In my first prospect research job I was asked to identify new prospects for a satellite office. I found people who had recently made a pledge of $1,000 or more at a fundraising event as first-time donors. I did a little research and discovered they all lived in the same Florida neighborhood on a golf course. Bingo!
And yet, not a single one of those donors was called or visited.
Researchers complain all the time about these kinds of scenarios. But could we be contributing to the problem? What could we do to help make our development officers more effective?
A lot!
To begin, let’s recognize that few development officers ever get any meaningful training on making discovery calls. There is a lot written about overcoming call reluctance in the sales industry, but very few articles are found specific to fundraising.
Have you ever tried calling people you don’t know? People who have no expectation that you are going to call them? I have and it causes a lot of anxiety!
Prepare to be Amazed
And yet there are those exceptional individuals who are energized by calling people they do not know.
The founder of a school reached out to me who was just this kind of person. For years he had been successfully contacting philanthropists by searching for family foundations that gave to causes like his and who were located in his city.
He found phone numbers online and just called. In fact, he was not at all interested in writing a grant or any other distance between him and the person who could make the gift. He wanted to be able to get to know the person and ask for five and six figure gifts quickly. And he did!
Your development officers might not have the charisma and irrepressible determination of an organization founder, but they do have passion and want to be successful.
Help Your Development Team
So, what can prospect research professionals do to better prepare development officers for discovery calls?
- In whatever way is possible and meaningful, get an “upfront contract” with your development team about what they are supposed to accomplish at their first meeting.
Hopefully that discussion will result in the development officer keen to learn things that you could not tell them, such as “What motivated you to give to our organization?” or “Where are you in your life?” or “What’s important to you?” or “Tell me about your philanthropy?” - Ensure that your version of qualifying a prospect for outreach is the same as your development team.
We researchers tend to get lost in our own language about qualification and this does not provide comfort and assurance to the development team. If the donor has lapsed for three years, why would they be likely to answer a phone call or email?
When asked, the development team will usually share their personal checklist for determining if someone is qualified for discovery outreach. How can you highlight their priorities with your research? - If it is within your ability to influence, provide your development officers with at least ten names, and preferably twenty or thirty.
Consistently calling prospects builds the development officer’s skills, giving them a lot of practice. It also positively reinforces that you must call a few people who will not engage to reach the one who will engage.
If you assign only two or three names at a time, it can feel like you are not providing qualified prospects because “no-one will respond.” This can demoralize the whole process!
Keep Learning
Especially if you have never experienced direct outreach to donors, continuously learning about that experience from your development team and other continuing education opportunities is the best way to significantly improve your research services.
Through Aspire’s Prospect Research Institute, you can participate in educational opportunities such as this Master Class: Top Qualifier: What Is A Good Discovery Call?
Additional Resources
Fundraising Solicitation: Dealing with Call Reluctance | Custom Development Solutions, Inc. | Undated
Understanding Sales Call Reluctance and How to Overcome It | Sales Ethics Inc. | Undated
How To Overcome Call Reluctance | Forbes | 2018