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HOWTOBUILDRELATIONSHIPWITHDONORSNonprofitSurvivalGuide

info@asiacatalyst.org FundraisingChallengesAlmost every organization faces challenges in fundraising. You have tofigureoutwhomightbeinterestedinyourorganization’sworkandhowtoreach them.Youhave topresentyourprograms inaway thatappeals tothe donor you are targeting. And you have to build trust and maintainrelationships with your donors. This work can be more difficult if yourorganization lacksaclear strategicplanor staffwhocandedicate time tofundraising.

ThemajorityofsmallNGOsfaceonecommonissue:theyrelyonjustonedonor.Thiscreatesinstabilityinorganizationsbecause:

BrainstormingExerciseBefore introducing fundraising skills, conduct a brainstorming exercisewithstaffandvolunteerswhohaveparticipatedinfundraisingactivities.

1. Handoutindexcardstoeverybodyandaskthemtowritedownoneortwochallengestheyhaveexperiencedinfundraising.

2. Gatherthecardsandtapethemtothewall,puttingsimilarcardsinthesamecategory.

3. Guidetheparticipants to read the cardsout loud.When someonereadacardthatisinteresting,askthepersonwhowrotethecardtoshareastorythatrelatestothatchallenge.

4. Afterreadingallofthecards,summarizethechallengespeoplehaveencounteredinfundraising.

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• Donorprioritiesshiftconstantly.Healthrightscouldbeapriorityoneyear,butthenextyearitcouldbesomethingelse;

• Thestaffatdonororganizationsmaymoveontoother jobs,sotheprogramofficerwholovesyourworkcouldbereplacedbyaprogramofficerwithentirelydifferentinterestsandpriorities;

• Some organizations have limits on the number of years they cansupportoneNGO;

• Foundations face their own financial challenges that impact theirabilitytoprovidefundsorsupportcertainkindsofprograms.

It is important todevelopa fundraisingplan thatenablesyou todiversifyyour organization’s funding sources. The plan should be based on yourannual budget (see How to Create A Budget) and it should includesystematicandregularcultivationofmultipledonors.Thisway,ifyouloseonedonor,youcanstillcountonthesupportofothers.Asaresult,youwillbemorecapableofsurvivingchangesinthefundingenvironment.Howmanydonors shouldyouhave?Thatdependsonyourorganization’sbudgetsize,yourabilitytoconductvariousfundraisingactivities,andyourcapacity to manage grants (i.e. proposal writing and reporting). When itcomestodiversifyingyourorganization’ssourcesoffunding,youcanthinkintermsofapyramid：

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HowtoBuildRelationshipswithDonorsInorder todevelop relationshipswithdonors,youshouldhavea fewkeytools that you use regularly and systematically. Examples of such toolsinclude:anewsletterthatyousendoutbyemailormailregularly;aspecialevent or two each year atwhich you thank existing donors and cultivatenewpotentialdonors;adirectappealletteroremailthatyousendonceortwice a year to ask for contributions from individuals; and a group ofpeople(likeaboardofdirectorsoragroupofadvisors)whocanhelpyoumakeconnectionsandraisefunds.Rememberalsothatpeers give topeers.Atsomepoint,youwillneedtoraisefundsfrompeopleyoudonotknow;theymayworkatafoundationor a corporation or maybe they are an individual donor. Before youapproach them,youshould figureout ifyouorsomeone inyournetworkknowsomeonewhoisapeertothatperson.Thenyoucanaskthatpeertohelpyoubymakinganintroductionandbuildingtherelationship.Yourannualprogramtimelineshouldincludeyourfundraisingactivities,forexample:deadlinesforgrantproposalsandreports,deadlinestosendoutnewsletterswithupdatesaboutyourwork,thedatesofspecialeventsforcultivationandthankingdonors,andtimeswhenyoumeetupwithpeoplewhoareexistingsupporterstoreportbackaboutyourwork.Thetimelineshouldremindyoueveryfewmonthstocontactcurrentorpotentialfuturedonors(includingthosewhohavesaidno,butwhomightbeinterestedinthe future) and give them a call or meet to tell them your NGO’s latestnews. For instance, when you have amajor accomplishment or piece ofnews, it is a good idea to contact yourexistingdonors and supporters toupdatethemandsay,“Thisisanexampleofwhatwehavebeenabletodo,thankstoyoursupport.”

