Introducing your organization takes planning and follow ups. Many organizations, including ours are challenged to find workable process to expand its reach and its network.

I have taken the privilege to borrow some of the ideas from Raising More Money book by Terry Axelrod. This will be an introduction to a workable plan that’s proven effective by many organizations.

The Entrance door

This is designed to introduce people to your organization. It is a door opener for people who have not heard of your mission or just know a little about it. Your board members, current donors or your advocates are your main players to invite their business partners, families, friends, church members, or neighbors. If your organization does not have an office to bring several people to, you can hold this event at a restaurant or a nice conference room. It is ideal to provide drinks and small meal or snack.

For example, if you have a friend who owns a restaurant or a building, ask him/her to consider sponsoring the informational meeting. It is important to let the guests know that this is an introductory  session about the organization and they will not be asked for donation but they will receive a follow up call to see if they have an interest to find out more.

Conversion Session

After the introductory session, follow ups are very important. This should be done within 5 days of the first session. The board members or the advocates are the best persons to follow up since they already have relationships with their guests.

Two ways to use this session:

• Ask for financial donations or find out how the guests want to get involved
• Ask them to be Table Captains for your future fundraiser event.

Table Captains basically those who buy-in to the mission of your organization and are willing to invite people who may be  interested in the organization.

I will be writing more about who is an ideal Table Captain soon.

PS. If you have comment or suggestions, please feel free to post below or email [email protected] Please Share this link on your social media if you think this is helpful. Let me know if you want other topics for my next blog.

Merlin Gonzales