Recently, I’ve been hammering on about how various kinds of organizations — arts, schools, foundations — need to do a whole lot more than sit back and simply describe what they do. They need to make an active, compelling case for it.
But I’m realizing that simply telling you that you need to do this is a little like telling a kid to eat their broccoli because it’s good for them.
Enough with the finger-wagging. Let’s get really specific about how to get a jump-start on the process.
If you’re trying to figure out what your case actually is, here’s a great jumping off point:
What do the people you need to reach already believe?
Think donors, funders, families, audiences, members, volunteers. What do they believe about the problem, need, or opportunity your organization exists to address?
What problem of theirs do you solve?
Not what do you do. What changes for them — or for something they care deeply about — because you exist?
Why you?
Why should someone support, fund, attend, enroll, join, or advocate for your organization rather than another perfectly worthy one?
Where does that case show up now?
Look at your website, donor communications, grant proposals, admissions materials, newsletters. Are you actually answering those questions—or mostly describing programs, history, credentials, and accomplishments?
Where are the gaps?
Where are you expecting people to connect the dots for themselves?
That last question is usually where the real work begins.
You may already have all the ingredients of a powerful case. But are you actually using them to give people a reason to choose you, support you, or champion what you do?
Even if you think it’s all there, take another look.
Coming up next in this series: a simple test you can run on your own website.
