This document provides guidance on creating effective case statements in 6 steps: 1) Talk to stakeholders to understand challenges and motivations. 2) Develop a narrative theme. 3) Create an outline and timeline. 4) Define a concise marketing concept. 5) Write the statement. 6) Implement the statement consistently across the organization to build relationships and support. Effective case statements tell compelling stories that inspire action by articulating an organization's mission and vision for change.
2024: The FAR, Federal Acquisition Regulations, Part 30
Case-a-Palooza
1. Grace Hong, Duke Ellington School of the Arts
Katharina Steinkellner, SOS Children’s Villages International
Kathy Swayze, Impact Communications
CASE STATEMENT-
A-PALOOZA
2. Kinds of Case Statements
1. A campaign case that articulates the goals and
needs for a specific capital campaign or major
initiative.
2. An institutional case that articulates the goals
and needs for your organization overall.
3.
4. Mission:
To nurture and inspire passion for the arts
and learning in talented students who
might not otherwise have an opportunity
to develop their artistic skills. We ensure
that our students are prepared for post-
secondary education and/or careers in the
arts by offering an intensive arts-based
program. We prepare our students to
become productive citizens in our global
society through our strong focus on
community service.
Washington, DC
540 Students
5. We are the world‘s largest family.
We are experts in caring for children
in fragile family situations because of
our decades of practical experience
raising nearly 82.000 children. We
understand their perspective, their
fears, and their dreams for the
future. We walk hand in hand with
them every day.
We are also a USD1bn organization.
6. Six Steps to a Great Case Statement
1.
•Talk to People
•Lots of People
2.
•Think
3.
•Create an
Outline
•And a Timeline
4.
•Define Your
Marketing
Concept/Theme
5.
•Write
6.
•Put it to Work
8. Best People to Interview
• Clients/Recipients of Services
• Organizational Leaders
• Donors
• Program Staff
• Volunteers
9. Questions to Ask Stakeholders
Tell me a bit
about the
challenges you
were facing
before you came
to this
organization?
How did you
become aware
of our
organization’s
services?
Do you have
friends or family
members
impacted by our
mission?
Why us? There
are many
organizations out
there, why did
you pick this
one?
Tell me about
someone this
organization
served that you’ll
never forget
This is hard
work. What
makes you get
up ever day and
keep doing it?
10. There are powerful phoenix stories
at this school, and there’s a
teacher attached to every single
one of them. Ellington’s faculty
taught me the art of self-
encouragement. They taught me
to be confident, hard working,
diligent, detail- oriented... all the
skills you really need to succeed.
Those qualities also inspire
respect—not just within the
school, but on the streets as well.YAHZARAH
Award winning vocalist
and Ellington Graduate
This School Saved My Life…
11. We Are All Truly Part of a Global Community
My handicapped mother and I
approached SOS Children’s
Villages, and they offered a
scholarship to help me through
high school and later through
college. I became the first person
from my family and village to
attend at a United World College
and study abroad.
13. The Ellington Family
Beyond arts and academics, there
is something even more powerful
that happens within our walls and
contributes to our students’
success. It is a deep sense of
community that wraps every one
of our students in love and
support. No matter what
challenges our students may be
facing at home, our school is a
sanctuary. Within these walls,
they are free to be themselves.
Their talents and interests are
accepted and celebrated. And
their wounds and sorrows are
honored and healed.
14. What is the SOS Children's Village of tomorrow? It is a living example of the
SOS Children's Village programme approach and it refers to programme
locations working in the spirit of the SOS Children's Village Programme
Policy. SOS Children's Villages of tomorrow are responding to the situation of
our target group in ways that are considered to be the most appropriate
within the local context. Whether there is a need for a new programme, a
need to renovate an existing programme (re-Innovation), or a need to
strengthen efforts towards a “Sustainable Path to ONE million children”, all
those opportunities are used and determine an SOS Children’s Village of
tomorrow.
