You may consider him an oddball who writes about boogers, but Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry knows a thing or two about putting words together. “There are no rules about writing,” he advises. “Look at the sentence: Does it work?”

In much the same way, we might all take a closer look at our case statements. The question, as fundraiser Mark J. Drozdowski learned not long ago, is not whether our case statement follows rules. The question is: Does it work?

A development officer at New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce College, Drozdowski recalled recently how he spent 18 months following all the rules of case statement writing, only to have board members dismiss his campaign draft as “bland,” “dry,” and “lifeless.” In fact, “they hated it,” he said.

What went wrong?

Simple. The fundraiser had written a textbook case statement--but not one that could excite the prospective donors at Franklin Pierce College. His case didn’t work.

There are no guarantees when it comes to case writing, which is one of the greatest challenges in any development office. The case statement must be written out of deep authority and understanding. It must strike precisely the right note. And that isn’t easy. Here are three ways to heighten your chances of success.

Remember What You Are Writing. Be mindful that you are writing a persuasive document. Like an editorial or advertisement, the case statement must provoke action. If it doesn’t do that, what good is it?

An editorial may urge you to vote for a candidate. An advertisement may urge you to buy a product. A case statement should urge you to support an institution.

The case does not simply state the facts about a nonprofit.

It does not simply tout successes.

It does not simply describe a vision and an ambition.

It does all of those things—and more—in ways that connect intimately with the reader.

The only way to persuade a reader is to push his or her buttons. It is not unlike sexual foreplay. What will excite your reader? Using the same information in different ways, you can talk directly to a reader--or talk right past him.

For instance, you might brag about the extraordinary work being done by three award-winning members of your faculty. Or you might describe how they have all won the affection of generations of students because of their willingness to serve as mentors. You can have graduates telling stories about how the laureate’s office door was always open.

What does the reader care about?

Suppose you are raising money for the Institute of American Literary Experimentation. All of your prospects are fans of avant garde writing. Maybe they would enjoy receiving a case statement consisting of loose pages in a box that they can mix and match in whatever way they like. Many experimental novels have been published in just that way. Why not a case statement, if loose pages will turn donors on?

Listen to Your Gurus. Some people at your nonprofit “get it.” Others don’t. Before writing a campaign hymnal, steep yourself in the passion of those who understand exactly what matters about your organization in the minds of those most likely to support it. Pay attention to what knowledgeable board members and others say.

Consider New York University in the late 1970s. As it began its transition from an urban university for commuters into a major research institution with mainly resident students, fundraisers had to make the case that NYU was still open to ambitious, hard-working applicants—like the thousands who had earned degrees as part-time evening students and were now prospective donors—even as it strengthened programs and raised standards. The noble past of the part-time student was every bit as important to the case as NYU’s glorious imagined future.

Similarly, if you were writing a case statement for a hospice, you might be tempted to emphasize the cutting edge equipment and new approaches that will be made possible under a fundraising campaign. In fact, your major prospects may most admire the hospice for the small moments of exquisite caring that its staff offers constantly to patients and families. The gurus know. They even know the stories of caring that will grab and please readers.

Deliver To Your Audience. The nicest thing you can do for any audience is to deliver material that mirrors their passions and concerns and makes them one with your message. Readers want to see all that they hold dear celebrated in a case statement. They want to hear the voices of those who benefit from the nonprofit’s work. They want, finally, to see their better selves reflected in a wonderful story whose outcome is a better life for all of us.

Yes, that is why the nonprofit matters, prospects must say after reading the case statement. That is why I want to be part of the campaign and help advance the cause.

There’s a place for the dry facts and figures in every case statement, to be sure. But the magical element that makes your nonprofit special and allows the impact of donor investments to fairly sing for all to hear—that is what will lift prospects and carry them across the room to their checkbooks.

Just recently, I drafted a case for a national nonprofit whose members pride themselves on their common sense approach to environmental issues. The group accomplishes much good work in several areas. But it is its can-do, pragmatic common sense ways—getting all the players to sit down and find compromise solutions—that resonate most for donors.

Needless to say, I made the power of common sense a keynote of the piece. I even called upon the very American voice of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who once declared, “Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes.”

Find the right note, deliver it to your audience, and you will make the case that works for your nonprofit.

This article originally appeared in Contributions Magazine.