Prospect research helped me find my new stakeholder!

Dear Diary,

Please note, in this context a stakeholder is your prospect or donor which can be a person or organization.

As we begin, also note that when you are thinking of a new organization, or contact person ensure that you do not have any contacts, advocates, or pending relationships within this organization. You do not want to "double dip" at an organization or with a contact person's current efforts to assist your work.

With this confirmed, begin and remember to take things slowly.

Disclaimer: Names used in the scenarios below are fictional. This step by step process should be taken as an example when researching your prospective stakeholder.

BACKGROUND SCENARIO: I am a program director of a youth empowerment and agricultural conservation program. I am interested in cultivating partnerships with potential stakeholders specifically in Illinois with interest areas in youth empowerment and conservation.

Prospective Stakeholder 1

STEP 1: Type into google these keywords "inner-city youth and conservation Chicago"

Obviously, this order does not make sense but by using these keywords we want to give Google strong search terms.

STEP 2: This search will show several articles, organizations, and write-ups that focus on youth in nature. I see an article by Rhonda Lanes, a writer for a notable news outlet, and instantly I realize that I have my first prospect based on Rhonda's personal encounters with nature and its impact on inner-city youth.

STEP 3: When I type into Google, "Rhonda Lanes", I find her Wordpress, Linkedin, Facebook, biography, Twitter, and more- She definitely has an online presence that surrounds her mission of environmental preservation, conversations on race, identity, music, and social justice.

STEP 4: After glancing over her platforms during STEP 3. I conclude on using the article I found during STEP 2 to make my introduction. Now I just have to find the best method of contacting her.

STEP 5: In this day and age, when you know someone has a large online presence your best option is to acknowledge that they could be more accessible online. Seeing that Rhonda is very active on twitter, my plan is to first follow her, and then send her information by inserting her twitter handle. The language and content I use must show three things- I want to share my work with you, I want to show our commonalities (based on my research), and I want to cultivate a relationship that is, again, mutually beneficial. [I will write about this transaction soon I promise]

Prospective Stakeholder 2

So, I've heard from a board member that a popular Foundation in Illinois offers environmental grants to organizations, and Maria Martinez is the best person to connect with. Strategically, I must invite this powerhouse program officer to my upcoming event.

STEP 1: I google Maria's name, title, and Foundation.

STEP 2: I see her Foundation includes her biography. But there is no email or phone number.

STEP 3: So, I browse through the website in search of anyone's email address.

STEP 4: I find the community relations and communication director's email addresses. Since I notice a pattern, I use the format of their email addresses to search for Maria's potential email address.

For example- If I keep seeing this format- Jennifer.Rims@Foundation.com, I can assume that Maria's email address may be Maria.Martinez@Foundation.com.

I try it...

STEP 5: And we've got a hit! Once I Google Maria.Martinez@Foundation.com I can see reports that she has penned, and interviews in which she has spoken about her work with the Foundation.

This sort of information can only add to the content in my invitation- I want my language to show that I am aware of what she does, my organization's mission and impact, and how attending the event would only add to her advocacy.

Now at this point, you may have noticed that I do not detail what you should specifically say to your prospective stakeholder or how to mold your communication and engagement strategy using your research. This is because the details are subjective, so with guidance from your fundraising team, you can capture the right words to intentionally captivate these prospective stakeholders.

Until next time, May 15th!