Creating a Compelling Case: From Bench to Bedside to Gift Opportunity
By
Chris Adamson
When creating a case or proposition that will attract major gift ($25,000+ level) philanthropy, we need to draft a brief “package” or “presentation” that tells a story/narrative, speaks to potential impact and details the specific opportunity to invest. Development officers cannot do this without your help – they need you in the drafting, reviewing, shaping and defining of the right “pitch” – one that will function as a resource for how we might approach a wide variety of potential donors. It all hinges on articulating, clearly and convincingly, our unique value proposition!
Articulating our Unique Value Proposition The elements of a successful proposal for a memorable gift from a potential donor are:
Context
What is the broad institutional context in this area?
What are our past achievements?
How does this fit in with our other priorities?
Challenge (framing the problem)
Why is this important?
What problem are we trying to solve?
What impact would this have outside of academia?
If you were to pitch this to venture capitalists, what would you say?
Opportunity
Why UofT? Why DoM? (The Toronto Advantage)
How would your approach be new/novel/unique?
What expertise and initiatives do we already have in place?
What is our credibility as an institution/department, our brand, and its explicit and implicit promise?
Why is this something we are uniquely positioned to do?
Who will lead this effort? Is there a leadership team? Is the right talent in place? Do we need to find more?
How is our approach different to competing programmes at other institutions?
What institutional qualities/resources can we tap into?
How would additional capacity/a new programme take our work to the next level?
Why NOW?
What is urgent about this project or proposal?
If we waited five years, why would that be a problem?
What investment is required to solve this problem?
What will it actually cost (e.g., equipment, space, people, infrastructure and other soft costs)?
What are we asking donors to do? At what gift level?
What is the rationale for each element?
How will this all come together as more than the sum of the parts?
Will this help us to leverage external funding, e.g. research grants?
How much of this project depends upon philanthropic investment?
Does this really need to be endowed?
Impact
What impact is this initiative likely to have, e.g. for the department, patients, healthcare, Canada? Essentially, how could we define the return on investment (ROI) for this initiative?
What would the key deliverables for the programme be?
Over what timeframe would we deliver them?
Does this align with our mission?
What stewardship and recognition measures would you be happy to commit to?
What is the output of this project that we could share with donors?
In what ways can the donor be meaningfully engaged? How can the donor enjoy the giving?
What information should we include in donor reports?
How are we likely to publicly recognize our investors/donors? How are we proposing to stay accountable to them and keep them involved?
Other points to consider when interacting with prospective donors
Aim to secure a “gift,” which is a tangible symbol of emotional feelings between people, instead of a “donation,” which is a tangible symbol of support for our cause
“Fundraisers” work towards securing donations that support our cause (which is good), “development officers” create meaningful relationships that result in emotional feelings between people that lead to larger gifts (this is even better!)
Before we ask for a gift, make sure we ask for permission to ask.
Step into their shoes:
It’s not about us and our needs, it’s about the prospective donor and his/her needs.
Our case must align with what the prospective donor wants to accomplish with his/her philanthropy.
Quote from a donor, “I really don’t care what your needs are. Show me how I can make an impact in an area I actually care about.”
Listen, Listen, Listen!
Find out what matters to the prospective donor – much more asking than telling.
Look for overlap with our needs – once identified, deepen that interest through conversation and genuine questioning.