15. What Does It Take to Save a Generation?
• It Takes Courage: The challenges facing
Africa’s young people today are
numerous.
• It Takes Vision: We envision a future in
which all children know the love and
support of a family.
• It Takes a Plan: We have a solid plan to
reach the most children in crisis.
• It Takes You: It will take a global village
of caring people like you to achieve the
long-term, systemic change that is
needed.
20. It is time for the people of this city
to claim this school as their own—
and offer their philanthropic
support to create a powerful
public-private partnership to keep
the Duke Ellington School of the
Arts strong for decades to come. It
starts with you. It starts right now.
Join us in this vision of the future.
21. Our goal is simple—respond to the
crisis in Africa by rapidly scaling up
solutions to reach twice as many
children by 2020. You can help us
transform systems of care for
many generations of children.
26. Your Return on Investment
Helps you
change
the world!
Cohesive
messaging
across
organization
Relationship
building $$$
Inspiration &
Good Vibes
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32. Thank you!
Please feel free to be in touch!
Grace Hong ghong@ellingtonarts.org
Katharina Steinkellner katharina.steinkellner@sos-kd.org
Kathy Swayze kswayze@impactdc.com
Hinweis der Redaktion
At end of this slide Kathy talk about what you’ll get from today’s session – We’re going to walk you through the six steps to a great case statement, and along the way you’ll get some insider stories, great tips, pitfalls to avoid, and hopefully lots of inspiration.
Grace speak about her roll at Ellington
Katharina speak about her role at SOS
K - This is what we’re going to cover today. But we’re going to do it with two people who’ve just recently been through the process themselves, and that should deliver lots of insights, joys, pitfalls, and inspirations.
Kathy talk about – these are your stakeholders. You are looking for your visionaries and storytellers.
Craft your questions differently towards donors, staff, and clients, etc. Donors, Staff, Clients
Grace – We put this slide in because we thought it was a powerful example of what can come from an interview. In our outline, you were planning to talk about how a particular interview changed the case. Also maybe the point about interviews being the first point at which you are already using your as-yet not written case statement as an engagement tool. Feel free to change and/or add other slides.
Katharina – We put this slide in to represent the interviews for you.
some of the challenges that arose with intercultural interviews.
Kathy – leave yourself plenty of time to mull things over; look for the common threads.
Grace – Again, feel free to change. We picked this quote from your case as an illustration of how thinking brings out new concepts, big ideas. Could be something else – what you found that was unexpected or how you found the common threads…
Katharina- BEFORE- AFTER
this is an internal programme-speak text about the actual programme focus of the campaign
Katharina – same as notes for Grace on previous slide
The outline process creates discussion and clarifies your direction
Katharina – can add here that an organisation has to do their homework first even if you have the joy of working with an agency like Impact. They will not be able to tell you who you are and what your vision ist. But they will challenge you if your thoughts about these matters are not clear enough for them to put into nice words.
Grace – you were particularly fervent about how important this was in your process, so you may want to say something here.
Kathy - This sounds dry, but it isn’t. This is where you get to say what you will do and how the world will be better for it.
Grace – In our notes in this section you said, “Use case as tool: essence of Ellington alive in a collateral piece. Case is a visit/tour of school in your hands. Best way to show perspective donors is to see school, but case is another tool to have on your side— they get who we are after reading it.”
Katharina – Here you wanted to talk about how because you are developing the case as the program is developing, it’s been an opportunity to gather more ideas for program direction. “The case is really a living document. Case helps sell idea, concept, and process.”
We could use a better photo here if you can provide one.
Make sure your core concept is shining through.
Grace – chose this for inspiration level. As always, feel free to add/change.
Katharina –
Grace – Here you talked about what it felt like when you were able to share the case with the board. Also, share any other results/impacts.
Katharina – your thoughts on benefits of having a case, what impacts it’s already having,…
