So, now, let's chat a bit about writing your case statement and what should be included. First, what should be included is a history of your organization. Articulate to your perspective donor your credibility, your previous success, and your history of stewarding effectively resources. If you're a new organization without a history or a track record to reference, your case for support can highlight the experience of your administrative leadership and your board members. Next, make certain to include your organizational vision, where are you leading, and what is the opportunity to make a difference. And finally, emphasize your organizational impact and uniqueness. What is it specifically that you are accomplishing? Why is it important? Think about your case statement when you are writing it, as if you're writing for an audience of two year olds, we all know their favorite question is, ''Why?'' To any response or query that you may have for them, make certain that you can answer the question, ''Why'' is what you're looking to accomplish important. And then finally, why you? What makes you different? Yes, this is a critical need that you're looking to accomplish, there are others out there that may be looking to do the same thing. Why is it important that you are the individual, or you are the organization that the donor supports to make this happen? Also, make certain to include the role for your donor. How is philanthropy vital to your vision? How can a gift be tied to your organization's impact? And finally, how can I participate? This is perhaps the most critical component to an effective case statement. Let's go back to the Rotary International example. To accomplish their vision to eradicate polio, or require significant resources to be distributed in countries that cannot economically support the effort on their own. An individual gift will specifically fund the delivery of polio vaccine, monitoring of the disease status, and other specific objectives outlined in their strategic plan. And your participation will directly lead to a polio free world by 2018. Now that we've discussed how to write an effective case statement, let's chat for a while about how you might utilize that case statement, now that it's created. There are a few variations on a case statement, in fact there are two types. The first being organizational, and the second being project specific. For example, Rotary International has a number of philanthropic programs that it undertakes, international scholarships, transfer opportunities, and specifically the object that we've been talking about polio vaccinations and a polio free world. If we're writing an organizational case statement, we're going to talk about all of those projects, if we're doing something project specific, as you've seen in our illustration with Rotary International, we're specifically talking about one project or one initiative. Project specific cases can require all of the previous items, plus they can detail on the initiative that you are highlighting, why it is your priority and its relationship to your vision. It can also include donor recognition opportunities and specific gift tables to reach your dollar objectives. Uses for your case statement. Your case statement can and should be modified for a number of purposes. First, for specific donor proposals and grant applications. A variation of your statement can be utilized in your annual giving appeals, it should always be included in your organizational marketing devices, web sites, newsletters, videos, and finally establishing talking points for staff and volunteers to ensure consistent communication with prospective donors. The elevator speech. What is an elevator speech? Well, here's the scenario, you've just stepped onto an elevator with someone on the 12th floor of an office building, they have introduced themselves and asked who you are. What can you say before you reach the lobby? That's the opportunity, ask ourselves the question, ''Well, what will I say?'' Maximum length, at this point you have approximately 60 seconds. Make certain you're clear and concise, and only introduce a limited number of items. We'll want to tell our story, who are you and what's your role within the organization, describe the individuals who were involved and impacted, and describe your organizational impact, through an industry, community, region, nation, or even the world. For an example, I might say, ''My name is Jason Wohlman, and I'm the associate vice chancellor for University Development at UC Davis. It's an institution that's uniquely positioned to address the most significant challenges facing our society in the next 50 years. Those being sustainability, and access to food, water, healthcare, and energy.'' It is important also to make certain that you have variations ready, make certain that you know your audience, and think about which goal will I highlight. For example, with reference to UC Davis, if I'm addressing someone with a particular interest in agriculture, I might say, ''UC Davis for years has been widely recognized as the number one university in the world in teaching and research in the areas of agricultural and forestry. '' For someone who has an interest in economic development, my elevator speech might include, ''With its entrepreneurial culture and proven results in the creation of new technologies, products, and services, UC Davis is a vital player in the California economy.'' So think about our elevator speech in this way. What is our goal? Remember, our goal is not to close a gift on that elevator ride. What we're attempting to do is introduce ourselves, our organization, and our goals. We're looking to generate an interest in you and your organization, hopefully we'll prompt more discussion and questions. Keep in mind, what will your audience actually remember, very little facts or specific details are remembered in that 60 second elevator ride. More often they'll remember the tone of your discussion, and the confidence and pride that you present in your organization. It's very important to remember that the goal of an elevator speech, is to pick the interest of your audience enough to ask questions and prompt further discussion. In summary, an effective case statement is the cornerstone to any successful fundraising program. Your case should be clear, bold, and inspiring to your perspective donors. Your case also needs to be personal to that prospective donor. We did discuss the distinction between vision, goals, and objectives, and the important role each plays in the development of an effective case statement. The fact that effective case statements could and should be used in multiple ways. And finally, how to craft an effective elevator speech that draws a prospect into a more detailed discussion.
