Frontline Fundraising Essentials: Outreach, Qualification, Visits, and the Ask

Last updated July 31, 2019

Course Length

3h 56m

Last Updated

July 31, 2019

Frontline Fundraising Essentials: Outreach, Qualification, Visits, and the Ask

Last updated July 31, 2019

Build confidence throughout the donor cultivation cycle and yield stronger results from your portfolio.

Overview

As a fundraising professional, you may feel unsure of how to move a prospect forward. In the early stages, how can you get the prospect’s attention and ask questions that fuel your next moves? Later in the cycle, how can you assess motivations and strategize visits that will support your asks?

Join us online for a 4-part online training series that will help you create rigor in each phase of your process and offer new approaches to raise more dollars.

If the following statements from each phase of the donor cultivation cycle resonate, then this series is for you:

Outreach – “Getting in touch with prospects and donors is so much harder than I thought it would be, especially without a mature portfolio. I need to increase my successful contact rates and secure more visits.”

Prospect Qualification – “Qualification is tough. I don’t know how to do the right research or ask the best questions in order to get the best yield from a prospect. I want to know as quickly as possible if I should include this person in my portfolio or move on.”

Visits – “I have plenty of wonderful meetings with donors and prospects, but they don’t always yield clear next steps towards moving towards an ask. I want these visits to feel as productive as possible so that we’re not wasting either of our time.”

Understanding Donor Motivations and the Ask – “It’s easy for me to articulate the needs of the institution, but I’m not sure if I always understand what motivates my prospect or donor. So, I don’t always know what I should ask for or when to make it.”

Outreach“Getting in touch with prospects and donors is so much harder than I thought it would be, especially without a mature portfolio. I need to increase my successful contact rates and secure more visits.”

Prospect Qualification“Qualification is tough. I don’t know how to do the right research or ask the best questions in order to get the best yield from a prospect. I want to know as quickly as possible if I should include this person in my portfolio or move on.”

Visits“I have plenty of wonderful meetings with donors and prospects, but they don’t always yield clear next steps towards moving towards an ask. I want these visits to feel as productive as possible so that we’re not wasting either of our time.”

Understanding Donor Motivations and the Ask“It’s easy for me to articulate the needs of the institution, but I’m not sure if I always understand what motivates my prospect or donor. So, I don’t always know what I should ask for or when to make it.”

Who should attend?

All frontline fundraisers – especially those new to the field – will learn effective techniques in donor outreach, information gathering, and solicitation. Advancement leaders and more experienced fundraisers can use this series to train others, get fresh perspectives, or validate their own approaches.

Agenda

Webcast 1: Outreach
October 8, 2019 | 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Eastern

Reaching out to a prospect and securing an initial appointment can be one of the most stressful moments for fundraisers. And yet, it’s critical for building a portfolio and establishing a tone for future interactions with the prospect. This session will help you build confidence in the following essential outreach duties:

  • Planning calls based on prospect data and anchor appointments
  • Gathering vital information for calls
  • Securing initial appointments (including moving through assistants)
  • Overcoming objections

Webcast #2: Prospect Qualification
October 22, 2019 | 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Eastern

The rules of engagement and qualification continue to evolve. Being able to qualify a prospect in a first meeting is critical. To help you get more from your conversations, this session will offer:

  • Discussion around what it means to truly qualify a prospect
  • Questions that will motivate your prospect
  • Ways to be more rigorous in prospect disqualification
  • Ways to use the qualification meeting to build your overall ask strategy

Webcast #3: Visits
November 5, 2019 | 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Eastern

The middle part of the donor cycle is pivotal, but many gift officers aren’t as disciplined as they could be in this stage to keep donors moving. This session will help you plan your next visit as part of a larger strategy and will specifically cover:

  • The importance of engagement and relationship-building
  • How to set a desired outcome and ensure your first visit supports it
  • Ways to be nimble and pivot during meetings
  • How to plan your next steps after the visit

Webcast #4: Understanding Donor Motivation and the Ask
November 19, 2019 | 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Eastern

We’ll discuss how the groundwork you’ve laid in earlier stages of the cycle will help you understand your donor and solicit them more effectively. This session will specifically cover:

  • How to better understand donor motivations
  • How to identify the best projects, dollar amounts, and timing
  • How to apply discipline and rigor to the ask