Design Your Destiny: Building a Case for Support That Inspires Action (Virtual)

Description

Fundraising success begins with a clear and compelling Case for Support.
In this interactive session, participants will learn how to create a powerful case for support that ignites passion, builds trust, and motivates people to invest in the organization.

The Three Phases

Phase 1: Collect the gems that tell the story of your organization’s impact
Phase 2: Create a Treasure Chest with all the information you need to answer any question and showcase your work
Phase 3: Craft powerful and compelling communications that tell your story effectively and magnetize support of all kinds

Why It Matters

When done right, the case for support becomes the driving force behind donor engagement, volunteer mobilization, and stakeholder investment.

A well-crafted Case for Support:

• Inspires action – Connects donors and stakeholders emotionally to your cause
• Establishes credibility – Showcases your impact, effectiveness, and financial stewardship
• Guides fundraising – Serves as a cornerstone for grant applications, donor outreach, and campaigns

Maximize Its Reach

Integrate your case for support into:

• Stakeholder engagement – Share the full document with major donors, board members, and partners
• Fundraising materials – Extract key statistics and testimonials for donation appeals
• Marketing & outreach – Weave compelling excerpts into your website, newsletters, and social media
• Grant applications – Align relevant sections with funders’ priorities to strengthen proposals
• Public relations – Incorporate key messages into press releases, donor thank-you letters, and PSAs

Key Takeaways

Participants will:

• Understand what a compelling case for support is and the 10 elements critical to a successful one
• Learn how a case for support can inspire people to invest in the organization in all kinds of ways, making impact-sharing easier, more fun, and more effective
• Explore the 3 phases of the process: collect information, create a portfolio (12–18 pages), and craft communication materials to share with multiple audiences
• Identify the right team to develop their organization’s case for support and assess what information is already being collected or could be easily obtained
• Learn how to assemble a team and create a realistic timeline for developing a case for support

Cost:

Members: $0

Prospective Members: $30

• *In many cases membership may be less the cost of a few workshops, and provide a lot more benefits to you and your organization, please contact Member Services for more information and potentially check out this event at no cost - membership@azimpactforgood.org.

Meet Our Speakers: Cassandra O'Neill, Leadership Alchemy & Tracey McConnell, Creative Capabilities

Cassandra O’Neill, MA, Author & Founder of Leadership Alchemy LLC.  Cassandra is a high energy passionate lifelong learner. She has worked with over 200 organizations to increase their impact, some of which includes the Arizona Community Foundation, Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona, National Alliance on Mental Illness Southern Arizona, Arizona State library, University of Arizona, and Vitalyst Health Foundation. 

She has extensive experience in building capacity for policy and system change, community engagement, strategy development, and adoption of collective leadership in the social sector. She has raised over $60 million in funding from government agencies and foundations, and served in leadership roles on multiple nonprofit boards. She is a co-author of the book Five Elements of Collective Leadership. 

Click here to access an excerpt from the first chapter was published by the NonProfit Quarterly. 

Tracey McConnell, Nonprofit Consultant and Founder of Creative Capacities LLC. Tracey is passionate facilitator of learning and capacity building. She brings over 30 years of experience in fundraising, community building, strategic planning, and organizational development. Throughout Arizona and Yavapai County, Tracey has partnered with nonprofits such as Northern Arizona Restorative Justice, Arizona Myeloma Network, Prescott Area Leadership, Arizona Business & Education Coalition, MATForce and First Things First. 

Her leadership journey includes serving as Community Development Director at Verde Valley Sanctuary, Philanthropic Advisor at the Arizona Community Foundation, and Projects Director at Youth Count. She has also worked with Arizona State University’s Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. An Arizona native, Tracey holds a bachelor’s degree in Intercultural Communication from Arizona State University.