How long should it take to write/update a nonprofit case statement?

July 24, 2009 1:16 PM

How long should it take to write/update a nonprofit case statement?

I've been asked to estimate how long it would take me to write/update the case statement for a nonprofit I currently work for (in another position). The audience would be potential major donors.

I've never written anything like this before, but I've been reading up on what goes into a case statement, have several good examples to look at, and even a ~12-year-old copy of the organization's previous case statement (that was the last time it was updated, apparently).

The more I learn about case statements, the more it seems like this is potentially a HUGE project. Some of the books I've been reading even suggest going around and interviewing everyone in the organization before writing it, mention that dozens of people are going to have comments and revisions to incorporate, etc.

So, I'd really like to hear from people who've done it before -- how many hours, over how many weeks, do you think it usually takes to write a nonprofit case statement?

Also, any ideas on where else I might post this question and get good information?

Thanks!

posted by Jacqueline to writing & language (4 comments total)

It's certainly a multi-week, 20+/hour week project for an organization of any significant size.

When I have done it, I've convened at least three stakeholder meetings--one for management, one for other staff, and one for clients--to get detailed feedback on the existing case statement and how to update and improve it.

It's also good to get feedback from three to five current major donors on what they think the "headlines" of the organization are and why they support it.

Checking out the resources and forums at Associated Grant Makers might be helpful.
posted by Sidhedevil at 1:56 PM on July 24

It can take as long as you want it to. My organization just spent more than two years writing a one-sentence mission statement.

Consider writing your case statement over the next three days, without consulting anyone. Show it to a couple of level-headed colleagues and get their ideas. If it's necessary to get others to buy in via some participatory ritual, simply maim several sentences of your statement and give them the opportunity to offer corrections.
posted by gum at 2:28 PM on July 24

Consider writing your case statement over the next three days, without consulting anyone.

Do not consider this.

First of all, three days isn't long enough to write a case statement even if it wasn't important to get stakeholder input.

Second of all, it's important to get stakeholder input.

Yes, the process can go on too long to be effective, but it can also be too abbreviated to be effective.

If it's necessary to get others to buy in via some participatory ritual, simply maim several sentences of your statement and give them the opportunity to offer corrections.

gum, I'm thinking that you don't know what a non-profit case statement is. It's a comprehensive source of information for potential funders. Getting input from stakeholders isn't a "participatory ritual," it's an essential part of the process. This is a multi-page, very detailed document, not a mission statement or a vision statement.
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:32 PM on July 24

There's no single answer, since it depends on the size of the non profit, the type of programming they do, and how complex their structure is.

But I would say that the most important thing to consider in figuring out how long it will take is how well developed and clear the existing mission, vision, etc. are and how consistent those are with what is actually happening on the ground. The points where there are inconsistencies, vagueness or organizational disagreement are those points at which you will get stuck in the stakeholder discussion and the feedback process. The more points of contention, the more frustrating the exercise, and the more likely it is that you will either become completely stuck or end up with a finished product that doesn't meet the needs of the organization.

Regardless, done properly it is a significant task. The last two organizations I worked with that went through this process spent hours and hours - the easier, more straight-forward of the two probably rang in around 100 hours plus staff time for input sessions. The more difficult took consultants and senior staff several hundred hours and more rounds of revisions than we ever thought possible, topped off with a document that only about half of the staff were comfortable using. Not to make it sound hopeless - in the latter case there were some serious organizational issues.
posted by scrute at 9:55 PM on July 24