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Welcome!

Check-in – Add to the Chat:

🙋 Who you are (name and organisation)

🌍 Where are you logging the world from today

🧑‍💻 What is something that brought you JOY this week?

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Building Authentic Funder Relationships & Maximising Opportunities for Funding

Catalyst 2030

Catalysing Change Week 2024

catalyst2030.info/RegisterCCW

6-10 May 2024 #CCW2024

Thursday, May 9, 2024 | 6:00 - 7:30 pm CEST

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CATALYSING CHANGE WEEK

Thursday, 9 May 2024 | 18:00 CEST

Jennifer Skala Bodio

Black Fox Global

Lisa Heinert

Black Fox Global

Melizsa Mugyenyi

Black Fox Global

Building Authentic Funder Relationships & Maximising

Opportunities for Funding

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professional persistence

[pro·fes·sion·al per·sis·tence] verb

To pursue a funding prospect with clarity of purpose, strategic intention, authenticity, and finesse.

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Professional Persistence

Stage 1 Pre Engagement

Why? What? Who?*

Stage 3 Maintaining

Momentum

Stage 2 Engagement

How? When?

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CHAT:

This point on who is the face of the outreach is a chance to also share about a team approach that leverages ppls strengths — who can drive outreach, follow up, professional persistence, combined with who is the one to take the call and be the actual face — it doesn’t always have to be the same person, and our. Model demonstrates that well;
Refreshing intel — make sure there is a layer of authenticity here and we are truly interested in connecting to the funder as human;
Use language differently. ‘Targeted funder’ is aggressive. Funder candidate is respectful;
Know your boundaries and your worth.Setting the tone of equals from the outset; And if you have authentically built relationships, even with a no means no to that specific funding opportunity, but you have expanded your network and when authentic, will have long term benefits to your overall fundraising;
Pull out illustrative stories;
Pull language from Leading the Donor Dance;
Honor the braintrust in the room etc; Note self for Lisa — honor brain trust in the room — esp in breakout groups

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Professional Persistence

Stage 1 | Pre Engagement

Why? What? Who?*

Uncover deeply aligned funders
Set your ideal outcomes
Gauge proximity & determine best access point(s)
Determine who within your organization should be the ‘face of outreach’ & who drives the professional persistence process

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CHAT:

This point on who is the face of the outreach is a chance to also share about a team approach that leverages ppls strengths — who can drive outreach, follow up, professional persistence, combined with who is the one to take the call and be the actual face — it doesn’t always have to be the same person, and our. Model demonstrates that well;
Refreshing intel — make sure there is a layer of authenticity here and we are truly interested in connecting to the funder as human;
Use language differently. ‘Targeted funder’ is aggressive. Funder candidate is respectful;
Know your boundaries and your worth.Setting the tone of equals from the outset; And if you have authentically built relationships, even with a no means no to that specific funding opportunity, but you have expanded your network and when authentic, will have long term benefits to your overall fundraising;
Pull out illustrative stories;
Pull language from Leading the Donor Dance;
Honor the braintrust in the room etc; Note self for Lisa — honor brain trust in the room — esp in breakout groups

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Professional Persistence

Stage 2 | Engagement

How? When?

Build out & implement your engagement plan
Proactively refresh your intel
Gut check: Ask yourself every week – Does the ROI of the pursuit & strategy still make sense?

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CHAT:

This point on who is the face of the outreach is a chance to also share about a team approach that leverages ppls strengths — who can drive outreach, follow up, professional persistence, combined with who is the one to take the call and be the actual face — it doesn’t always have to be the same person, and our. Model demonstrates that well;
Refreshing intel — make sure there is a layer of authenticity here and we are truly interested in connecting to the funder as human;
Use language differently. ‘Targeted funder’ is aggressive. Funder candidate is respectful;
Know your boundaries and your worth.Setting the tone of equals from the outset; And if you have authentically built relationships, even with a no means no to that specific funding opportunity, but you have expanded your network and when authentic, will have long term benefits to your overall fundraising;
Pull out illustrative stories;
Pull language from Leading the Donor Dance;
Honor the braintrust in the room etc; Note self for Lisa — honor brain trust in the room — esp in breakout groups

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Professional Persistence

Stage 3 | Maintaining Momentum

Chart next steps: low effort ‘maintenance outreach’ vs ramping up vs pivoting

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CHAT:

This point on who is the face of the outreach is a chance to also share about a team approach that leverages ppls strengths — who can drive outreach, follow up, professional persistence, combined with who is the one to take the call and be the actual face — it doesn’t always have to be the same person, and our. Model demonstrates that well;
Refreshing intel — make sure there is a layer of authenticity here and we are truly interested in connecting to the funder as human;
Use language differently. ‘Targeted funder’ is aggressive. Funder candidate is respectful;
Know your boundaries and your worth.Setting the tone of equals from the outset; And if you have authentically built relationships, even with a no means no to that specific funding opportunity, but you have expanded your network and when authentic, will have long term benefits to your overall fundraising;
Pull out illustrative stories;
Pull language from Leading the Donor Dance;
Honor the braintrust in the room etc; Note self for Lisa — honor brain trust in the room — esp in breakout groups

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Key Principles

Ensure the interaction is mutually beneficial for both you and the funder, even as you work towards securing a grant.
Authentic relationship building can make all the difference.
Adopt a lens of long term foresight.
Power dynamics in our sector can distort what is normal or acceptable - value alignment is key; know your boundaries.
Date around; your potential funder is!

