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Case Management Software: 10 Must-Have Features for Human Services

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There are many wonderful nonprofit human service organizations like shelters, hospices, mental health organizations, and more that are doing great work on the ground to serve their communities and make a difference, but they need case management software to fulfill their missions.

Human services case management software for nonprofits, including social worker case management software, will help your organization track cases, spot trends, analyze success and keep data secure. 

What is Case Management Software?

Capital campaign case for support statements rally everyone around a flagship campaign, and can be essential to its success.

Unlike a more general statement, a capital campaign case for support is focused on a particular campaign and outlines the need to fulfill a specific goal within a limited time period.

While planning your next campaign, make sure you set aside time to edit or update your capital campaign case for support. You might also want to create one tailored to your campaign. Your capital campaign case for support can then act as a base for all other fundraising program material, including letters, event collateral, brochures and posters.

Learn more about planning your capital campaign case for support statements in our complete guide to capital campaigns or take a look at some capital campaign case for support examples in the section below.

Nonprofit case for support examples

Here are 5 case for support examples from different nonprofit organizations. We’ve included both general as well as capital campaign case for support examples. Read through them to get inspired and learn how other nonprofits write theirs.

1. Case for support design example: Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity’s case for support statement is a great example of how one document can be used for different purposes – like website content and a printable PDF.

While content remains the same, the website uses a scrolling format to take you through different aspects of the organization and includes videos to tell their story.

The print version is shorter and includes prominent visuals. Notice the compelling case they make through the use of very simple language, eg. ‘Help us build strength, stability and self-reliance.’

2. Capital campaign case for support example: YMCA

The YMCA has a unique title for their capital campaign case for support – Power of Potential. This helps them stand out from hundreds of other documents a major gift donor might receive.

They begin by stating their goal ($30 million), and choose to have testimonials right at the beginning, playing around with the structure in an interesting way.

Their case for support is also quite long at 32 pages – but notice the design includes a lot of full page images and white space to make for easy reading.

3. UK charity case for support example: Waterwise

This charity’s case for support example uses icons and infographics to illustrate their point. While section headings are generic (‘Our plans for the future,’ ‘Who do we help’), its simplicity makes it easy for donors to find the information they’re looking for.

At just 7 pages, Waterwise covers all major sections without expecting donors to invest a lot of time understanding their work, making it an ideal document to share at a first meeting.

4. Museum case for support example: Canadian Canoe Museum

This case for support is focused on a single campaign: building a new facility for the museum. Note how they highlight the need for a new museum and then tie it back to their larger mission and vision.

They’ve also included plans and drawings of the potential museum to enable donors to see the outcome of their contribution.

5. Example of a case for support that needs improvement

Here’s a case statement that was created a few years ago and needs some improvement. It is heavily worded, with not many images, and too many fonts. There are no images of the community served and it also includes an appendix with information that may not inspire donors to give. Compare this with the examples above and think about what can be improved here!

Case for support template

Download this case for support template below to get started now. We’ve included some helpful prompts and questions to answer while filling out each section.

Click here to download your sample case for support template!

Click here to download your case for support checklist!

Preparing to write your nonprofit case for support

Writing your nonprofit case for support can feel like a daunting task, so breaking it up into sections can make it more manageable and help you stay on track. There are many things to consider before you begin, here are a few:

1. Consider a feasibility or planning study

 

These studies consist of multiple interviews and discussions with stakeholders to find out what they believe is important.

This can help uncover missed funding priorities and determine a community’s appetite for supporting your mission. Feasibility studies can be expensive since they require third-party experts to conduct, but if you’re not working on a capital campaign case for support or simply don’t have the budget, you could interview a few trusted donors or volunteers instead.

2. Gather and organize information about your organization

This is the time to go through current funding priorities, historical data, mission and vision statements, future plans and anything else that will help you to write. Once you’ve gathered all your data, start organizing it into sections and develop an overall structure – we’ve got a sample structure you can use below!

3. Create a comprehensive outline

Once your data is organized into relevant sections, start working on an outline. While you do this you may want to consider different ways to structure the document and change things around to suit your needs. You might also want to add information to the case for support that wasn’t in your initial structure. This is why it’s a good idea to collect as much information as possible during the gathering stage – it will help you find data easily when you need it!

