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A short, persuasive document
Fundraising professionals are thinking creatively about cases for support. They realize there’s a place for a brief document to introduce your organization, campaign, or program to your donors. It’s a positive trend.

The goal
Short cases for support are used to get attention. If the reader wants to know more about your program, they’ll ask. This is the idea behind Letters of Intent (LOI), a typical first step in a proposal process with which you are no doubt familiar.

But there’s a big difference. Most LOIs come with fixed guidelines that may interfere with telling your story the way you want to tell it. A short case for support gives you latitude while still anticipating what the donor wants to know about your program, why it’s needed, how you’ll know it’s working, and how you’ll sustain it.

The rationale 
Here are three reasons to consider a brief case for support:

• Donors are busy. The sight of a long proposal may turn them off before they even finish reading the first paragraph. They will appreciate brevity.
• You don’t need a lot of words to make your case. Fewer words makes a compelling proposal even more so.
• The process of writing a tightly crafted document helps you consider how to most effectively promote your program. 

The length
Ideally, a short case for support is about three pages, and 1.5 line spacing is best because it’s easy on the eye. it will likely be more enticing to the reader than a dense, single-spaced document. Don’t give your donor a reason to put your proposal aside.

A word about data
Limit the use of documentation. One case for support I drafted had just a few data points in a seven-line paragraph. Take the time you need to decide which data are most powerful. When data are selected strategically, the message will be clear.

Words that hum
In a brief document every word matters. Choose simple words that crisply convey your intent and its urgency. Think about rhythm. A document that has a lyrical quality is enjoyable to read and more likely to sustain the reader’s attention.

Involve your donors
Ask a few donors to read the final draft of your case for support. As peers of your target audience, they’ll have opinions. Most often they’ll be good ones.

The short case for support is also a wonderful way to engage volunteer donors who will be approaching prospective donors, and helps assure a consistent message is delivered to your donor group. 

Writing a proposal that gets and keeps the attention of busy donors is hard. Creating the conditions for stand-out proposals—or case statements, reports, or letters to donors—can help you work more efficiently and produce stronger, more competitive documents.  

Here’s what helps me get started and keep going.

• Plan. Commit to a detailed plan that allows for starts and stops. Sometimes I get stuck before I even get started. I don’t panic when I know I have flexibility.
• Know what it takes. It takes a lot:
  • Decide the story you want to tell
  • And how you want to tell it
  • Draft and re-draft
  • Wordsmith (words matter) and wordsmith some more
  • Make your edits
  • Incorporate other people’s edits
  • Move material as needed for the biggest impact
  • Repeat any or all of the above, as often as needed.
• Educate. Let your team—reviewers, designers, your boss—know that it takes time to get it right. They also need to stay on schedule.
• Pause. Put your project aside and come back later with a fresh perspective. Consider what Hemingway had to say: “It is pretty important for me to let [the novel] cool off well before re-writing.”¹
• Keep on track. Don’t let your proposal go down to the wire. It will show in your writing.
• Declutter. A clear mind is essential to good writing. Eliminate interruptions. Turn off your phone and email, clear your desk of visible distractions, and close your door or find a quiet place to write. Concentration now saves time later.
• Focus. This is similar to, but different from decluttering. It’s harder. I’m referring to life’s challenges that inevitably intrude at work, from our kids to family illness or a friend who needs help. To prevent wandering (in your mind or on your feet) and keep focused, I plan time in my day to attend to whatever’s on my mind. It helps me get back on track.

Take heart!

The progress you make on your proposal, section by section and draft by draft, is enormously satisfying and will energize you to tackle the rest of your document. And the gratification of hitting “send” on a proposal that’s great, not good, is incomparable.

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¹ Earnest Hemingway , On Writing. Edited by Larry W. Phillips. New York: Scribner, 1984.

We’ve probably all received advice about how to make our donor documents clear, concise, and compelling. All three are important to successful proposals. In prior Short Takes articles I’ve discussed the first two ‘Cs’, but I haven’t said much about the third one – compelling. Possibly it’s the most important.

In order to get and keep the attention of busy donors, our proposals—or letters, reports, or case statements—must convey urgency. Why is it important to fund your program, now?

A few ideas
Achieving urgency isn’t rocket science, but creativity can help. Here are some suggestions:

• Get to the point. Wordiness doesn’t communicate immediacy.
• Know your audience. Find out what resonates by examining grantee lists and talking with those you know. To better engage individual donors, test ideas with existing supporters or board members.
• Learn from other disciplines. Notice how journalists, authors, bloggers, and others get and keep your attention.
• Consider which appeal letters you read to the end, and why.
• Consider style. Brevity sharpens your case and maintains donor focus.
• Use data wisely. Fewer data can have more impact and spark interest in learning more.
• Perhaps most important: Believe in your mission. Convey your passion for your programs. It’s energizing.

