Case for Support

Beloved Community Gospel Choir seeks a skilled marketing or fundraising professional to help us develop a compelling and reusable Case for Support.

BCGC is a growing 501(c)(3) nonprofit community choir rooted in the African American gospel music tradition. Our mission is to preserve and honor this musical tradition while creating an inclusive and affirming community where singers of different backgrounds, faiths, and experience levels can learn, grow, and belong.

We need a Case for Support that clearly explains why our work matters, whom we serve, how our programs create impact, and why individuals, foundations, corporations, churches, and community partners should invest in our mission.

The volunteer will help us:

Conduct discovery conversations with organizational leadership.
Review our mission, vision, values, history, programs, concert cycles, community partnerships, financial needs, and future goals.
Clarify our primary fundraising audiences and the messages most likely to resonate with each audience.
Identify the community and cultural needs BCGC addresses.
Describe how our programs preserve African American gospel music, build belonging, deepen cultural understanding, and create opportunities for community participation.
Organize our existing language, stories, program information, and financial priorities into a clear and persuasive narrative.
Develop messaging that can be adapted for grants, sponsorships, individual giving, donor appeals, presentations, and our website.
Recommend ways to use the Case for Support consistently across fundraising and communications efforts.

The completed Case for Support should address:

Who we are and why BCGC was created.
The cultural and community need our organization addresses.
Our mission, values, and approach.
Our programs, concert cycles, and community activities.
The people and communities we serve.
Our current and emerging impact.
Our organizational goals and future vision.
Our financial and capacity-building needs.
Opportunities for donors, sponsors, foundations, and community partners to support the work.
Donor recognition and stewardship.
A clear call to action.

The anticipated deliverables are:

A full Case for Support suitable for fundraising conversations and major proposals.
A condensed two-page version.
A set of core fundraising messages and talking points.
Suggested language for individual donors, foundations, corporate sponsors, and community partners.
Recommendations for adapting the material for our website, grant applications, presentations, and donor outreach.
A brief orientation session explaining how BCGC can use and update the Case for Support.

We anticipate completing the project over approximately six to nine weeks, with regular meetings, draft reviews, and feedback from BCGC leadership.

Through this project, the volunteer will help Beloved Community Gospel Choir communicate the value and impact of its work more clearly and persuasively.

BCGC preserves and honors the African American gospel music tradition while creating an inclusive and affirming community where singers of different backgrounds, faiths, and experience levels can learn, grow, and belong. Through rehearsals, performances, storytelling, cultural education, and community partnerships, the choir provides opportunities for people to experience gospel music with authenticity, care, and joy.

As a new nonprofit, BCGC needs a strong fundraising foundation to support musician compensation, music and licensing costs, concert production, insurance, marketing, educational programming, community partnerships, and the administrative systems required for long-term sustainability.

A well-developed Case for Support will help BCGC:

Explain the cultural and community importance of its mission.
Build stronger relationships with donors, sponsors, foundations, churches, and nonprofit partners.
Submit clearer and more persuasive grant applications.
Develop consistent fundraising messages across platforms.
Communicate why financial support is needed and how contributions will be used.
Increase awareness of the organization’s programs and impact.
Build sustainable support for future concerts, educational activities, and community outreach.
Reduce the amount of fundraising language that must be recreated for each new opportunity.

By helping BCGC tell its story effectively, the volunteer will strengthen our ability to preserve the African American gospel music tradition, build meaningful community, and make joyful music-making available to more people.

BCGC is prepared to provide the volunteer with the information, materials, and access needed to complete the project successfully.

We can provide:

Our mission, vision, motto, organizational values, and nonprofit information.
Background on why BCGC was founded and how the organization has developed.
Descriptions of our programs, rehearsals, concert cycles, educational work, and community partnerships.
Information about the singers, audiences, and communities we serve.
Current budgets, program costs, fundraising priorities, and projected financial needs, as appropriate.
Existing grant narratives, sponsorship language, presentations, program notes, website copy, marketing materials, and organizational documents.
Photographs, videos, testimonials, audience comments, and singer feedback currently available.
Information about our future goals, including program growth, partnerships, educational opportunities, and organizational sustainability.
Access to selected singers, board members, musicians, or community partners for brief interviews when helpful and appropriate.

Matthew Hunter, BCGC’s founder and artistic director, will lead the project and work directly with the volunteer. He will participate in discovery meetings, provide requested materials, respond promptly to questions, coordinate feedback from the Board of Directors when needed, and provide timely review of drafts.

BCGC has already developed much of its core organizational language and program information. The volunteer will not be starting from scratch. We are seeking professional support to organize, strengthen, and shape these materials into a unified and persuasive fundraising document.

The final Case for Support will be used in grant applications, donor outreach, sponsorship requests, community partnership conversations, presentations, board fundraising efforts, and website content.