Blogs

The Need to Define Need: Easy to Communicate

Easy to Communicate Today, I’ll cover the fifth and last of the elements of need definition, ease of communication. I’m thinking just now how funny it would be to try to explain this dimension of the need definition, ease of communication, in such a complicated way that I make it seem harder than it really is. […]

The Need to Define Need: Urgency

Urgency Now, I’ll talk about the fourth element of need definition, urgency. Urgent needs are those that make you come right up out of your chair when you read or hear about them and start demanding that they be addressed. Think about this. What really gets your blood boiling? For me, knowing children are being neglected […]

The Need to Define Need: Relevancy

Relevancy Let’s look at relevancy, the third element of need definition. Relevant needs are, first and foremost, needs that impact the greatest number in society. Beyond this, however, every single person who reads your case statement will be asking, “How does this need impact me?’ Each one will also want to know, “Why should I care?” […]

The Need to Define Need: Accuracy

Accuracy A powerful case statement always begins with a definition of need. As I go through each dimension of the need definition, try to think about your own project and how you have defined need for your constituents. Back in graduate school, I was taught that all community organization projects begin with a “felt need.” […]

Sample Case Statement

Here is the case statement Maggie Josiah developed for raising funds for her African Hospitality Institute. Remember, this is a working document, and she continues to update it.   AFRICAN HOPSITALITY INSTITUTE Vocational School and Guesthouse UGANDA, EAST AFRICA   AHI Field Director: Maggie Josiah Email: maggiejosiah@infocom.co.ug Website: www.ahi-ug.org Blog: tiptopwebsite.com/ maggiejosiah Uganda Phone: +256 0774033392 Address: […]

Using and Building upon Empathy

From the outset, when you say that you want to do the right thing, you are making a moral statement, even though it may be a subjective one. And you are hoping that other people want to do the right thing with you. The fact that you experience this urge to do the right thing […]

How We Get Money

Successful fundraising starts with an awareness that money is needed to accomplish something that someone or some organization believes is important. Fair enough, right?! But then what? The world of volunteer giving is mysterious because it is so counter-culture and counter-intuitive. Imagine you are making your first visit to the county fair and you see this haunted-house […]

Why Fundraising Is Never Just about the Money

To begin your success journey in fundraising and community building: You have to accurately identify real needs. This sounds so simple and straightforward, but it’s really not. The “presenting need” of any individual or group almost never reveals the root cause of real problems. Human beings create lots of secondary needs because primary needs and […]

Confessions of A Professional Fund Raising Snitch

I’m Here to Help You in Fundraising In these blogs, I’m going to slowly reveal the fundraiser’s secrets to success. I hope that doing this will help demystify the fundraising process and even help you become successful on your way to making something happen that will change this world for the better. Only some driving […]

The Need to Define Need: Real

Real Here, I’ll address the second element of need definition. Real needs mean primary needs. I talked in an earlier blog about primary and secondary needs. But let’s back up the truck and go over this again. Many needs we observe in life are actually secondary needs. You see a man or a woman standing on […]

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