Identifying the Right Donor Contact

Even the most lucrative and hard to reach funders are really just.... humans.

Behind those emails are people doing their jobs as well as they can, fielding questions from their bosses, their teams, countless others.

Funders are just like us. They want to do what's right. They want to make a difference. They are managing competing demands. They want to do good work.

So how do you find that person behind the email?

1. Do your research. Read reports, social media and newsletters. Who are the "doers" behind the big funder names?

2. Once you know who those people are, craft an approach to engage. Perhaps it's through LinkedIn. Maybe it's via email. Develop a timeline for engagement and consider how you can provide value in communicating with that person.

3. Consider fit. Are you just trying to engage with this person because of who they work for, or is there an opportunity to really build something together? Give them grace and consider the authenticity needed in effective relationships.

4. Be considerate of their time and know when a "no" is really a "no". Relationship building takes time but it's also not something we can force.

5. Remember that we are all individuals trying to do the right thing, make a difference in the world and leave our mark. How can we help each other do that?

There's more insights in our Donor Outreach Blueprint around this notion of person-to-person engagement for funding.