4. Commit to a reasonable deadline

A nonprofit case for support can sometimes feel overwhelming in its scope. But don’t work on it for more than 1-3 months. Remember that it’s meant to help you raise funds and will be useless (and possibly outdated) if it takes more than 6 months to develop. Instead, make sure you schedule regular revisions and update your statement annually.

5. Structure of an effective nonprofit case for support

Once you’ve interviewed stakeholders and gathered all the information, you’ll need to begin structuring your document. Following a structure is helpful to make sure you haven’t missed anything important, but once you’ve created a sample case for support structure, feel free to move things around and make it your own.

6. Begin with an emotional appeal

An emotional opening is key to a successful case for support. Make sure the beginning is emotionally charged and inspires donors to give. Start with a story that draws the reader in and highlights the challenges your beneficiaries face. The first few sentences of your nonprofit case for support will decide whether prospective donors read the rest of the document.

7. Highlight your vision for the future

Once you’ve told a story, it’s time to talk about your vision for the future and how you will solve this problem. Here is where you answer the question of ‘Why’: why your nonprofit exists, why this problem is an important one, and why people should care. Make sure your vision is a bold one that excites donors and makes them feel like their contributions would make this possible.

8. Connect your vision to your work

Here’s where you talk about your programs and how you are working to solve this problem. Include programs you are currently running as well as plans for future initiatives. Write a short explanation of the program, how you work and highlight outcomes.

9. Prove you’re making a difference

Now you’ll want to show donors what their support can achieve. Your case for support needs to demonstrate that your programs are worthy of investment. Use statistics and charts, write a few short case studies to illustrate impact, and include testimonials from your donors, community leaders, and beneficiaries.

10. End with a call to action

At the end, you’ll need to talk about the financials and invite donors to support your work. Clearly state your financial goals (if you’re writing a capital campaign case for support then state the campaign goal), as well as your long-term growth plan. Make a specific ask so donors will know what to do next.

Tips for writing a nonprofit case for support

Now that you’ve looked at a few case for support examples, here are some tips for writing your own!

1. Make your case donor-centric

Write with your donors in mind. Think of them as the heroes of your story and make sure you’re writing from their perspective. Talk about what they’d want to read rather than what you want to say.

2. Write in clear, easy-to-understand language

Don’t include technical terms or jargon as that might confuse donors and hide compelling storylines behind complex vocabulary. Making it as easy to read as possible also makes it clear to donors why you need their support.

3. Write with passion

While the opening paragraph should make readers feel deeply for your cause and draw them into your story, don’t let it stop there! Your passion should run through the whole case statement so make sure you use your best writer to create this narrative and keep it interesting!

4. Think big

While the opening paragraph should make readers feel deeply for your cause and draw them into your story, don’t let it stop there! Your passion should run through the whole case statement so make sure you use your best writer to create this narrative and keep it interesting!

5. Make it visually appealing and easy-to-read

Hire a professional designer to work on your case statement. Bad design can make your document unreadable and deter donors from investing. If budgets are tight, make sure you design something that is clean, simple, has lots of white space and images, and the font isn’t too small.

6. Break up your case for support into different sections

Part of making your case for support easier to read is including different sections. Use mission-focused or emotionally appealing headings for each section. It’s a good idea to develop headers specific to your organization (e.g. write ‘One can of water can change many lives’ instead of ‘Our funding needs’).

7. Avoid using multiple people to write different sections

While collaborating with multiple teams initially is important, once you have a working case for support template, hand it over to a writer or editor who will bring it together for you.

8. Proofread your case for support template at every stage

Proofread sections before they are added to the larger document and once your sample case for support is ready. Make sure team members who haven’t worked on the document read it to check for errors.

9. Don’t worry about length

If your nonprofit case for support is longer than 10 pages don’t try to cut it down. Instead treat it as a foundational resource from which to develop other documents like donor appeals and fundraising letters. Having all your key information in one resource is important – you might remove important information in an effort to meet a page limit while developing a case.

10. Get buy-in from leadership and board members

The content in your nonprofit case for support must be developed in collaboration with multiple teams as well as senior leadership. Board members and leaders need to ensure that the vision and mission of the organization is clearly communicated and understood by all. You may want to host a meeting to discuss the structure of your case for support and plan another one to review the final draft.

11. Edit, improve, iterate

Once your nonprofit case for support is complete, get internal and external feedback, but be careful about getting stuck in an endless feedback loop. Set aside time either quarterly or annually to review your case for support template and make sure it’s up-to-date. Regularly share iterations with staff to get their feedback and ideas.