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You can think of the relationships you have with people outside yourorganization as belonging to three concentric circles: “People who don’tknowanddon’tcare,”“Friends,”and“Advocates.”

Thisisthe“circleofintimacy.”Theoutercircleispeoplewhodonotknowyourorganizationanddonotcareabouttheissues—yet.Themiddlecircleispeoplewhoknowabitaboutyourorganizationandhavesomeinterestinthe issues and may occasionally come to one of your events. The innercircle is the people who advocate for you with others: the passionatesupporters.Your systematic cultivation of prospective donors should aim to movepeoplefromtheoutercircleintothemiddlecircle,andfromthemiddletotheinnercircle.

Peoplewhodon’tknowanddon’tcare

Friends

Advocates

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DevelopIndividualDonorsCultivating individual donors can be done through one-on-one meetingswherethedirectororstaffupdatetheindividualontheworkandkeephimorherinterestedandengaged;aregularweeklyormonthlynewsletterwithupdatesonyourwork;andannualparties,thank-youevents,smallprivatedinners,orothereventswheredonorscanconnectwithbothprogramstaffand the people who benefit from your work. For many donors, thispersonal feelingof connectionwith thework theyare supporting iswhatinspires them not only to make donations, but also to encourage theirfriends to give as well. Again, “peers give to peers” is also important assometimesyoumightwant someoneelse toask fordonations from theirpeers,onyourbehalf.soyouwanttohelpthepeoplewhosupportyoutoturnintopeoplewhowillaskotherstosupportyou.

UseofSocialMedia:Withtheincreasingpopularityofsocialmedia, many organizations have begun to focus onfundraising fromthepublicand individualsviasmartphoneapps, social networks, etc.; organizations have alsodevelopedfundraisingactivitiesbygeneratingnewsstoriesinthemedia. Ifyouareconsideringsuchoptions,youneedtomake sure that you understand any legal consequences toyour fundraising strategies; for instance in China, the<Charity Law> prohibits individuals and organizationswithout public fundraising qualifications to fundraise fromthepublic.Asagroup,youalsoneedtodeterminewhatyouarebestabletodoorwhatispracticalforyourorganization,and then decide what makes sense for fundraising. In thischapter, we mostly concentrate on fundraising fromfoundations and not individuals, although much of thisinformation can be applied to strategies that targetindividualdonorsaswell.

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DevelopInstitutionalDonorsFoundationProgramOfficerPositionProfileWhenapplyingforfundingfromfoundations,organizationsusuallyneedtohavecontactwiththefoundations’programofficers.Programofficershavedetailed informationofgrantapplicationsandmake the firstdecisionsonapplications.However,yourcontactwiththemshouldnotonlybe limitedtosubmittingapplications.Normally,youcanbuildarelationshipandgainasignificantamountofusefulinformationsimplybyaskingquestions,whichalso shows program officers that you are determined and active.Considering situations from a potential donor’s perspective can help youcommunicatewithyourdonorsatvariouslevelsmoreeasily.Knowingbothyourself and your donor well are essential to success. Although everyindividual is unique, we can begin to understand foundation donors byconsideringthecommonresponsibilitiesandprioritiesofaprogramofficer.Atypicalfoundationprogramofficerhas:

• Alargeareaofresponsibility,e.g.,allofChina,theAsia-Pacificregion,or a long list of countries in different parts of the world that aredifficulttoreach;

• A sumofmoney thatmustbe spenteachyear tomeet foundationrequirements

• Restrictions on areas that he or she can fund, e.g., HIV/AIDS andpolicyadvocacy,orservicestomigrantchildren;

• Tomakerecommendationsonwhichgrantapplicationstofundtohisorherbossorboardofdirectors;

• Adutytothefoundation’scoreprinciplesandimage.Moneymustbespent in away that is responsible and alignswith the foundation’smission;

• To ensure that grantee organizations are reliable and accountable.This is whymany NGOswho havemultiple donors are able to get

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morefundsthansmaller,lesserknownorganizations,because,fromadonor’sperspective,theyareasaferinvestment;

• Tohandlealargevolumeofpaperworkandattendmanymeetings–sometimes they do not have many opportunities to personallyinspectgranteeorganizations;

• Relationships with other program officers and other institutions.Philanthropyisstrategic,muchlikeNGOwork,socoordinationiskey.Program officers often ask each other for formal and informalreferencesongrantees,andmaybeabletohelpyouinreachingouttonewfundersinthefield.

