I was recently asked by a client to provide some leadership advice regarding how to develop a quick strategy to increase major gift fundraising and attract new high capacity donors. I quickly responded with two requests of my own - “(1) Show me your vision statement and (2) show me your case statement.” In my opinion the latter is probably the most important and does not need to be a twenty page document. Case statements are obviously useful for everything from capital campaigns, to annual appeals and grant writing to developing a strategic appeal designed to attract new leadership level donors.


The key to writing a strong fundraising case is to anticipate the core questions that prospective donors may have about the project, answer them succinctly and to differentiate the effort for other projects/competition.

An important step is information gathering. Identify the following organizational information:
•your mission;
• your vision;
• your values;
• your strategic plan;
• your monetary goal and what that money buys;
• data on those you serve;
• trends;
• information on emerging or increasing needs;
• descriptions of programs and services;
• proof that your programs are worth doing and that they work.

After gathering information, I recommend sorting it into categories to create “personal  case,” which can be described as a collection of potentially useful information that’s unedited, confidential and not necessarily meant for circulation.

When developing the information for the case document, you should ask three questions:

Why us?, Why now? and Why you?

• Why us? — What is your organization doing that is so unique donors support its new plans?

• Why now? —Why is the fundraising initiative crucial today?

• Why you? — Why are donors/supporters critical to complete the vision?

A case, like a story, should have a beginning, a middle and an end. The beginning presents the problem/solution, the middle supports the problem/solution with evidence and the end is the call to action, where you shift responsibility to donors’ shoulders.



Things that interest donors are:

1. Accomplishments, i.e., “What did you do with my money?”

2. Vision, i.e., “What could you do with my money?”

3. Recognition, i.e., “Did my support matter? Am I important?”

4. Efficiency, i.e., “Can I trust you with my money?”

Remember these simple ideas and you will be well  on your way to developing a simple yet comprehensive case that will support your fundraising needs and further engage your next generation of loyal donors. Good luck!

The number of multi-billion dollar capital campaigns has been on the rise since 2000, according to Rae Goldsmith, a vice president at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Campaigns such  as University of Michigan ($ goal tbd), Harvard ($6.5 billion goal),Stanford ($6.2 billion) Yale ($3.9 billion), University of Penn ($3.5 billion) validate that notion.

Currently there are over 30 such campaigns taking place at universities across the country. And with universities looking to fund the new technologies necessary to pursue cutting edge research, the pricetags on these campaigns are rising quickly.

Between 2006 and 2011, Stanford ran a capital campaign, entitled The Stanford Challenge, which raised $6.23 billion—the most of any university campaign ever, according to school officials. Now others continue the legacy of “power fundraising.” Since summer 2013, both Harvard and the University of Michigan have announced plans for upcoming uber fundraising campaigns.

The University of Michigan, who is launching a campaign in November 2013 (with an unannounced goal to date) has had three capital campaigns since 1981. The capital campaign of the last decade, the Michigan Difference, ran from 2004 to 2008 and raised $3.2 billion for the University. Funds were used in large part to renovate or add to the University’s physical footprint through the construction of 22 new campus buildings, including the Ross School of Business, the Ford School of Public Policy’s Weill Hall, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital. The Michigan Difference also supported the creation of 185 new professorships and nearly 2,000 new scholarships.

Harvard University launched a $6.5 billion capital campaign in September 2013 that, if successful, would be the largest fundraising effort in the history of higher education. The school said the campaign had broad goals spanning all its schools and would fund research into neuroscience, stem cell science and low-cost energy for the developing world. The campaign would target major renovations of the university's undergraduate housing and increase its study of new learning and teaching strategies. It also aims to expand the school's global presence, including through an ongoing project to develop a center in Shanghai for conferences and research.

Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust said the campaign will help the school meet the world's increasingly complex and pressing needs." We will meet these challenges, and in doing so, we will reaffirm what makes Harvard — and universities in general — such essential and irreplaceable contributors to the pursuit of knowledge and the welfare of the world," Faust said in a press release.

As organizational needs grow and the wealth of international alumni and regional donors increases…what is next I ask?

I am thrilled to expand my professional reach and to be working with a very exciting company called DonorPath, based in Chicago Illinois. . Here is some of my personal insight and a few of my thoughts about fundraising and my approach. Click the following link to see the article Chris Polk Expert Spotlight

DonorPath is a unique technology designed to connect the community of  nonprofits, experts and funders, providing every organization the insights, expertise, tools and time to advance their mission. The platform has been designed to help fundraising professionals at all levels.  If you’re the executive director of a small or emerging organization with a modest budget, a new development manager with a tight budget, or a development director needed help  in one specific area, DonorPath will provide you with solutions: I encourage you to check out the great services and opportunities at http://www.donorpath.org/