Case studies are at the heart of charity communications. A strong, simple story is the most powerful way of getting your message across or illustrating the work you do.
Unfortunately, for every case study that makes us sit up and take notice, we see a fair few ho-hum ones. So here’s a checklist of seven ways to make sure your case study hits the mark.
1. Get personal
Your case study might be illustrating an aspect of policy or a service you offer, but in most cases it should focus on an individual person or group of people. So even though you might be writing about what your organisation did, the important point is how it affected that person.
We don’t need their full biography, but include relevant personal details to make them stand out as a real individual who the reader can identify with.
Of course, personal details are sensitive, and it goes without saying that you should observe anyone’s wish for privacy. If someone wants to remain anonymous, use a pseudonym. But remember, people are more like to identify with “Bob” than “Service User A”.
2. Tell the story
Now you have your main character, you need to tell their story. As with any story, a strong opening is essential. You need to grab the reader’s attention with your first sentence, so don’t be afraid to go for something dramatic:
Bob began using heroin after his dad kicked him out is a stronger opening than Bob has been supported by our drug addiction and homelessness programme for the last two years.
3. So what’s changed?
Any good story involves action. Something changes. What was the situation before your charity’s involvement? What happened? (Or what might happen?) What was the outcome?
Does your case study cover this? If not…couldn’t you find a better one?
4. Speak for yourself
Direct speech is powerful. It makes your case study more personal, more immediate and more authentic.
But don’t put words into someone’s mouth. While it’s fine to tidy up someone’s speech slightly, never misquote someone or take their words out of context. Journalistic ethics are important here.
5. Dear Reader
Who is your intended audience? All too often, we come across case studies that seem to be aimed at an internal audience, full of jargon, acronyms and irrelevant details.
Put yourself in the reader’s shoes: What will interest them? Which would you rather read: a magazine story or a funding application? (And even if you’re writing a case study for a funding application, there’s no excuse for making it boring)
6. Stick to the point
Often, you’ll have chosen a case study to illustrate a particular issue – so focus on that issue. Any details or ideas that aren’t relevant to it – however interesting or valid they might be in another context – are best left out.
With a longer case study, it’s often a good idea to provide a one-line summary at the beginning.
7. Give it a title
Does the headline on the front page of the newspaper say “Lead news story”? Of course not. So why call your case study “Case study”?
Thinking up headlines isn’t always easy. A few words of quoted text are often your best bet: “This place makes me feel like a human being?”, “I didn’t know where else to turn to”. If you’re really stuck, you can always fall back on good-old “Bob’s story”.