ThingsthatareImportanttoaFoundationProgramOfficerWeallwishthattheimportantworkconductedbyorganizationswouldnothave to be suspended as a result of insufficient funding, and thatfoundations could fund all organizations based on their needs; however,now that you know the typical responsibilities of a program officer, youmust understand that they are subjected to many restrictions whendecidingwhotofund.So,toseewhichorganizationsthatprogramofficerschoosetofund,weshouldalsotakealookattheirpriorities,basedontherequirementsoftheirduties.Theyarelookingfor:

• NGOs that are doing meaningful work and that are capable ofcompletingtheirprojects;

• NGOsthathandlemoneyresponsiblyandsubmitreportsinatimelymanner;

• NGOsthathaveagoodreputation;• NGOsthatdonotfightwithotherNGOsthatthedonorsupportsor

fightwithotherdonors;• NGOs that do effective work and demonstrate concrete benefits

fromtheirprograms;

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• NGOsthatworksafelyandinawaythatissustainable;• NGOs that have the support of other foundations. As mentioned

above,thissuggeststhatitisasafeinvestmentandlikelytosucceedbecause the NGO does not just rely on one donor for all of itsincome.

TrainingGameRelayRace:Whatisimportanttoafoundation’sprogramofficer?Instructions:

1. Divideparticipantsintotwogroups.2. Puttwodesksintheroom,withpaperandmarkersoneach

desk.3. Askparticipantsofeachgrouptostandontheoppositesidesof

theroom.4. Askparticipants“Whatthingsareimportanttoafoundation

programofficer?”5. Eachpersoninthetwogroupshasaturntowritehisanswer

onthepaperwhenthemusicstarts.6. Eachpersoncanonlywriteoneanswerforeachcycle.One

answerequalsonepoint.7. Whenthegameisover,calculatethetotalscoresofboth

teams.Thegroupthatreceivesthehigherscorewins.Note：Incompleteandduplicativeinformationshouldnotcounttowardsthegroup’stotalscore.

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Once you understand a foundation program officer’s responsibilities andperspective, you will need to improve your own strategies and think ofinstitutionaldonorsaslong-terminvestors(whichisoftenthecase).Hereareafewmorethingstokeepinmindfordevelopingandsustainingrelationshipswithinstitutionaldonors:

ü Organization’sSuccess:Youneedtounderstandthedonorsandtheyneedtocareaboutyourorganization’ssuccess.

ü Future References: If you build a good relationship, they aremorelikely to be long-term supporters, recommend you to others, andhelpyouobtainmanymoreopportunities.

ü Keep Them Interested: If you do not keep them interested andengagedinyourwork,theymaynotfundyounexttime.

ü Keep Being Competitive: They are alwaysmeeting newNGOs. Youcanonlykeepcompetitivebyconstantlyimprovingyourself.

ü MoreDonors:Theywanttoseeyoubesuccessfulandtheywantyouto have many donors, which also causes their investment to besecureandeffective.

ü Collaboration:Theywanttoseeyoucooperatewithothers.Donorsareoftenmorelikelytofundtwogroupsworkingtogetherthanonegroupalone.

Thekeytobuildingrelationshipswithinstitutionaldonorsistounderstandand appreciate their perspectives. Formore information, please read thearticleonthenextpage,HowDonorsThink,writtenbyDanielWolfe,theDirectoroftheInternationalHarmReductionDevelopmentProgramattheOpenSocietyFoundation.