Creating effective cases requires a strategic plan and drafting, designing, and editing from a number of staff as well as board members.

If you’ve done it right, everyone should be familiar with your case for support at the end. Don’t jump ahead and skip feedback steps since you’ll just create more work later. While it is a lot of work, writing your first case for support template is also exciting. You’re beginning a process that will solidify your ideas and plans, create value in your community and raise money to further your mission in the years to come.

Once your case for support is done and you’re ready to start fundraising, you might want to consider upgrading to a better nonprofit CRM to help you manage your donors and easily track campaign goals.

 

There are many wonderful nonprofit human service organizations like shelters, hospices, mental health organizations, and more that are doing great work on the ground to serve their communities and make a difference, but they need case management software to fulfill their missions.

case-management-software-service-delivery

Human services case management software for nonprofits, including social worker case management software, will help your organization track cases, spot trends, analyze success and keep data secure. 

What is Case Management Software?

Case management software for nonprofits offers a modern and efficient alternative to paper files for tracking client information. Case management softwares gives your organization one place to track all your client data that is easily accessible by your case management staff. It makes scheduling a breeze and fosters easy collaboration between staff and volunteers.

The best case management software for nonprofits and human service organizations prioritizes your organization’s unique needs.

These are the top ten best case management software features that nonprofits need to consider when choosing case management software.

#1: Top-notch Security

When you are dealing with personal and sensitive information, the client information tracked in human services software, security is very important. The best case management software for nonprofits will offer top-notch security and be HIPAA and PIDEDA complaint.

Most countries have laws that cover privacy of personal information and especially health information. In the United States this law is called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act – also known as HIPAA.

HIPPA-compliant-case-management

In Canada personal information that is stored electronically, – which includes case management software, social worker case management software, and human services software – is covered by The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, also known as PIPEDA.

If you’re a hospice, or human service organization that works with sensitive client data, the case management software your organization chooses to use has to have great security and be compliant with the privacy laws of your country.

Part of great security is controlling access levels for different members of your nonprofit staff, and even your volunteers. With access levels you can limit how much information your staff can see, you may want all users to be able to see client names and contact information, but limit viewing case notes to only case workers.

case-management-software-security

Sumac Case Management is case management software for nonprofits that gives you the ability to set access levels for different members of staff (and it’s completely HIPAA and PIPEDA compliant).

 

#2: Client History Tracking

The best case management software will give your staff the ability to track the history of your clients, and case management software for nonprofits is no different.

The ability to track the history of your client with human services case management software is critical for nonprofit organizations. If you have clients who are engaged with your nonprofit over the long term then you likely have different staff working with them over time, tracking their history with case management software for nonprofits will ensure no information is lost over time and with staff turnover.

Case-management-software-case-notes

Tracking client history is also an important feature in the best case management software for nonprofits when you have clients who may be involved with your nonprofit intermittently. When they return, ensure you have a record of their history in your human services case management software so you can deliver the best service.

The best case management software for nonprofits will put a complete client history at your fingertips. Staff can easily see:

  • When a client was admitted
  • Staff members who have been assigned to the client
  • A history of treatment and services
  • Case notes

With quick access to your client’s history, human services case management software helps your staff focus on delivering services and supporting your nonprofit’s clients – not spending hours digging through filing cabinets!

#3: Customization

No two human service nonprofits are alike, and different nonprofit organizations will need different features from case management software or human services software. The best case management software can be customized to fit your unique programs and mission.

case-management-software-customizable

Case management software for nonprofits that has standardized fields that cannot be removed or re-named will probably not work for your specific needs. Look for a human services software that offers you the ability to easily customize fields within client records.

With Sumac Case Management, for example, you can quickly  change the names of fields, add your own, and organize them into tabs to track the data you need for your organization.

How easily you are able to customize your case management software for your needs is a critical. If it takes a lot of time, effort, and maybe even money to customize the software, you might want to look elsewhere.

The best case management software and human services software offers you the ability to customize your database yourself without added complexity and expense.

#4: Service Delivery Tracking

Being able to easily track service deliverability is important for nonprofits working in human services like food banks, child and family services, shelters, and other areas, since you may have clients who are receiving multiple services, from multiple case workers and partners.

The best case management software will seamlessly track service deliverability even if there are multiple case workers or service providers working with one client.

