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Do you sit at your desk at work, in your car, on the sofa at home and think to yourself:
- Where will I find the next person to chair my auction committee, chair my fundraising committee, become my next corporate honoree for the gala, chair my next walk, bike, bowling event?
- How do I build my corporate partnerships? How do I connect to new companies in the community? How can I get the doors opened to companies where I don't know anyone?
- How do I develop a Sponsorship Opportunities Packet when I don't even know who I'm presenting it to?
- How do I fill some basic needs such as finding volunteers to:
- help with programs
- work on a special event committee
- work in the office on a specific project
- How can I offset some of my expenses by getting in-kind donations of:
- computer equipment
- printing of materials
- graphic designing of materials
- other office equipment
- computer tech support
- legal counsel
First and foremost - STOP TALKING TO YOURSELF!
You don't have all the answers. You are not supposed to. None of us work in a vacuum. Although small in some cases, we all have a Board of Directors, a core volunteer group, corporate contacts, friends in the community and a database of present and past supporters who know about your organization and are willing to help.
Have you given all of these people the opportunity to answer any of your questions? Have you sat down with any of these groups or individuals and specifically outlined your needs? Have you developed a plan by listing everyone in the above groups and determining the best way to communicate with them? Let's take each group separately and each area of need and figure out how to communicate with them.
- Board of Directors
This is clearly the strongest group of people to start with. Why? Because they have agreed to sit on your board which means they have an allegiance to the organization's cause and a commitment to meet its goals and objectives. What can they do for you?
They can:
- Network in the community to develop new corporate partnerships
- Identify potential corporate honorees, chairs, committee and board members
- Identify individuals or corporations that can donate in-kind services and items
- Provide services or items from their own company
Now, every board has a mixture of members - some that can help with the above, some that are strictly work-a-bees. You might think you know what each board member has to offer, but in some cases, I'll bet you don't.
Divide your list of needs as listed in #5 - 1 thru 5. Prepare a separate list for each number. Meet with each board member separately - THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. If you meet in a group, it becomes impersonal and you won't get the same involvement in conversation as you will one-on-one. This does take more time, but it will yield greater results. Review each list with the same person. If you know that the board member you are meeting with has a particular area he/she can help with, start there - but don't stop there. Reveal all of the organizations needs to each board member. They should know all the needs of the organization and you don't know what other connections or talents they might have.
Next newsletter we will talk about your core group of volunteers - but if you would like to have conversation before then please call Joan at 732-613-3724 or (800) 613-3724 or email at jmound@ejimpact.com.
Update: Part Two of this article is available here.
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