Even as we adapt to the unprecedented situation we find ourselves in, putting many of our personal and professional projects on hold, we could all still use an occasional dose of “normal”. With that in mind, we plan to continue sharing fundraising resources that we hope you’ll find interesting and useful, even as you keep our focus on what matters most: taking care of yourselves, and each other. Please stay safe!
- Your friends at Ajah
We often talk about how important it is to get the proposal just right, because it’s the moment when you can truly win funders over.
However, in our experience, we know that the real secret to success is actually in the initial contact – long before you start drafting a proposal.
This initial contact should be made with most large funders, and certainly with family funders, but establishing that contact can be challenging. Getting it right is akin to stepping through an intricate dance, but when done well, the results can be astounding.
Here is our step-by-step advice to establish this relationship to improve your chances of success:
1. Find a connection
The first step is to get yourself an introduction. Look around your current contacts to see if you have a mutual connection that can make the introduction for you.
Having a third party make the introduction feels more natural, and gives an extra layer of legitimacy to your name. This is a more solid foundation for a good relationship with the funder further down the track.
2. Prepare a brief
Write out a brief description of the project. Keep it short—roughly half a page should do. This needs to be something you can relay over the phone easily without going into too much detail.
Keep in mind that the key to your message should not be focused on what your organization needs. It must be about how your project solves the funder’s problem, and not about how the funder solves your problem.
3. Reach out
Start with an email before calling outright. Use their public email address, and aim to include just a few lines from your brief. Use your best judgment in determining the most effective messages here, keeping in mind that it should address their needs, not yours.
The difficult challenge here is ensuring they first read your email, then respond. Carefully consider your subject line, and make it clear within the email that you would like (or even expect) a response so it isn’t ignored.
4. Have an initial discussion
Note that it may take several iterations of step three to reach step four. You may need to send several emails to elicit a response from the funder, and they are likely to give you a variety of responses in return as well.
They may come back with questions asking for clarification, so be prepared to answer these succinctly. They may offer subtle advice on how to change your application, or they may simply direct you to another person or department.
Fundraisers will learn early on that they will hear another common response often: “No.” But that’s no time to get discouraged! Whether it’s a straight ‘no’ or simply negative in general, it can be a good thing.
Getting a “No” gives you the opportunity to ask them about projects they would fund, and at the very least might help you learn how you could change to improve your application.
Any advice that results in a better application takes you a step closer to successful funding, making it the best type of advice you could possibly receive.
5. Have a phone conversation
Once you have successfully emailed back and forth, it’s time to schedule a call with the funder.
Ideally, by this point you will have identified a number of key pieces of information:
The right person to speak to
If there is a solid preliminary fit between the funder and your organization
The exact needs of your funder, so you can adjust your pitch
A phone call should further build a personal relationship between you and the funder. It should shed light on the information you’ll need to move ahead, such as how much funding is available, the funder’s grant-making philosophy, their program interests, and any other special requirements or criteria.
Keep in mind that funders don’t usually like to talk about specific applications, but will discuss projects they fund in a general sense. Listen carefully to unearth the specific information you need that will be tucked amongst these general conversations.
At this stage, the funder might still give you a “No”. They might not be ready to talk about this information, and you may need to spend more time building the relationship. Remind yourself that most relationships with funders do start with a “No,” so it is still not time to give up.
6. Follow up
Once you have established a personal contact, you must maintain it. Relationship maintenance is an indispensable part of successful fundraising, as it demonstrates that you are a reliable, trustworthy, and personable organization within their network.
Even if there are no current funding opportunities, staying in touch can lead to notifications about proposals in the future.
By following these steps, you will be well placed to build more meaningful relationships, and therefore be able to achieve more funding in future.
Naturally, initial contact is just the beginning, and the next step will be to write a proposal, which is its own kettle of fish – and another blog post entirely!