I love ForImpact.org‘s W.O.W. emails. I read this just after writing yesterday’s post Fundraising Secret #1. It definitely fits!
Read it and prosper:
Last week Tom and I were with a Benedictine prep school in New
Jersey. We were discussing the importance of focusing on top
prospects in the development plan when one of the board members asked
this question:“What type of results should we expect if we visit with each of our
top 100 prospects?”Being the ‘helpful outsider’, I gave that wonderfully ambiguous
answer: “It depends.”After thinking for a moment I was able to offer an epiphany that was
a bit more insightful…I’ve never been with an organization which made a commitment to
focus on its top 10 prospects that wasn’t completely and totally
transformed (in ways beyond funding results).That’s a long-winded epiphany — I will restate: If you
focus on your top 10 prospects it will transform your organization
(period).
This is a simple (not easy) idea that changes everything.The secondary epiphany is that most organizations gloss over their
top 10 prospects to make selective visits with prospects 11-100 (if
and when they’re making visits).Why aren’t more organizations transformed by their top 10?
- They don’t stop to ask the question, "Who are our top 10
prospects?"- It’s easier to focus on prospects 11-100.
- They give up on the top 10 at the first sign of uncertainty. (eg.
“The prospect did not return our phone call. she must not be
interested.”)- They have not yet committed to ‘sales’ and are therefore not out
making asks.- They have ‘top of the pyramid’ call reluctance because:
- They can’t communicate the vision/mission/message.
- They haven’t been trained to sell and therefore fear
messing it up.Action:
- Make a commitment today to focus your energy on your top 10
prospects.- Make a commitment to visit with them, share the story, and present
the opportunity within the next year.- Don’t back down from this commitment*.
- E-mail me (nick@forimpact.org) on August 13, 2008 with your
transformational success story. I would be equally interested (and
very surprised) to hear from you if you truly made this commitment and
weren’t wildly successful in your funding efforts.*If you have encounter any of the challenges above join us at a training
camp to remove the challenges [more powerful than a plug; it’s a
statement of action].For more W.O.W. emails and funding ideas check outwww.forimpact.org.