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HowDonorsThink1DanielWolfeIworkedforanAIDSNGObeforeI became a donor, and there aremanythingsaboutdonorsIwishIhadknownwhenIworkedforanNGO. Perhaps the mostimportant thing is understandinghow donors think about whattheydo.Donors have an ambivalentrelationtootherdonors,buttheyusuallylikethe“Iwillifyouwill”dynamic— where one donor will put in funds because they are reassured thatanotherdonorhasalsoregardedtheprogrampositively.Atthesametime,donors also like taking sole credit for things and talking about theirparticular impact,soinmanycasesthebestsituationisoneinwhichyou,the NGO, are getting co-funding, but can also identify the “special”contributionaparticulardonorismaking.1. Understandingdonorpriorities:

Donorsalsoliketoseeyougetsupportfromotherdonorsbecauseitmakesusfeellikeaprojectislessvulnerableifwechangeourminds,whichwedomoreoften thanwe like to admit.Doctors in theWestdiagnose childrenwith attention deficit disorder, ADD, and prescribe themmedications.Sometimes I think someone should diagnose donors withDDD — donor deficit disorder — because donor priorities frequentlychange. Sometimes this is because of a change in government in thedonor’s home capital, or because a new boss came to the donor

1Availableathttp://asiacatalyst.org/blog/2009/12/07/how_donors_think/

• Donorshopetohave“insurance”fortheprogramstheyfund;

• Understanddonors’prioritizedkeywords;

• Itisahappycombinationifyourgoalsandexpectationsareconsistentwiththoseofyourdonors.

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organization, or because one division ended, or because a donor decidesthataparticularcountryhas“graduated”(whichisusuallycodeforthefactthat theydon’t see itasuseful towork thereanymore).Becauseofallofthis,it’ssaferforyoutohaveanotherdonorinyourbackpocket.Donors always have priorities— and you should feel free to ask them ifthere is, in writing, a document that spells these out. Then try to see ifthere isaway inwhichyourproposal toadonorcanseemresponsive towhattheysayismostimportanttothem.Donorprioritiescomewithwordsthey like. Thesemoveandchange, and like fashion trends,oftenbecomepopularamongmultipledonorsatthesametime.Oneyearallthedonorsmaybetalkingabout“sustainability,”or“advocacy”or“monitoring.”Knowingwhat a particular donor is interested in supporting, and figuringout whether the project you have meets their priorities, is one-half anobjective assessment of your work, and one-half a storytelling exercise.What do your staff and supporters understand to be the story of yourorganization? Where do you start? Where are you going?Who are theheroes of your story?What challenges do they find on their way?Whenyourstorymatchesthestorythedonorsaretellingabouttheirownwork,thisisahappycombination.2. Findingfundingforadvocacy:

Atmyorganization(theOpenSocietyFoundation(OSF),formerlyknownasInstitute (OSI)) Public Health Program, one word we like right now is“advocacy.” This doesn’t always translate verywell into the languages ofcountrieswheremyprogramworks,butifIhadtodefineit,Iwouldsayitmeans action to change the laws, policies, and practices of those whoholdpoweroverotherpeople.(Iknowonetrainerwhoshowsapictureofa hand on a light switch, and tells people that advocacymeans thinkingaboutwhosehandisontheswitchandhowtomoveittothe“on”or“off”position.Whocanmakeithappen?What informationdotheyneedtobe

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convinced?Whoneedstocarrythatinformationtothem?Whatitwilltakefortheretobechangeandlight?)

OSFislessconcernedthanalotof donors with evaluation, inpart because we are a privatefoundation (meaning that weget our money mostly fromprivate donors, not from agovernment).Ingeneral,grantsfrom governmentsmeanmoreevaluation, more paperwork,and less possibility of small

grants. But evenwe atOSI,who like to be flexible, have to evaluate theimpact of advocacy efforts.When you are funding service programs, it’seasy todefineoutcomes—soand somanypeople reachedwith a cleanneedle,soandsomanyclientsseenbylawyers,andsoon.With advocacy, especially since policy change can take a long time, it’shardertoknowattheendofayearwhetherthemoneywegavemadeanydifference.ForyouasNGOs,thismeansalsothinkingabouthowyouwouldshow, at the end of a year, whether themoney you receivedmade anydifference.Of course, funding always makes some difference.If you hadtwelvemeetingsyoudidn’thavebefore,thatissomething,butit’sbettertobeabletotellthedonoraboutaconcretechange,orasteptowardchange,thatcameoutofthosemeetings.3. Focusingon“small”changes

