Own Your Voice and Your Case Statement
As an industry, health care understands that lead and major donors are motivated differently than the general public, searching for daring, bold causes that stir the imagination and leave a lasting impact. Donors evaluate with their hearts and their heads. On more than one occasion donors have told us, “We’re looking to do more than just support a cause—we want to join a movement!”
While donor ambitions and participation levels may vary, the desire to partner with powerful, anchor institutions on groundbreaking projects seems to remain the same. This is why selecting the right project is paramount—without it, creating a compelling case statement becomes nearly impossible (read more here).
There is tremendous pressure on case statements. This inoffensive document becomes a messaging tetherball between hospital leadership, marketing, physicians, gift officers, board members, communication specialists and even donors. Varying perspectives and personal goals for this document can be overwhelming.
Leadership often seeks references to history, achievements and stability. Marketing pushes for quality and excellence to be the primary message. Board members routinely ask for FAQ and elevator pitch support before they feel ready to participate. Communication specialists attempt to warm up the case with stories borrowed from marketing, which often lack a philanthropic element. At the same time, donors demand something altogether different—clarity. The congested weight of case statements is often too much. No amount of rewrites will land you in a place where everyone agrees. Donors are left underwhelmed and confused. Hmph. Now what?
It’s evident that creating the perfect case statement is no easy feat. Let’s talk about how establishing ownership can help. Who truly owns the case statement? Often the response is, “We all do.” But who exactly is “we?” This ambiguity can cause confusion. Here’s a simple tip to clarify your use of collective terms: Take your latest case statement and highlight every instance of “our,” “we” and “us.” Then, create five columns labeled: Health System; Hospital; Community; Foundation; Unsure. Tally the occurrences in each column to see where your focus really lies.
If you discover that “we” constantly shifts from one group to the next, you’ll have your first clue as to why it might be confusing. When you’re trying to be everybody, you end up being nobody.
It’s time the Foundation learns to take ownership of the “we.” Here’s what that might sound like: “At the Foundation, we believe this is the absolute best time, the most powerful set of priorities and the right place where philanthropists can change the future like never before. We live in an amazing community, we are proud and determined to support the best clinicians, we are inspired by philanthropists and we are excited to partner with some of the most amazing volunteers…”
When the Foundation takes ownership of the “we,” it gains the ability to offer third-party perspective and objective credibility for your institutions and inspire donors with simple outside-in problem solving.
When the Foundation takes ownership of the “we,” it gains the ability to offer third-party perspective and objective credibility for your institutions and inspire donors with simple outside-in problem solving. Donors are not asking for you to be experts at medicine—they’re asking for you to be experts at philanthropy. After all, this is a philanthropy document.
Owning your case statement also allows for something amazing to happen. It will allow you to incorporate medical expert perspectives, leadership vision, donor insights and community warmth while ensuring each retains its unique voice. As owner, you take on the role of translator, narrator and coordinator. You offer clarity, inspiration and grit. You’ll also discover one last benefit—owning your case statement will deepen your own understanding and commitment to the causes you care about. You will have found your voice.
About the Author: Michael Beall is a Principal Consultant and Communications Practice Leader with Accordant. You can reach him at Mike@AccordantHealth.com and connect with him on LinkedIn.
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