10 ways to build your case for support

One of the principles of great application writing is to have a strong case for support, backed up by evidence and statistics.

But what if you’re not sure how to use evidence or what kind of statistics you should even be using?

In this useful summary from Fundraising Consultant Dr Clare Jefferis MCIOF (shared by Carol Ward, Parish Fundraising Manager for the Diocese of London), we can see great examples of the kind of evidence that you can use in your applications. Clare has pulled this evidence from The House of Good report by the National Churches Trust. Even if you’re not a church fundraiser, have a look at these 10 ways to use evidence and see if you can find something similar for your organisation:

1. Identify the scale of the issue – ‘there are over 40,000 churches in the UK’.

2. Demonstrate why the issue is important – ‘church buildings provide the social glue that keeps our communities together’.

3. Show why the problem needs addressing now – ‘89% of churches continued providing local support [during Covid-19].’.

4. Explain why you're best placed to address the issue – ‘because churches have rigorous safeguarding and volunteering checks already in place, they are in a position to rapidly reach out to their communities, enabling them to respond to local need’

5. Include specific details about the issue – ‘In 2017 the Church of England estimated that only half of its churches have a kitchen and one third lack toilets.’

6. Add evidence of any support you already have e.g. matched giving, the support of your community, volunteer time – ‘People are willing to give their time, energy and compassion to support their local communities. Each church in the UK reports an average of 214 volunteer hours per month.’ 

7. Include evidence from other, external sources – ‘Evidence shows that people who attend church services feel happier and healthier than those who don’t.’

8. Quantify the difference you make – ‘Using 2020 church attendance figures, the wellbeing value of regular church attendance in the UK is £604 per person’

9. Explain why the issue you’re addressing might be worse in your particular area – ‘Places of worship in deprived areas find it hardest to raise money for their buildings.’

10. Explain the added value of what you do – ‘ Use of church buildings for community activities, in addition to worship, increases their long-term viability. Additional uses bring in new people who then have a stake in the future of the building.’

To read the full summary on the Diocese of London website, click here

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