As a donor working with groupsthatoftenget grantsof $20,000orless,onebigpieceofadviceIwould

• Thinkabouthowyouwouldshow,attheendofayear,whetherthemoneyyoureceivedmadeanydifference;

• It’sbettertobeabletotellthedonoraboutaconcretechange,orasteptowardchange,thatcameoutofthosemeetings.

•Donorswouldliketoseesmallbutconcretechanges

•Don’tsqueezeyourorganizationintoashapethatwillgetyouthefunds

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giveistokeepitsmall.Sometimes,readingproposals,IfeellikeNGOsaregood at capturing their ideal aspirations, like “changing the punitiveparadigmthatkeepsdruguserstreatedascriminalsratherthanpatients”.ButwhatIwouldreallyratherreadasadonoriswhatsmallandconcretechangewillhappen.It’sunlikelythatmygrantfor$10,000dollarscanundothediscriminatorysocial paradigm into which governments have poured millions of dollarsand thousands of hours of propaganda. It’s more realistic that an NGOworking locally can get the local social benefits office or provider of HIVtreatment to stopwriting thenamesofdrugusersorpeoplewithHIVontheboardwhereanyonecanreadthem,orthatanNGOcanhelpconvincethelocalhealthdepartmenttoissuearegulationallowingmethadonetobeprovided in maternity hospitals. Those are small but concrete advocacysuccessesthatwillmakeadonorproudofthegrantwegaveyou.Anevengreaterchallengeistowritehowyouwereabletomakepositivechangeforothers beyond the members of your group — change that can bereproducedattheleveloftheprovince,orthenationalgovernment.Finally, it’s a good idea to decide what you want to do and try to raisemoney for that, rather than trying to squeeze your organization into ashapethatwillgetyouthe funds.Somepragmatismmaybenecessary—it’strue,forexample,thatthere isa lotmoremoneyintheworldforHIVprogramming than for human rights or drug policy. But if you go for aproject that yourorganizationdoesn’t really careabout, youmayget thegrantbutloseyoursoul.DanielWolfe isdirectorof the InternationalHarmReductionDevelopmentProgramattheOpenSocietyInstitute.IHRDworksin23countriestoprotectthehealthandhumanrightsofpeoplewhousedrugs.

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Howdoyoufinddonors?

Now that we have discussed how to build relationships with donors byappreciating their perspectives, youmight ask:where should I find thesedonors?What should I do after identifying them?Next,wewill focus onhow to find donors and on practical communication skills with donors.Remember, this chapter mainly focuses on institutional donors;nevertheless,forindividualdonorsandfundraisingfromthepublic,youcanusetheseskillsandmethodsasreference.Keep in mind: an executive director should be constantly searching fordonors; 50% of his or her time should be on fundraising. Your board ofdirectorsshouldalwaysbelookingoutforyou.Thekeyresponsibilityofaboardof directors is tohelpanorganization tooperateeffectively. Someorganizations have a board of directors but it exists in name only. Werecommendthatanorganizationfullyutilizetheresourcesthatitsboardofdirectorscanbring.

Wherecandonorsbefound?• Nonprofit annual reports of other organizations or networks –

usuallytheywillmentiondonors,grantamountsandprogramstheysupport;

• Foundations’ officialwebsites –youmightneed to readEnglish tocomprehend the information as many international foundations’websitesareinEnglish;

• Email groups–manypeopleworkingatNGOsare inemail groups;donorswillpublishcallsforapplicationsthroughtheseemailgroups,sobeawareoftheseopportunities;

• Askyourfriends–itisgoodpracticetosharedonorinformationwithcolleaguesandintroduceyourpeerstoyourdonors.Thisisnotonlyakindthingtodoforyourpeers,butalsoitimpressesdonors;donorslike to see organizations working together and cooperating well.Hostilityandcompetingforresourcesmakesabadimpression;

