From Curiosity to Commitment:

The Power of Prospecting�February 18, 2026

Housekeeping

The meeting is being recorded! The slide deck and recording will be added to the

Walk Manager Resource Center within a week.

​

Put your questions in the chat throughout the presentation! We will answer them in the chat or live at the end.

​

The content of this presentation is for licensed NAMIWalks events only, but can be shared with board members, volunteers, and other local NAMI Staff.

NAMIWalks Team Introductions

Agenda

• What is Prospecting & Why it Matters
• Getting Organized
• Setting Your Team & Sponsorship Goals
• Preparing for Sponsorship Prospecting
• Finding Your Prospects
• Outreach to Land Your Meeting
• Preparing for Your Meeting
• Next Meeting and Q&A

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

• ​

​

​

​

​

​

What is Prospecting &

Why it Matters

What is Prospecting &

Why it Matters

What is Prospecting�Prospecting is the process of identifying and researching individuals,

foundations, or corporations who have the capacity to support a nonprofits mission.

​

This is the first major step in building long-term relationships with your NAMIWalks constituents:

• Participants
• Volunteers
• Sponsors
• Community Partners

What is Prospecting &

Why it Matters

Why Prospecting Matters�

• Identifies potential sponsors and teams for your event
• Expands research beyond your current constituents to uncover new individuals, organizations, and companies who may support NAMIWalks
• Improves time management by organizing and prioritizing outreach efforts

What is Prospecting &

Why it Matters

The Benefits of Prospecting

• Helps identify mission connections to foster relationships

Prospecting uncovers your prospects’ passions, interests, and personal or professional connection to mental health. Recognizing this alignment makes your outreach more authentic and lays the foundation for lasting relationships.

• Fills community and business gaps

Prospecting highlights underrepresented communities or business sectors in your current base. Engaging these groups allows your NAMIWalks to expand its reach, diversify support, and build a broader network of champions for mental health.

Getting Organized

Getting Organized

Who Can Help with Prospecting�

• Executive Director – Leverages leadership connections and credibility in the community
• NAMI Staff – Provides coordination, tools, and organizational knowledge
• Board Members – Opens doors to personal and professional networks
• Volunteers – Extends your reach with grassroots community connections
• Walk Stars – Inspires others and models successful fundraising engagement

​

​

Getting Organized

How Your Team Can Engage in Prospecting��Board Members, Executive Directors, and Leadership Team

• Leverage their personal and professional networks to identify new connections
• Make warm introductions that open doors to potential sponsors and partners
• Attend networking and community events as visible ambassadors for NAMIWalks

​

​

Getting Organized

How Your Team Can Engage in Prospecting�

Staff Members

• Review organizational data beyond NAMIWalks (education program participants, donors, general NAMI supporters) to identify strong leads
• Provide consistent follow-up and support to ensure prospects are nurtured effectively

​

Walk Stars and Volunteers

• Share their stories
• Research local communities and organizations
• Fill Out the Community Prospecting Guide

​

​

​

Getting Organized

Ways To Keep Your Team Engaged with Prospecting

​

• Set clear goals – Decide on a target number of new prospects
• Identify key contacts – Pinpoint individuals or organizations with the strongest potential
• Assign relationship managers – Clarify who will take the lead on each prospect
• Keep the tracker updated – Use a shared system to organize progress
• Meet regularly – Review new leads, compare notes, and adjust strategy
• Leverage connections – Discuss networks and arrange warm introductions

​

​

Community Prospecting Guide �Spreadsheet to help start your prospecting journey.

• Use this to get to know your community and make

local contacts for teams, volunteers, and sponsors

• Divided into multiple sectors to help you think of surrounding entities that could be involved with NAMIWalks
• Recognizes and encourages early recruitment

The more contacts and relationships you build in

your community, the more successful your event will be!

Network of Influence

A guide to help you dig deeper into your networks whether it is your friends & family, professional �networks, or places you frequent.

• Use this guide to brainstorm on your own or with your fellow NAMI staff, board members, and NAMIWalks volunteers

​

Fundraising starts with connection, people who care about you will care about the causes you support.

​

Community Mapping Exercise

Use the exercise to find the missing gaps in specific areas of your service territory.

