An outreach tactic with a 100% response rate

Have you ever heard the saying, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today,”?

That saying is relationship building in a nutshell.

A hard truth in fundraising is that very rarely does it go fast. In fact, I can count on one hand the amount of times a donation fell from the sky. The other 99.9%? They came out of meaningful relationships.

But how do you start those relationships? Especially when you don’t have an introduction…

What would you do if I told you I had an outreach tactic that in my experience has a 100% response rate?

I hope you’d give it a try and let me know if it works just as well for you.

Today, I’m spilling the tea on something I do at every chance I get - step-by-step style.

Step 1: Consume a piece of content from someone you are trying to build a relationship with

This can be a podcast, a blog post, an article, or a news segment (anything!). It can be from someone very famous or someone that is super under the radar. It can be a piece a content from the other day or from many years back - it doesn’t matter. Just consume the piece of content in its entirety. That means the whole thing, start to finish.

Step 2: Find and message that person

For this part, I recommend using Instagram DMs or LinkedIn messenger over using email or a phone call, but that might be the millennial in me. It feels a little more casual and less in your face.

Step 3: You are going to send this person a message (with specifics)

Once you find this person - you are going to send them a message. Keep it short, sweet, friendly and generous. Remember, flattery will always go a long way. The most important part of this message is to refer back to the piece of content you consumed and tell them what you specifically got out of their article/podcast, etc. See example below 👇.

In my experience, this outreach tactic has a 100% response rate within anywhere from minutes to 2-3 days. If you still haven’t received a response - you can go to step 4.

Step 4: Follow up

If in the rare chance you haven’t heard back from your person - remember: the fortune is in the follow up! Feel free to send a “circling back” message.

…and that’s it!

While this may not get you a new donor fast, this is the foundation for a new relationship which is what every transformational gift is based off of.

Have questions? Don’t be shy in the comments and if you are brave enough to give this a go - good luck!