How to approach organizations for non-profit donations
Question: Who are those lucky nonprofits that get donations from corporations?
Answer: The ones that ask!
The truth is, the groups that end up with funding from larger corporations know that the corporation is made up of people. They understand that finding money is all about developing or growing relationships with people, whether they are individual donors or they represent an organization. The steps are similar.
Are you ready to add (more) corporations to your donor list? Here is what we have seen work well:
FIRST - Check your board
Your board is typically made up of people with a built-in network who you trust to make good decisions. That makes it the very best place to start looking.
When was the last time you listed out the corporations where your board members work? The companies they regularly interact with? The ones they used to be a part of?
Those places are rich with opportunity and they already love what you do. Don’t sleep on your board’s immediate network.
NEXT - Check your large individual donor list
People who give large amounts of money to charity are almost always successful in business or well connected. It’s not because they are titans of entrepreneurship - they’re just connected to people who have figured certain things out.
Make a list of your top 10, 50, and 100 donors. Then find out where they work. Find out where they serve. Find out who else they give to. Social media is great for this! Then reach out for a conversation. They love to be thanked and will be open to your conversation. Then you can ask for advice on how to connect with someone they are connected to.
That’s it!
It’s not rocket science. When you take the time to cultivate relationships in your proximity, you open the door to ask for bigger gifts!
