The warm intro ask is one of the most misused tools in nonprofit fundraising.
It happens in nearly every donor meeting, and almost never produces an introduction.
That's because "who do you know that might be relevant?" puts the entire cognitive load on the donor in the moment. Someone well-connected in their community knows hundreds of people, and they cannot sort through that list on the spot. So the moment passes.
The version that works is specific: "I noticed you're connected to [Name] at [Foundation]. An introduction from you would go a long way."
That ask takes five seconds to answer.
Getting there requires research before the meeting. You need to know who your donor is connected to in your target funding universe before you sit down together.
In most development teams, the person doing that research and the person making the ask are not the same person, and they do not reliably talk before meetings. So the fundraiser walks in without the data, asks a vague question, and leaves without an introduction.
Getting to a specific ask requires knowing your donor's network before you sit down. If you don't have a system for that, Impala can help.