Title: Your Case for Support: Becoming Fluent in Your Donors’ Language
Presenter: Doug Diefenbach, VP, Strategy & Brand, Foster Avenue

The first truth of every fundraiser: donors aren’t giving to support your organization — they’re giving to achieve higher objectives that they value. Clarifying that connection is the job of your case statement – the crucial document that underpins and guides all your donor-directed communications, from cultivation pieces to proposals, annual reports, and social media – and which is fundamental to energizing your organization’s culture of philanthropy.

Ranging from the strategic to the highly practical, this workshop in “case craft” is appropriate for development professionals, nonprofit communicators, executive and volunteer leaders – or anyone facing the challenge of representing an organization to its constituents. By learning to develop rock-solid answers to every donor’s “why now, why here, why this, and why me” questions, you will pinpoint your organization’s unique philanthropic appeal and present your fundraising priorities not as dry projects, but in terms that resonate with donor interests. Discover the rational, stepwise process for articulating your organization’s underlying values – values that your donors will recognize readily and support generously.