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• Ask existing donors for ideas – as mentioned before, foundationprogramofficersoftencommunicatewitheachother,thustheyhavebroadconnectionsandresourcesforyoutodiscover;

• Embassies–theyusuallyhavegrantstosupportNGOwork;theywillalsohold social events regularlywhere you canbuild yournetworkforfundraising;

• FoundationCenter(www.foundationcenter.org)–collectsthelatestnewsandinformationfrommanyfoundationsglobally(butthereisamembership fee); alternatively, there are many similar onlineplatformsservingthesamepurpose,someofwhichmaybemoreorlesspopularindifferentregions;

• Peergive topeers– ifyouseeagood leadforoneofyourfriends,passitalong.Askyourfriendstodothesame.

In addition to themethods listed above, youmayneed todiscover someother methods according to your organization’s particular situation. Forexample, you can search key words via search engines like Google andBaiduorsendenquiriesandemailstofoundationprogramofficers.Keepapositive and proactive attitude when seeking funding, so that you mayconsider and take advantage of new opportunities as you conduct yoursearch.

Researchthedonor

Wehaveintroducedthekeytobuildingrelationshipswithdonors–thinkingfrom their perspectives – and how to look for donors. However, in theprocessofsearching forand interactingwithdonors,youneedtokeep inmind that your ultimate goal should always be to receive funding.Therefore,avoidtakingrandomsteps,likesailingwithoutacompass.Everydonor has its own position and focus. If you are a children’s rightsorganization, then spending a large sumof timepursuing funding fromafoundation that focuses on environmental protection is not veryappropriate. We suggest you conduct thorough background research on

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thedonorandevaluateifyourprogramiswithintheirfocusareas,beforereachingouttoafoundationorapplyingforagrant.Youcanresearchpotentialdonorsby:

• Asking peer organizations, friends and colleagues about theirexperienceswiththedonor;

• Visitingthepotentialdonor’swebsiteandpayingattentionto:• The organization’s mission statement and the language they

use. Thiswill help you to analyze adonor’s preferences andscope; forexample, ifadonoruses“health,”“advocacy,”and“rights” repeatedly, then you can pretty much draw theconclusion that they like programs aimed to ensure people’srighttohealththroughadvocacywork;

• What grant amounts they give. Consider the question of thegrantamountforwhichyouappliedinHowDonorsThink–ifyourbudgetis$10,000,thenitisnotpracticalforyoutoapplyfor a foundation which normally gives grants that exceed$100,000;

• Whatotherprojectstheyhavefunded.Donorsaremore likely to fundsimilarprojectsagain;

• Do they say “invitationonly” or can you applydirectly? Somefoundations do not callfor applications directlybut sendout applicationinvitations todesignatedorganizations.

ChecklistforDonorMeeting5-minutepitchDressneatlyPenandnotebookAnnual report of yourorganizationFlyersPublicationsStrategicPlanNewsreportsBusinesscards

Very important: all materialsmustbeinalanguagethatyourdonorunderstands.

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Reachouttothedonor

It is worth reaching out to donors even if they have not yet published aRequestforProposaljusttoestablisharelationship.Thestepsare:

Preparation

Whenmeetingapotentialdonor,youneedto:

• Email torequestameetingto introduceyourworkand learnaboutwhat they do; better still if you can be introduced by a peer ormutualfriend;

• Prepareafive-minutepitchtodescribe:whyyourgroupisimportant,yoursuccesses,yourplans,andalistofprojects(inthenextsection,youcanpracticetheskillsbehindasuccessfulfive-minutepitch);

• Prepare a donor kit: your organization’s annual report, flyers,publishedmaterials,strategicplan,newsarticlesandbusinesscards;

• The materials you bring should be in their language. Do not givethem a stack of Chinese materials if they do not read Chinese;include,atmost,onlyoneitemthatisinaforeignlanguage.

