by Robert Fedderson | Feb 3, 2018 | Guide, Prospect Research, Relationship Mapping
How does it work?
CharityCAN maps relationships between two people based on time spent together on charity and corporate boards. So, if two people were on the same charity or corporate board together at the same time, CharityCAN identifies and maps that relationship. If two people have been on multiple boards for multiple years, CharityCAN would identify that relationship as being stronger than if those same two people had only spent one year together on one board. Relationship Paths search takes that entire map and searches through all of those connections to find if and how people, charities, and companies are related and ranks them by connection strength.
Here is an example:
In the example shown below, a prospect researcher at the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ONSPCA) wants to determine if anyone on his board of directors has a connection to BlackBerry (formerly Research in Motion). He has identified BlackBerry as a potential corporate donor and is in the process of determining the best way to approach it for a gift.
Entering the name of the charity in the left field and the name of the company in the right field and pressing search will quickly return all connections identifiable by CharityCAN.
This Relationship Path search revealed 2 connections between the ONSPCA and BlackBerry. Clicking on the connection arrow reveals the nature of the connection. In the example above, we can see that Stewart Hill (ONSPCA) and Carl Wiese (BlackBerry) are connected through their time as board members of Humber Community Seniors’ Services.
Here’s another example.
Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation, want to determine if one of their donors, Marie Bountrogianni, has a connection to the Temerty Foundation, a foundation they would like to approach with a gift request. They are hoping Marie can make an introduction. By entering Marie’s name in the left field and Temerty Foundation in the right field, they can easily determine if Marie has a connection to the foundation,
In this case, the search revealed two connections between Marie Bountrogianni and the Temerty Foundation, including a direct connection between Marie Bountrogianni and James Temerty.
Relationship Paths builds on CharityCAN’s powerful Relationship Mapping functionality to provide users a quick and direct way to search for connections among people, charities and companies. For more information, please contact us or sign up for a free trial!
by Robert Fedderson | Oct 30, 2017 | Prospect Research
Prospecting for corporate donors is an area of uncertainty for many Canadian fundraisers. Who do corporate donors give to? How much do they give? How can I talk to them? A well researched, qualified, and considered approach is absolutely critical to effective corporate prospecting. Corporations have defined giving profiles much the same as individual or foundation donors. Knowing and understanding these profiles is of the utmost importance when approaching a business for a gift. Following these three steps will help you prospect corporate donors with confidence.
Know who they give to
As with any prospect, you need to know who a business gives to before you approach it for a gift. Look at the specific organizations that have received gifts in the past. Do they operate in areas similar to yours? Look at the specific causes the business has supported in the past. Are they causes your organization supports? Knowing the answers to these two questions will tell you if you should move this prospect along in your pipeline. Geographic location of gifts is also worth paying attention to at this stage.
Know how much they give
Asking a business for $10,000 when they typically give gifts of $20,000 is a great way to leave money on the table. Conversely, asking a business for $10,000 when they typically give gifts of $1,000 is a great way to end the conversation before it starts. Research past gift sizes. Go back as many years as possible and look for trends. Make sure you know the answers to the following questions: Are gift sizes consistent from year to year? What is the average gift size per year? What is the biggest gift ever? What is the smallest gift ever?
Use your connections
Cold approaches can be effective, but a warm approach always works better. When approaching a business for a corporate gift, utilize your network. Do any of your board members have connections to people who sit on the company’s board? Do any of your major gift donors have connections to senior employees at the company? Do your board members or major gift donors (or any other friends of your organization) know someone who knows someone who is connected to your prospect in any capacity? Anything you can do to warm your approach will only increase your chances of success.
Corporate donor prospecting does not have to be an area of uncertainty. Apply the same principles you apply to individual and foundation donors and use your organization’s connections to move your corporate gift portfolio from an area of unease to an area of strength.
