It’s that time again - where I’m planning the next Raise More Together Summit and striving to make it the most epic fundraising education experience possible.

Not an easy task since the first two have been pretttyyyyy amazing - if I do say so myself 😉.

For this third iteration - I’m feeling more confident - and thus - more willing to go beyond my immediate network when it comes to speakers. Heck, this round, I’m even pitching sponsors.

Like you, especially when the outreach is freezing cold - I get nervous. I mean, what if they say, “No.”? #heartbreak.

Then I remember, a no is usually a “not right now,” or “the timing isn’t right,”. It’s for sure not, “No, because I hate you,” which is what we let our head think before pressing send.

...and guess what? Much to my surprise - people, specifically 4/4 of my fundraising heroes are saying, “Yes!”. 🤯🤯🤯

Here are my 5 steps to what I’m calling successful outreach. 🎉

#1: Gather some data:

Before you begin pitching - it could be speakers, sponsors, donors, etc - you need to uncover: what’s in it for them? For example, is your audience the one they are trying to get in front of? Are they the target demographic?

One of my clients Tender, hosted a very successful fundraising campaign last August. They partnered with the brand Coterie - a high performing, minimally designed, and easy to order diaper and wipe company. They have the same vibe as the nonprofit and clearly are supportive of helping moms. Since Tender is a nonprofit (a very cool nonprofit btw!) that is all about serving single Black mamas and doing everything from rental assistance to diaper deliveries to make things easier for moms - the partnership was a match!

Pro tip: make sure your offering is aligned with the person or organization you are getting in touch with.

#2: Share a story of how you know them

As you know, all of my speakers for my summits are highly curated - these are not random people I’m reaching out to. In fact, a lot of the people I know of...because I’ve been watching (lurking...watching...same thing 😉). But do they know me? Probably not.

Therefore, when I reach out - I tell them how I found them. Was it on a podcast? Did I find them on Instagram or LinkedIn? Did a friend tell me about them? I make sure to reference that so there is relevance to my outreach.

In doing so, it makes my freezing cold outreach a little more warm and familiar.

#3: Make the outreach about them

Yes, the summit is MY thing, but truly, I want every speaker, presenter and sponsor to get something out of it themselves.

Therefore, I work to make my outreach as much about them as possible. Will this help them get in front of their ideal customer? Will this give them credibility in the space? Will this give them a speaking opportunity they’ve been searching for? Whatever it is - I work to make my outreach all about them and not at all about me.

#4: Try to get to the right person

I used to say when I was an in-house fundraiser that my job was “professional stalking” - meaning - I’ve gotten very good at finding out info on people. One of my sleuthing skills has taught me how to get to, not just any person, but the right person (big difference) within an organization.

Pro tip: LinkedIn is an unbelievable tool. It truly doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Not only do people often FREELY share their email info on their profile - they also share their title within a company. For example, if you are doing sponsorship outreach - you want to get to the decision maker. That *might* be the CEO, but it could just as easily be the head of partnerships or marketing. LinkedIn will tell you all of that info. In a nutshell, what you want to avoid is sending your pitch email to random@xyzcompany.org. Try to get to a real person and if they aren’t the decision maker - ask if they could put you in touch!

#5: A little flattery goes a long way

As someone who gets very uncomfortable with having light shone onto me - I also recognize - it does feel nice. Therefore, especially if you are pitching a speaker or a brand that you really admire - don’t be afraid to say that.

For example, like I said, I’m 4/4 with “Yes!” from some of my fundraising heroes. You bet your bottom dollar I told each and every one of them how much they inspire me, what I’ve specifically enjoyed learning from them and how much I admire them. 🌟 I want them to know that I’m not just reaching out to just anyone, but specially making the ask to THEM.

Because it’s my life mission to give you real life examples, check out one of the real life pitches I sent to one of my heroes.

I hope this helps!

My 5 Steps to (Successful) Pitching