Don’t Underestimate a Case Statement’s Value

To the Editor:

I read with interest the letter from Susan C. Shea about the relative worth of “glossy case statements” (“It’s Time to Tailor Campaign Brochures,” Letters to the Editor, August 26).

Perhaps taken for granted, but certainly not spoken, were two strong reasons for the exercise of producing such statements.

One is that it creates a situation whereby the entire institution is put “on the same page.” Whatever the circulation of this document ultimately is, its existence in public form affirms or reaffirms that the institutional ship is trimmed and knows its course.

The second reason has a more internal focus: that in the midst of staff changes (which seem particularly prevalent in development offices) and volunteer changes (which are inevitable), there is always a base to which to return, a measuring stick to gauge both progress and accountability. It can even cause internal constituencies to talk to each other for the first time.

That document will always require customized use in major-gift solicitation — what’s new? But its very existence is the collective voice of the institution — a reassuring factor. And who knows when that document will strike a chord with a hitherto unidentified prospect (think of bequest sources) and create or strengthen their interest in the institution?

John R. Corkran
Executive Director
Bethany of the Northwest Foundation
Everett, Wash.