Imagine this scenario: You’re at the end of your quarterly board meeting with only 30 minutes left to discuss potential funder connections. You ask your board members for introductions, but each of them knows thousands of people. The result? An overwhelming list of random names, leaving you unclear about who these individuals are, how relevant they are, how they are connected to your board, and how to contact them. Your goal is to ask for warm introductions, but you don’t even know where to begin. You can’t help but think the last 30 minutes were a waste of time. Both you and your board members leave feeling frustrated and unproductive.
As a fundraiser, you know that your board is one of your most valuable assets. But how do you effectively leverage your board's connections?
The Answer: Impala for Fundraiser's Enhanced Relationship Mapping Solution
Impala for Fundraisers is designed to help your team identify the perfect foundations that align with your mission, without the hassle of traditional prospect research. As a unified platform for the nonprofit sector, Impala offers the data, insights, and relationships you need to meet your fundraising goals. Think of it as your virtual fundraising assistant, helping you find prospects that match your exact criteria, seamlessly.
Impala’s relationship mapping solution is a key component of our Impala for Fundraiser's suite, turning a chaotic process into a strategic and focused effort. Here’s how you can leverage it to maximize board and team engagement:
Pinpoint Potential Connections
Impala helps you identify the specific connections within your board members’ networks that are most relevant to your fundraising goals. By analyzing data from over 1 billion relationships, across 3+ million organizations and 16+ million people, Impala reveals which connections are most likely to open doors for your organization as well as helping you identify how to get a foot in the door.
Streamline the Ask
Before your board meeting, use Impala to generate a targeted list of potential funders. This list is based on the specific criteria you input, such as location, cause areas, and your peers’ networks. This way, when you meet with your board, you can present a concise, prioritized list of connections to discuss, making the discussion far more strategic and useful.
Empower Your Board Members
Impala provides detailed insights into how each board member is connected to potential funders -whether that be through a past board seat, or an organization they worked at during a specific period of time. You can show board members exactly how their connections align with your organization’s mission and goals, giving them clear, actionable information to facilitate warm introductions. This empowers them to take an active, informed role in your grant-seeking efforts.
How It Works
Step 1: Input Your Criteria
Start by answering three simple questions within Impala:
- Where do you work? (Location)
- What issues do you address? (Cause Areas)
- Who does similar work to you? (Your Peers)
Step 2: Discover Connections
Impala analyzes this information and identifies potential funders that align with your mission, vision, and goals. It also reveals connections within your board and team members’ networks that can be leveraged for warm introductions.
Step 3: Engage Your Board
Present the curated list of potential funders and specific connections to your board. Discuss the most strategic ways to approach each connection, utilizing Impala’s insights to guide the conversation. This focused approach not only saves time but also increases the effectiveness of your outreach and helps you quickly identify the connections that are truly actionable and meaningful.
Real-World Success Story
Imagine you are a fundraiser at the New York Shakespeare Festival. You have a campaign running but you are closing in on a deadline, and you need to close an additional $50k before your deadline. You’ve identified a list of promising funders and at the top of that list is The Benjamin and Susan Winter Foundation. How do you get a foot in the door? Impala identifies that path.
Audrey Wilf, a current board member at the New York Shakespeare Festival, previously served on the board of The Jewish Museum from 2021-2022 with Benjamin Winter. Benjamin Winter previously served on the board as a Trustee of The Benjamin & Susan Winter Foundation from 2014 to 2022.
Impala has successfully identified a strong connection and path to the funder I want to engage with and I can now ask Audrey for a warm introduction to Benjamin.
The Impact
By leveraging Impala’s relationship mapping solution, you transform a potentially frustrating process into a streamlined, strategic effort. Your board members feel more engaged and valued, as they can see the direct impact of their connections on your fundraising success.
You save time and resources while maximizing your chances of securing new funding opportunities.
Ready to Maximize Your Board and Team Engagement?
Don’t let another board meeting end in frustration. Start using Impala’s relationship mapping solution today and unlock the full potential of your board and team. Register for a demo to unveil your board's connections.
Remember: Your network is your most powerful asset. Let Impala help you make the most of it.