A nonprofit women’s shelter, for example, could have a client receiving counselling from a social worker, legal aid from a lawyer, and other services like job training. All of these services need to be tracked in your human services case management software to not only help your organization deliver excellent client services, but to track and report on the outcomes from these multiple services.

#5: Online Access

Today, it’s so important that you can access your case management software for nonprofits from anywhere, and from any device. We are living in a remote access world, even before the COVID-19 pandemic uprooted the traditional workspace. The best case management software will allow you to access your client records from anywhere with online access. 

Online access is critical for social workers and case managers on the go! If your staff are meeting with clients at their homes or offsite it is important that they can access the case management software from wherever they are.

Online access means

  • Case managers can access client information securely on the go
  • Staff can update the client record during and immediately after an appointment so information is up-to-date and accurate
  • Prevents service interruptions when a case worker is unable to travel to the office (A very important consideration during the COVID-19 pandemic)

#6: Automated Features

Nonprofit organizations are often working with limited resources, so it’s important to find efficiencies and automate processes where possible, including case management and service deliverability.

The best case management software will offer your nonprofit features that help to automate processes or find efficiencies.

Scheduling and wait-listing

  • Create reminders for appointments and tasks
  • Schedule staff and volunteers in one built-in calendar
  • Add notes and define tasks

Custom action plans

  • Create custom action plans to streamline case management
  • Automated reminders will keep staff on track
  • Build custom plans for screening, needs assessments, discharge and aftercare, and more

Automated reports

  • Get reports delivered right to staff’s inbox regularly
  • Saves staff time to manually run the reports and ensures reporting doesn’t end up on the back burner
  • Keep an eye on service delivery trends and outcomes without it being a chore

#7: Customer Support

This can be easy to overlook when choosing a case management software for nonprofits, but the best case management software offers excellent customer support to ensure your nonprofit can effectively use the software and deliver your mission – at no extra cost.

It’s important that your staff have access to customer support for your human services case management software

Great customer service is more than troubleshooting and fixes, it also includes ongoing training opportunities for staff to refine their skills or to train new staff when they come on board Consider what other customer support that case management software can offer your nonprofit, like ongoing training to improve skills as well as webinars and exclusive professional development opportunities.

#8: Staff and Volunteer Management

In human services nonprofit organizations you may have some volunteers who are working on client services, or who need to access case records for other purposes. An important feature in case management software for nonprofits is the ability to manage staff and volunteers with one system.

case-management-software-scheduling

Human services case management software for nonprofits should offer your organization the ability to track service delivery, scheduling, and access levels for both staff and volunteers who are working with clients. This includes reporting on the service outcomes of both staff and volunteers.

The best case management software for nonprofits gives you the ability to manage both your nonprofit staff and volunteers, including controlling access levels.

#9: Email Integration

Human services nonprofit organizations typically fund their mission through donations from corporate partners, foundations, and individuals. With the right communication strategy, and case management software, nonprofits can keep their beneficiaries in the loop and turn them into donors.

Former clients of your nonprofit would probably love to hear about how they can support your mission and help others like them. Keep these people informed with a case management software that has email integration to send out e-newsletters and solicitation emails.

The best case management software has email integration that ensures you are reaching out to the right constituents, and saves you time importing and exporting a lot of data to send out emails.

Keep your former clients informed, and find new donors for your nonprofit, with case management software for nonprofits, like Sumac Case Management, that has an email integration feature.

#10: Outcome-based Reporting

Finally, the best case management software allows you to not only track your client interactions, but also report on the outcomes of your client programs. Reporting features in human services software allow you to analyze:

  • Service delivery
  • Client demographics
  • Staff time spent with clients
  • And more!

When you can easily access data about your human services case management, you’ll be able to ensure your nonprofit is delivering the best service efficiently and maximizing staff time. You’ll also be able to spot trends that can help you make strategic decisions about your nonprofits mission and service delivery.

Outcome-based reporting is a key feature in the best case management software, especially case management software for nonprofits. Nonprofit human service organizations often have to report back to government agencies, foundations, and individual donors who have funded their programs. 

The ability to easily pull outcome-base reports from nonprofit case management software cuts down on the staff time required to create these reports – meaning your human services nonprofit can satisfy your donors and funders while ensuring staff can devote their time to delivering your nonprofit’s mission!

All 10 of these features that define the best case management software are available in Sumac Case Management.

Book a demo today to learn more how you can fulfil your mission and streamline service delivery with this simple yet powerful case management software.

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