About client stories
Stories are valuable, but I believe they should be used sparingly for greatest effect. Before the challenges of character limits, we often had space for lengthy client stories. Even if you have the room, use client stories only if they add value, and keep them focused. Used strategically, a succinct story makes the case quickly and effectively.

Here’s an example: A hospital patient had repeated admissions for a serious medical condition. When asked if she had experienced domestic abuse, she responded that upon each discharge her husband flushed her medications down the toilet. Essential treatment was impossible.

Don’t forget about the other two Cs
Support the third C with effective use of the other two. Be:

• Clear: Avoid jargon, acronyms, and assumptions about what the reader knows. A clearly presented proposal is far more convincing.
• Concise: A persuasive case will be much more so when it’s quickly and easily understood. Delete the clutter and get to the point.

It’s not easy
Writing this article was challenging. I shouldn’t be surprised. Sustaining programs after the grant ends is hard. Convincing funders you can do it may be harder.

The sustainability question in grant proposals gets to the heart of the donor-grantee relationship. What ideally becomes a partnership typically begins as an unequal relationship between the seeker and giver of money. Once the grant is received, success is in the mutual interest of both. Donors are invested in seeing successful programs continue, and there may be ways—besides funding—they can help.

Tips
A strong answer to the sustainability question is paramount to a competitive proposal. There are lots of ways to address it.

• Avoid stock answers. “We will apply to local and national foundations and seek funding from individual donors” does not inspire confidence.
• Be specific. Tell donors how successful aspects of the funded program will be integrated into existing models.
• Diversify funding. Funders like this, so tell them your plan to do this and how their support will help.
• Provide evidence. Tell the grantor about a prior innovation that is now an established program.
• Make connections. For example, link your evaluation plan to donor engagement.
• Be creative. Describe projects in the pipeline, your organization’s role in the community, awards and grants, or other evidence that you can sustain successful programs.
• Put money on the table. Your organization’s contributions of supervision, volunteers, ED and board involvement, overhead, and fundraising all count.
• Commit to change. Show how your program aligns with your strategic plan, a sure sign of commitment, or the potential it offers for new policies or community leadership.
• Include your partners. I don’t think it’s possible to say too much about them.
• Highlight notable events, such as a new ED, location, or expansion. All are relevant.
• Engage donors. Invite them to be part of the sustainability discussion.

About risk
Not all programs work; those that don’t should be discontinued or adapted to models that do. Consider acknowledging risk and present its benefits: the opportunity to launch a new approach and learn from it, gain internal buy-in for a new model, introduce your organization to new donors and the community, and most importantly, to help those who might not otherwise receive it.

The up side
The sustainability question can seem unreasonable. It’s worth the effort. Funders will notice and appreciate the time it takes to prepare a thoughtful response. It can be repurposed for use in other grants. It can jump-start planning for the future and may help avoid, or at least plan for, such challenging outcomes as a layoff. A strong sustainability response can begin to adjust the power imbalance between you and your funder and perhaps help you gain access to their donor networks.

A milestone
Fifteen years ago this month I started my business. Since then I’ve been privileged to work with many of you, and have benefited from the wisdom, talent, and ingenuity of everyone on this mailing list. Thank you.

To celebrate the occasion, I’d like to share some of the lessons I’ve learned about writing for donors.

Keep it simple
Here’s a wonderful example: One person can make a difference and everyone should try.
John F. Kennedy
This short, lyrical sentence captures a big idea and its lack of clutter increases impact.

Don’t use jargon
Jargon makes me nuts. Use plain language to clearly communicate your meaning. Words like leverage, bandwidth, or (gulp) upstream may cause donor confusion—and frustration.

Use data wisely
Well-chosen data is the bedrock of a strong case. But how much is needed? Be mindful of overloading your document—and your reader—with too many statistics.

Choose your editors wisely
Find an editor who’s available when needed and who understands your goal for the document. I’m lucky. My Short Takes editor is my son, Tommy Good, an ace writer.

Welcome feedback
Feedback, and how you use it, can take your proposal from good to great.

Avoid last minute editing
Swapping just one word for another can alter the meaning of a sentence or even an entire paragraph, and may require substantial changes. Decide if it makes sense when a deadline looms.

Take the time you need
Getting it right takes time. Funders read lots of proposals. They know good writing when they see it.

Walk away
Put your draft aside for a day or more. I can’t emphasize enough how helpful this is. You’ll be amazed by how quickly you’ll spot what will by then be obvious improvements.

Know when to stop
Quality matters, and your document can always be better. But it doesn’t always have to be.

My top pick: Value camaraderie
Proposals benefit from teamwork. When the pressure’s on enjoy camaraderie with your colleagues. It will improve proposal quality, make the task more fun (really!), and foster lasting connections.

Advice from an expert
From 1917-1918 Ernest Hemingway worked at the Kansas City Star. Its “Star Copy Style” contained rules to: “Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative.” And my personal favorite—“Eliminate every superfluous word.”

Years later Hemingway said: “Those were the best rules I ever learned in the business of writing.”