Identifying New Qualified Prospects

by Tracey

If we want to increase our efficiency, identifying new qualified leads should be at the top of our priority list. Identifying new prospects is a constant project for everyone, but how do we sift through an endless list of names? How do we add new and qualified names to that list? There are two novel ways using Relationship Mapping:

1. Reach out to people that your constituents know as potential prospects.

2. Reach out to companies where you have connections.

When you leverage your current relationships, you are not only discovering potential prospects but prospects to whom you will already have a warm introduction. This kind of peer-to-peer introduction to your cause is 200 times more likely to result in a gift than a call from a fundraiser.

The challenge is finding those relationships. Cross-referencing among your own database will only show you names that you already know. How do we find names of those you don’t know?

Prospects Your Constituents Know

When you have access to a global database, you can find out whom your constituents know that you didn’t realize were potential prospects. Once you have this list, there are many ways to approach these new leads including referrals, introductions, and peer screening. You can also delve deeper in your research to open up their networks and find out how else they may be connected to you. Multiple connections to a person increases your access points with a chance of converting the prospects faster.

Your Company Connections

Prospect Visual allows you to gain access to corporations and foundations. You can see which companies/organizations you already have direct connections to through your constituents. In addition, you can also search for companies/organizations to find whom you already know who is connected to their senior executives, their board members, or a specific group you would like to know more about. Corporations can take months to years to engage. With a strong connection to the right person, getting through the door can be accelerated.

Finding qualified new leads doesn’t have to be daunting. So many prospects are falling through the cracks because we don’t even see them. Be sure that you are making them visible by finding the people that your constituents know and companies/organizations where a connection already exists.