When crafting a 21st-century case for support your word choice matters. A lot. Inspiration is the key. A powerful, well-written case inspires action. So, your goal is to inspire supporters by being clear about the problem you’ll solve together.
The entire point of your case for support is to show what’s possible by fully funding your project or your mission.
Where to begin? Remove scarcity language. It’s not as easy as you’d think. You’ll need a concentrated effort that includes paying attention to the words you use in ALL forms of communication.
Have you ever noticed, really noticed, your word choices in your day-to-day work? Has your staff, or board, or YOU, without realizing it, created a scarcity mindset?
To help you achieve success in fundraising my work focuses on choosing clear, bold communication. I help people change their language and awareness from scarcity to possibility.
I have more than 30 years of evidence proving that the words we choose are seeds to the outcome. It’s simple. When we frame actions and intentions with scarcity language we stay stuck. We feel bad. We rarely see a way to move out of being stuck. We create a fundraising scarcity mindset.
Framing actions and intentions with inspiring statements allows your donors, staff, and board members to see how things CAN and WILL change. Check out these old and new phrases to see what I mean:
Phrases Shifted From Scarcity to Possibility
Our goal is too big or There is NO way we can reach our goal this year.
What will it take for us to reach our goal? OR What goal is big enough to scare and inspire us?
OR What will it take to FULLY fund our mission?
I don’t have enough time to get it all done.
In the time I have today, what WILL I accomplish?
Our board doesn’t do anything we ask of them.
We have some exceptional board members. Here’s what they are good at ______.
OR What might we invite our board members to do that will excite their passion?
Let’s take this one step further.
When you remove qualifiers in your language like: “trying to” or “planning to” what’s left is language about your commitment.
Removing scarcity language and qualifiers gives your words more power. Your phrasing becomes more believable, even to yourself.
Often there is a palpable feeling of a shift from scarcity mindset to possibility mindset.
Take a moment and make a list of scarcity language you’ve said today. Then “reframe” to inspirational language.
This can be a powerful exercise to do in a group. The more people working to shift language choices, the more powerfully and quickly you’ll feel and see a difference in your results.
To learn how to write a powerful case for support, join me Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at 1 p.m. central/2 p.m. eastern for a live webinar.
We’ll talk about how to choose inspirational language + I’ll share seven simple questions that must be answered in any case for support. Register here.
