Thanks to an IDEX fellow sending me the information for the webinar. It was very informative and worth the cost granted my organization has agreed to refund the cost because it is relevant to the work I am doing for them. So the two presenters of tonight's webinar work for philantropia which is a consulting firm that works with NGOs, nonprofits and the like with fundraising strategy, donor mapping and training mapping to name a few services. Erik Detiger has over a decade of fundraising experience and shared good insight to the world of donors and fundraising. His colleague Constance Chan is a program assistance who shared her research methods and how to identify donor contacts.
The first part of the webinar was on why network and meeting donors. They stressed that the ask is not the most important part of networking. The first step really is understanding the donors priorities then it is aligning the NGO you work for within the priorities. It is all about the donor because in the end they have the funds and specific problems they want to solve but they aren't planning to do the work to solve the problem they are looking to fund an organization that will. It is critical that you understand what donors want and work to achieve a mutual goal. The work of your NGO should align with what the donor wants to accomplish. Solve the problem for the donor instead of asking for money. Position your NGO to solve problems donors feel strongly about and causes they support.
Make the donor care about your organization. Tell a story and show how enthusiastic you are in solving problems and identify the issues that are relevant to the donors interests. Argue your case and influence donor priorities. Program people are the best people for the task because they can promote the programs they run and make donors care. Many times program people are left out of the donor networking process which is left to specific individuals. Explain how donors should spend money to solve problems that you have identified. Efficiency in solving these problems is essential. In the end it is a competition with NGOs competing for limited resources.
Build relationships. How do you find donors? Try the 6 degrees of separation game that says any 2 people are six or fewer people apart. Identify donors and find individuals you are connected to who are also connected to the donors. Organize information in a way that the information stays in an organization. As individuals leave and come into the organization you don't want critical information to come and go with the individuals. Have the information organized in a way that anyone can use it. A simple excel spreadsheet is one way to do this. The spreadsheet will contain name, website, contact information and notes. This will be a donor prospect table. You can also use a contact management software like raiser's edge or salesforce. Identify the donor and then use syntax's to find the email. Do not use the email that is in the database because often times donors get a ton of emails asking for funding. Use goolge to do email research using the individual's name and organization. Note that people are often in a position for a long time and their email is probably still active. You can guess the email address using the individuals name like first initial of first name and their last name.
Utilize LinkedIn. Other sites to use are foundation directory online which has a subscription fee and charity commission which is a UK directory. Join groups on linked in that support your organization's cause. Many times donors belong to the same groups. Also follow organizations and donors on twitter occasionally retweeting posts. Word of mouth is another method. Just ask around and ask donors for referrals. Turns out that the donor world is interconnected so don't be afraid to ask. Many times donors are all interconnected by cause or location. How do initiate a relationship? Assign responsibility and it is the entire staff's responsibility when it comes to fundraising. Send an introductory email saying who referred you, who you are and that you want to learn about their priorities. Do not attach a proposal or include an ask. Definitely suggest a time to meet. Follow your plan and make sure to keep it simple so that it is a living document that is constantly updated but easy to follow. Invite donors to the field and utilize board members and volunteer connections. If a donor rejects your organization seek feedback, it may not be the proposal but a lack of funds. Show that you know what you are doing and follow your plan. If you do get a donor to fund your NGO then send thank you's
