Support. Within this 5 page document, no section should be longer than 2-3 paragraphs (most sections one paragraph will suffice).
Think about what matters most to donors: impact, clarity, credibility, and alignment. A good Case for Support is a living document, not a one-time exercise. It should help you get clearer over time, not lock you into rigid language forever.