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Case Study

"We had incredible persistence leading up to Women Deliver; reaching out to a very good number of potential partners and funders ahead of that conference. In particular, the outreach to one of our top, most deeply aligned funders really stood out. With a deeper dive into who they were as an organization, we found just the right person to be reaching out to. When we finally did get a response, it resulted in a 45-minute in person meeting that was deeply and mutually enjoyable. This led to additional introductions within the funding organization’s team and we are continuing to build this relationship today. It was incredibly successful and a true testament to the value of professional persistence."

- Averil Spencer

Co-Founder and CEO, Launch Girls

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Professional Persistence: Trying it on

What does authentic, strategic funder outreach look like for YOU?

Breakout Exercise

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Are you grant ready?

Questions to ask yourself before your organization applies:

Do we have clear messaging?
Is our language/messaging aligned with a funder’s focus area?
Do we have the right materials prepared?

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Do you have clear messaging?

We build on the traditional sector messaging model of Problem-Solution-Impact by focusing on these areas:

Identity: Who We Are
Work: What We Do
Approach: How We Do It

Plus:

The Need
The Opportunity
The Impact

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Clear Messaging

Is authentic
Captures the identity, work and approach
Shares your vision
Avoids jargon, technical terms, and academic language

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Is your language aligned with a funder’s focus area(s)?

Avoid buzzwords if they are not authentic to your work
Do your homework and align/complement language of the funder—while still staying true to your identity, work, mission
Address specific details mentioned by funder in RFP/LOI requests and how it correlates to aspects of your work

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There are always key words or buzzwords within a certain sector. CHAT: ask for folks to type some in via chat �locally-led solutions, proximate leadership, shifting philanthropy, trust based philanthropy, systems change. Long-term sustainability, multisector interventions, grassroots/frontline partners. Aligning this language in an LOI or RFP while staying true to work is important. EX; Launch Girls focused on unlocking potential of young women and girls through entrepreneurial education. Focused on empowerment, education, investing in women to break cycles of poverty, 21st century skills/economic empowerment. This is all under the umbrella of what LG does; aligning message with funder. If you can’t align–maybe not a great fit. Aspects of work like M&E, scaling, sustainability, etc.

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Do you have the right materials prepared?

Preparing and gathering relevant documents before beginning grant applications will ultimately save time and result in stronger submissions.

Commonly requested documents/information can be:

Financial
Organizational
Narrative

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Grant ready checklist

The Black Fox team identified approximately 25 different documents/pieces of information commonly needed for grants applications.

We will share the grant ready checklist with all attendees of today’s webinar.

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Breakout Exercise

Review the BFG Grant Ready Checklist in your breakout group

What materials do you already have on-hand? What do you find the most difficult to prepare? What do you have questions on? How can you become grant ready?

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Building Authentic Funder Relationships & Maximising Opportunities for Funding

Catalyst 2030

Catalysing Change Week 2024

catalyst2030.info/RegisterCCW

6-10 May 2024 #CCW2024

Thursday, May 9, 2024 | 6:00 - 7:30 pm CEST

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Join Catalyst 2030

Engage with

Black Fox Global

Catalyst 2030 is a global movement of social entrepreneurs and innovators working collaboratively with communities, governments, businesses and others to change systems and advance the SDGs through collective action and bold, new strategies.

Download the 2024 BFG Fundraising Handbook:

Reach out to Lindsay.Lynch@blackfox.global to learn more about our services.

www.blackfox.global/solutions

www.catalyst2030.net

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Catalyst 2030 Awards

awards.catalyst2030.net

#Catalyst2030Awards #Catalyst2030Awards2024

Who is best at helping social innovators to change the world?

NOMINATE NOW https://catalyst2030.info/AwardsNominations

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Chat with us on WhatsApp all day, everyday to get answers to your enquiries about all our activities.

^AskCatalyst

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CATALYSING CHANGE WEEK 2024

What is the biggest take-home message from this session?

Share it on social media by including CCW2024’s

Hashtags (below), handles and tag your session panelists.

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Catalyst 2030

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#CatalysingChangeWeek2024

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Find out more

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https://catalyst2030.net

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Use the official CCW2024 hashtags:

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Fundraising Masterclass

Building Authentic Funder Relationships & Maximising Opportunities for Funding