Category: rationale

case for support, communications, fundraising, messaging, rationale

How to write a good problem statement

When a funder asks for a problem statement (or a needs assessment), it’s an opportunity to explain the rationale for why you need support. The goal is to explain the issues while framing the problem in a way that sets the stage for your solution.

Unfortunately, I find that many problem statements don’t do justice to the work being proposed. They either don’t sufficiently describe the problem or they don’t frame the issue so that the proposed project seems like a good solution (or they just aren’t written well).

Here are three questions every good problem statement should answer to ensure you set up a compelling rationale for your proposed work:

  1. What is the need? I know this sounds obvious, but oftentimes people don’t accurately define the problem. It’s as if every organization is a hammer, so everything is a nail. You want to think about what’s causing the situation you’re trying to remedy and why it’s problematic. Describe the situation, why it’s bad for the constituents you serve, and what the barriers are to fixing it. If you set it up right, your work will be directly responsive – overcoming barriers and tackling the causes of the situation.
  2. Why is this important? Again, this might be an obvious question, but I’ve seen many problem statements that fail to answer it well. I’m sure you care about the problem and I’m sure you think it’s important, but why should I as a funder care? Why does this problem matter to the things I care about? Think about your audience and consider the broader impacts of the problem. Another way to frame the question is “so what?” Keep asking that question until you get to a compelling reason your audience will care about as much as you do.
  3. Why now? Funders have lots of proposals in front of them, and usually a limited budget for grantmaking. There are others who will also make the case that their work is important, so why should they support your work this year and not next year? You can frame this in two ways: either state why the situation is so dire it demands action now (crisis), or state why the conditions are ripe now for action (opportunity). Either way, make the case for why your work needs to happen now (or soon) to maximize impact.

Remember that you are not your target audience – you know more, you believe more, and you probably care more. Crafting a compelling argument requires understanding your audience and using solid reasoning. And it never hurts to test it out with people outside your organization – loyal donors, committed funders, or volunteers.

Whatever you do, make certain you have a convincing problem statement. It’s the first and critical step to garnering support for your work!

communications, messaging, rationale

4 steps to identifying your key messages

I worked with a client recently on honing their messaging and developing an elevator pitch. This organization has a focused mission, a clearly articulated approach to its work, and specialized niche within its ecosystem of actors and stakeholders. They know their constituents and they can speak at length about their work. So why were they struggling to attract the kind of support they needed to stay afloat?

Because they, like many people who work in the nonprofit world, know their work too well. They can speak at length about what they do, but it’s from the perspective of someone who spends every day doing that work – full of technical language and insider concepts, and narrowly focused on what’s in front of them instead of seeing the bigger picture. That’s great for speaking with constituents and partners and maybe existing funders, but how do you reach new audiences and build your base of support?

By crafting and using key messages that clearly and succinctly explain your work and why you do it.

Here are four steps to crafting key messages that your organization can use across a wider swath of audiences:

  1. Identify your key audiences. Most people skip this step and go right to defining messages, but it’s important that your messages are understood by – and resonate with – the people you want to reach. So first things first: write down your top audiences and think about what they know and what they care about.
  2. Define the problem. What is the problem your organization is aiming to solve? What is it you hope to achieve by doing your work? This should be condensed to a simple statement about why you do what you do, and it should be framed in terms of something your audiences care about.
  3. Identify the solution. Given the problem, what is the solution? Why should we believe that this solution will work? Write a single statement that makes the case for why your solution will be effective in solving the problem.
  4. Articulate your work. The challenge here will be to state the work you do in a brief, simple, jargon-less, and concrete statement. Don’t get down into the details but don’t be too abstract either. Focus on what’s most important and be plain, straightforward, and concise.

Now take these messages and infuse them into your communications, whether it be a grant proposal, your website, or a conversation in an elevator.

By creating messages that state what you do (the solution), how you do it (the work), and why you do it (the problem) – all framed in a way that resonates with your target audience – you can communicate more effectively to build a broader base of support.

How does your organization communicate now? Do you know what your key messages are? Can you state the what, how, and why of your work in simple, brief, concrete terms?

case for support, fundraising, logic model, rationale, strategy, theory of change

Are you really solving the problem?

During my time in philanthropy, I reviewed many grant proposals, many of which were pretty good. They did a good job describing the project, and usually did a good job describing the problem they hoped to solve. However, nearly every proposal had the same flaw, something missing, something that inevitably led to tough questions from the Program Officer who was in charge of developing the grant. What was the missing piece? A failure to connect the project to the problem. In other words, how will this project actually solve the problem?

Let’s take an example. Say the problem you’re trying to solve is hunger among the homeless in the Bay Area, and let’s say you’re requesting a grant to provide free meals for 100,000 homeless people over the course of a year. We can understand the problem and its importance, and we can understand the project and its importance, but at the end of the grant, will you really be any closer to solving the problem? Will there really be less hungry people in a year? Is it possible there could even be more hungry people?

I’m not suggesting that feeding the hungry is a bad idea. It’s a good idea. In fact, it’s necessary in order to help these people survive another day. However, it’s also just a short-term solution to the symptoms of a much bigger, long-term, systemic problem. If your mission is to solve hunger, feeding the homeless is a necessary but ultimately insufficient step to take.

This is why organizations benefit from developing a Theory of Change. Yeah, we know. “Theory of Change.” It’s one of those fluffy, jargony buzz words tossed around by foundations and consulting wonks. But when developed effectively, it helps an organization to clarify what it does, and more importantly, why doing what it does helps to solve the problem.

The truth is, a solid, articulate theory of change helps organizations to be more strategic by identifying the key opportunities for influencing the system. Oftentimes a theory of change is equated to a strategy (“we do this therefore we get this”), but a good theory of change is a system-wide view that provides the context and rationale for a strategic plan. Done well, a theory of change makes a strong case for why your strategy is a smart, practical, and effective approach to achieving your mission and solving the problem.

Does your organization have a clear theory of change? Do you feel confident in explaining why your approach and programs are effective mechanisms for solving the problem? Have you had to face the tough questions from funders to explain the rationale of your programs? Post your comments below.