From the desk of
Arthur C. Criscillis, Ed.D. ¦ Managing Partner

Making the Case

In seeking philanthropic support, we present to our prospects specific funding objectives. It could be a building project of some sort. The funding objective could be programmatic or something in support of people. The specific objectives are legion. That having been said, they are united in that they require a well-stated, compelling case that states whey this objective is needed and why it is needed now.

In making the case for support, we really need to answer one basic question: “So what?” We need a new building? So what? We need support for a specific academic or student program? So what? In answering that question, we will be telling the prospect why what we are asking that prospect to support matters in human terms. Yes, there will be academic/programmatic benefits, but take the next step.  How does this help to make lives better? How does this impact society or communities? In short, what is the impact?

In presenting the impact, we need to distinguish between the impact on people vis a vis the impact on the college or university. The former is the end. It’s what we are about. It entails our mission. The latter (impact on the college or university) is a means to an end—the end being to impact people. In short, our colleges and universities are not ends—they are means; they are instruments in making positive changes in lives. That is not to suggest that discussing how a gift can make our colleges and universities stronger or even more competitive is unwarranted. When we do so, we need to make explicit how that enables us to execute our mission (educating students, advancing knowledge, economic development, service to society) even better, because at the end of the day that is what donors want to know—that they are having an impact on people.

When we present our priorities, they almost always fall into one of three baskets. The first is when we ask them, in making their gift, to help us to do more of something that we are already doing well and that has an impact. The second is when we ask them to enable us to do even better something that we are currently doing so that it can have a greater impact. The third is asking them to enable us to do something new that will have an impact on people in ways that we have not been able to date. More, better, new—our funding objectives typically fall into one of the three and knowing which can help us to more clearly make our case.