Use Word's AI to Draft a Case for Support

What This Does

Copilot in Word drafts your organization's foundational Case for Support document, the persuasive narrative that explains your mission, impact, and funding need to donors and grant funders, from a brief outline you provide, giving you a polished starting point instead of a blank page.

Before You Start

• You have Microsoft Word with Copilot enabled (most organizations buy the Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on; smaller ones may have free basic access; ask IT if you're not sure)
• You have a 3-5 bullet point summary of your organization: mission, programs, population served, key outcomes, funding need
• The Copilot icon appears in the lower-right corner of your document window, and a Draft with Copilot icon appears on the canvas when you start a new document

Steps

1. Open a new Word document

Open Microsoft Word and create a new blank document.

2. Access Copilot Draft

On the blank document, click the Draft with Copilot icon on the canvas. Alternatively, click the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner of the document (Copilot is no longer on the Home ribbon; press F6 to reach the corner button by keyboard, or right-click it and choose Move to ribbon to restore the old placement).

3. Describe what you need

In the Copilot draft prompt, describe your case for support:

"Draft a 2-page Case for Support for a nonprofit organization. Organization: [describe your org in 2-3 sentences]. Programs: [list key programs]. Population served: [describe]. Key outcomes: [list 2-3 impact statistics]. Funding ask: [amount range or general]. Style: compelling, donor-focused, conversational but professional."

Select the Generate arrow.

4. Review and expand sections

Copilot will draft a 2-page document. After generation, an action bar offers Keep it, Regenerate, or Discard, and a compose box lets you refine the draft:

• Too formal? Type "Make it more conversational" in the compose box
• Missing urgency? Click in the section and ask Copilot: "Add a paragraph about the urgency of this need and what happens without donor support"
• Need a stronger close? Select the final paragraph → "Rewrite this closing with a stronger call to action"

5. Add your organization's specific stories and data

Copilot's draft gives you structure and placeholder language. Now go through and:

• Replace generic statistics with your real program data
• Add a specific beneficiary story or quote
• Insert your organization's actual financials or funding gap
• Adjust the voice to match how your organization actually communicates

What you should see: A formatted 2-page document with an opening narrative, program descriptions, impact section, and a closing ask, ready for editing. Troubleshooting: If the draft sounds too generic, give Copilot more specific details: "Our population served is primarily single mothers in [city] experiencing housing instability, rewrite the needs statement with this specificity."

Real Example

Scenario: Your major gifts prospect asked you to send "something about the organization" before their site visit next week. You don't have an updated case for support, the last one was written 3 years ago.

What you type to Copilot: "Draft a 2-page Case for Support for a workforce development nonprofit serving unemployed adults ages 25-55. Program: 16-week job training in healthcare and construction trades. 2024 outcomes: 120 graduates, 88 placed in jobs, average starting wage $19/hour. Funding need: $350,000 for program expansion to serve 40 additional participants."

What you get: A complete draft case for support in 3 minutes. With 30 minutes of editing to add your real stories and data, you have a polished document to send.

Tips

• Create a "master case for support" document once, then use it as a source document for all grant proposals and major gift solicitations, and update it annually
• Ask Copilot to create a shorter "elevator case" version: "Condense this 2-page case to a 200-word executive summary for a donor email"
• Save the resulting document as your organization's case for support template. Future updates take 30 minutes instead of 4 hours

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