MeetingtheDonor

Whenyouhaveameetingsetup,youwanttomakesurethatyouarewell-prepared and leave a positive impression. But you also want to use thismeetingtobetterunderstandthedonor’spointofviewandtheir fundingpriorities.Inthemeeting,youmustbeprofessional:1. Beontimeandbeneatlydressed;donotweart-shirtsorjeans;2. Bringpaperandpencilandtakenotes;makesuretokeepnoteson

eachmeetingyouhavewithadonor,includingtheactionsyouneedtodotofollowup;

3. Turnoffyourcellphone;4. Listenmorethanyoutalk.Remember,youaregatheringintelligence

aboutaprospectivedonor.

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This isyourgoldenopportunitytolearnaboutadonor’s interest,somakesure you listen carefully when they talk. In the meeting, you can payattentionto:

1. Whattermsdotheyuse?Trytousesimilarlanguage,ifappropriate;2. Ask questions: What are projects that they feel have been

successful?Whatarechallengestheyseeinthisarea?Whatarethetrends?

3. Whataretheypassionateabout?Ifitseemslikethereisanoverlapbetweenwhatyoudoandwhattheydo,pitchaproject.Wewillintroduceyouhowtoprepareforaprogrampitch.

MeetingFollow-up

Whateverhappensinthemeeting,youmustfollowupthenextday:

1. Sendanemailthankingthemforthemeeting;2. If you mentioned any materials or resources in the meeting, send

themimmediately;3. Iftheyencouragedyoutomakeanapplication,thenapply.Iftheydid

not,thendonot;4. Invitethemtojoinyourmailinglistand/ortoattendfutureevents;5. Ifthisisapotentialmajordonor,givethemacalleverythreetofour

monthstoupdatethempersonally.

If they do support you with a grant, does this mean your work is over?Absolutely not! Your work has just started. You need tomake efforts tokeep them interested and engaged in your work. If they fund you once,theymaydosoagain.Thus,makesure：

1. Regularupdates!Notjustgrantreports,butphonecalls,visitseveryfewmonthstotellyourdonor“Hereiswhatwehavebeenabletodowithyoursupport”;

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2. Acknowledge them publicly. For example,when launching a reportsupportedbyyourdonor,youcanwrite:“ThisreportwaspublishedwiththesupportoftheFrickFoundation.”;

3. Always submit grant reports on time. Honesty and trustworthinessare thebasis of collaboration, so try todo things as youpromised;moreover,acontractisneededwhenadonordecidestosupportyou,so whatever is contained in that agreement will be legallyenforceable;

4. Ifyourbudget isgoingtochangesignificantly, i.e.,by10%ormore,callthemfirsttoaskifitisokayandexplainwhy.Youneverwanttohaveanysurprisesinthegrantreport;

5. Askthemforadvice–“WearethinkingaboutdoingX,isthatagoodidea?”

6. Alwaysgivethemgoodnews;7. If there is bad news, make sure they hear it from you first.

Remember,foundationsoftentalktoeachother;soifyoudonottellthem,theywillhearaboutitveryquicklyfromsomeoneelse.Presentbadnews in suchaway thatyoualsoemphasize theparts thataregoodnews;

8. Holdonedonorcultivationeventeachyearwherepotentialdonorscanmeet people who benefit from your work and hear about thegreatworkyouaredoing;

9. Createamonthlynewsletter ifyoudonothaveoneyet tosendanemailwithyourNGO’snewstopeoplewhoarecurrentorpotentialfuturesupporters;

10. Hold an annual event to thank everyone who has supported yourNGOinthepastyear–nottoaskformoney,justtosaythankyou.

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KeyPointsofBuildingRelationshipswithDonors

Doyourresearchbeforeyoumeet;Maintainprofessionalismwhenmeetingwithadonor,listenandaskquestions;Prepareafive-minutepitchforafewback-upprojectsjustincase;Sendathankyounoteandkeepfollowingup,systematically–withbothgoodnewsandbad;Donorshavetospendthemoney–yourjobistomakeiteasyforthem;GoodNGOssharedonorinformationandmakeintroductionsamongtheirpeersanddonors;Buildrelationshipsthroughsystematiccultivationoveraperiodoftime,whetherornottheysupportyou;