January has a way of surfacing unfinished business. 

Most nonprofit leaders recognize the value of a Case for Support. They also know theirs may be outdated, half-formed, or tucked away in a document no one wants to revisit. It feels big. Formal. Time-consuming. Overwhelming. 

So, it quietly gets pushed aside as the year picks up speed. 

Here’s the reframe: a Case for Support is a clarity tool, not a marketing document. When you start the year with a clear case, everything else gets easier. Campaigns feel connected. Board members speak with confidence. Donors understand exactly what they’re being asked to help make possible. 

What a Case for Support Is and Isn’t 

A Case for Support is: 

• a shared story that your whole team can tell the same way. 

• a decision-making filter for campaigns and communications. 

• a tool that builds confidence – internally and externally. 

It provides your organization with clear language for why you exist, why it matters now, and how donors fit into the solution. 

A Case for Support is not: 

• a one-time project you check off a list. 

• a document that needs to be perfect before it’s useful. 

• a glossy brochure or donor-facing leave-behind. 

If your organization can’t answer the “why” the same way across the team, the case isn’t done yet. And that’s okay. 

Clarity comes before polish. 
A working case beats a beautiful one every time. 

The Four Questions Every Case for Support Should Answer 

A strong Case for Support doesn’t need pages of copy. It needs clear answers to four questions – in plain language that your team can use in real life. 

1. What problem are we solving? 
Be specific. Not what you do, but what’s broken, missing, or at risk without your work. If the problem feels fuzzy, the ask will too. 

2. Why does it matter now? 
Timing matters. What makes this urgent today – this year, this season, this moment? Donors act when the need feels immediate. 

3. How do donors help? 
Spell out the role supporters play. What does their gift actually do? Clarity here turns interest into action. 

4. What changes because they give? 
Show the outcome. Help donors picture the difference their generosity makes – for real people, real programs, real futures. 

If your team can answer these four questions the same way, you’re already ahead of the curve. 

Why January Is the Right Time 

January is when decisions get made – even if they’re not written down yet. 

Budgets are fresh. Goals are being set. Boards are paying attention. And campaigns haven’t fully taken shape. That makes this the easiest moment to step back and get aligned before the year gets noisy. 

A clear Case for Support now saves time later. It keeps spring and summer messaging focused, fall and year-end appeals consistent, and teams from reinventing the story every time a deadline hits. 

January isn’t about doing more. 
It’s about deciding what matters and building the year from there. 

The Bottom Line 

A Case for Support doesn’t need to be perfect to be powerful. It needs to be clear. 

When you start the year with shared language around the problem you’re solving, why it matters now, and how donors help, everything else falls into place — from appeals to board conversations to year-end campaigns. 

Do the alignment work now. Let the rest of the year get easier.