JULY 7, 2017
What is the difference between the world as it is today and the world as your organization works for it to be? The gap between the two is the problem you’re solving, or the underlying issue your organization seeks to address – and clearly articulating this problem is the best way to garner support for your cause.
As we mentioned in this post, your job as a fundraiser is to become a translator. Your supporters – whether they are individual donors, volunteers, Board members, mentors, or funders – have to believe your organization is doing something important if they’re going to continue supporting with your work. Specifically, according to Community Tool Box, your stakeholders need to understand:
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Why your project should be done: how it is significant, meaningful, and relevant.
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The support you have in the community: without having deep buy-in from all your stakeholders, your program will be paternalistic, unwanted, or ineffective.
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The impact that you can have, and its proportionality to the problem; if your organization’s capacity does not match the problem you’re addressing, you lose credibility and it can be harder to garner support.
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The context and timeliness of your response; given the many other organizations needing support – why is it the right time to support your organization?
With this in mind, it becomes your job to gather accurate and convincing evidence and make a case for why your project merits funding; a well-written need statement does exactly that, Writing a persuasive need statement involves thoroughly understanding the problem your organization seeks to solve, gathering the right data, and leveraging it to build your argument. Below, we walk through each of these steps in a bit more detail, as well as how to avoid commonly-made mistakes as you build your case.
1. start WITH A thorough understanding of the problem
We know, gathering data can be expensive in terms of time and focus, and in all likelihood, you already have too much on your plate. So why invest in understanding the problem with such rigor?
First: because for your program to be effective, you must base your program design in reality. You cannot assume that you know the community you are serving without compiling real data from credible sources. Making the wrong assumptions can lead you to design an ineffective intervention; you don’t want to end up 2,000 away from your destination because you started down the wrong path.
Second, because being a credible spokesperson is essential to garnering support. A nuanced understanding of the problem gives you credibility when talking to potential funders, partners, and constituents – and that credibility only strengthens your cultivation efforts.
2. USE the right DATA TO BUILD YOUR CASE
Once you’ve done the research necessary to develop a thorough understanding of the problem you’re working to solve, your next task to is to collect and present the right data to convey the need with urgency and clarity. There are two types of evidence you’ll need to leverage to explain the problem: qualitative and quantitative.
Quantitative information focuses on numerical data and analysis; it helps you define your problem in the language that decision makers typically understand and care about – from demographic statistics to changes in survey data to estimated costs. Qualitative evidence, on the other hand, focuses on the experience of individuals and their stories. They give life to your work.
Some supporters will be particularly moved by stories in a way they are not by numbers, while others assign more value to data and statistics; to cover your bases and present the strongest case possible, use a balance of both to provide the full picture of the importance of your work.
3. BEWARE CIRCULAR REASONING
As you begin crafting your argument using the data you’ve gathered, be aware that using circular reasoning is an easy trap to fall into and one that will weaken your case substantially. Circular reasoning is a logical fallacy in which the writer or speaker begins their argument with the assumption that what they’re trying to prove is already true. Circular reasoning often takes the form: “A is true because of B; B is true because of A.”
For example, the argument “You should let me stay out until 10pm because I deserve to have a later curfew” is circular in nature.
While this type of flawed reasoning can sound convincing and even be difficult to detect, it is unlikely to persuade those who do not already believe in the validity of your argument. For this reason, your need statement cannot be that “the community lacks a park, and therefore it needs a park.” Instead, using a blend of quantitative and qualitative data to illustrate the benefits of community parks, the obstacles in accessing the nearest existing park, and/or the urgency of adding a park in the community you serve would make a much more effective argument,
QuALITY DATA SOURCES
Finally, we know that one of the biggest challenges in gather quality, credible data is knowing where to look. The following are reliable sources for gathering quantitative data to support your case and help you craft your argument:
Also, the Association for Research on Nonprofits and Voluntary Action connects individuals in the sector who are interested in research; and the International Society for Third-Sector Research promotes research and education for the nonprofit sector.
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About the Author:
President & CEO