• Use a printed or an electronic map and place stickers where each of your constituents are located geographically
• Target areas that little to no stickers for recruitment recruitment purposes
• Use DonorDrive Reports and Community Prospecting Guide if needed

​

​

Setting Your Team and Sponsorship Goals

Setting Your Team &

Sponsorship Goals

Setting Your Sponsorship & Team Goals

​

• Use the right tools – Established Budget & Goal Setting Tracker
• Decide your approach – Increase year-over-year (YOY%) goals or align with National Event Revenue Averages
• Set clear targets – Define realistic sponsorship and team fundraising benchmarks to guide your season

​

​

​

​

​

Setting Your Team &

Sponsorship Goals

Use Your Data to Guide Goals

​

• Leverage DonorDrive Event Snapshot – Review past event results to understand sponsorship, team, and participant performance.
• Identify baselines – Use historical numbers as a starting point for growth planning.
• Spot trends – Compare year-over-year results to highlight strengths and opportunities.

​

​

​

​

Preparing for

Sponsorship Prospecting

Preparing for

Sponsorship Prospecting

​

How Much Should I Prospect For?

​

• Aim for at least 4x your sponsorship goal in asks.

Build a robust prospect list to ensure you reach (and exceed) your target.

​

• Not sure how to calculate this?

Don’t worry — we’ve created a resource to walk you through the math!

​

​

​

Preparing for

Sponsorship Prospecting

​

Setting Sponsorship Levels

�Formula

$8 × Number of Participants = Highest Sponsorship Level

​

Remember

Sponsorship levels are customizable to fit your community and event needs.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Sponsorship Tracker

Remember Us in Your Budget Letter Template

Reaching out to your sponsors early is crucial to a successful Walk Season.

• Most organizations prepare their budgets at least one year in advance
• These templates are a reminder for sponsors that your event is coming up and you need their support
• Templates are available for past sponsors and new prospects

​

​

​

Finding Your Prospects

Finding Your Prospects

Platforms & Behaviors

​

Where to Look

• LinkedIn – professional roles, company affiliations, community involvement
• Facebook & Instagram – local businesses, civic groups, and community leaders
• Twitter (X) – trending conversations and advocacy voices

​

What to Look For

• Relevant keywords & hashtags tied to mental health
• Who is posting content about mental health
• Who is engaging (liking, sharing, or commenting) on mental health content

Finding Your Prospects

Organizations & People�

Organizations

• Company name searches
• Industry or business sector groups
• Foundations and philanthropic arms of companies

​

People

• Presidents / CEOs / Owners
• Marketing Directors
• Community Relations contacts
• Local Board Members or civic leaders

Finding Your Prospects

Keywords to Guide Searches

• Mental Health
• Advocacy & Philanthropy
• NAMI
• Community Service
• Volunteering
• Self-Care
• Board of Directors�

Use these keywords with platforms and contacts to uncover potential sponsors, partners, and supporters.

Tips to Search for Company Leads

From LinkedIn to Social Media, this resource shares steps on how to find leads for prospective team captains, sponsors and volunteers.

• Do Your Homework. What do you know about this organization? Do they align with your mission?
• Mine your Data and Lists. Search for email addresses that belong to a company, they could help you with a lead
• Research. Think of keywords that can help you find exactly what you are looking for in your search

​

​

​

Finding Your Prospects:

Example

Finding Your Prospects

​

Competitor Fundraising Events

​

What’s happening in your community?

• Other charity walks or runs
• Galas, golf outings, luncheons, and community festivals
• Look up the Top 30 U.S. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Programs for ideas and benchmarks

​

Why it matters

• Understand the fundraising landscape in your area
• Spot overlap and avoid calendar conflicts
• Learn what’s working for others and where NAMIWalks can stand out

​

Who currently supports them?

• Research their corporate sponsors and community partners
• Identify companies with a history of giving

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Researching Competitor Events

P2P Fundraising Event

Sponsors

​

Local Community Event Sponsors

​

Corporate Teams

​

Researching Competitor Events

Company/School Teams

​

Other Local Events

(Galas, Auctions, Golf Outings)

​

Finding Your Prospects

Networking in Your Community

​

Why it matters

Being present in your community helps spark meaningful, transformational relationships that strengthen your NAMIWalks event.

​

Where to Start

• Industry Nights
• Chamber of Commerce events
• Career Fairs
• Conferences & Seminars
• Alumni Meet & Greets

Finding Your Prospects

Chamber of Commerce & Networking Websites

​

• Meet with the Chamber President – Build a relationship with local leadership
• Promote your events – Add cultivation events to the Chamber’s community calendar
• Use the Membership Directory – Identify businesses and contacts that are of interest
• Target key sectors – Focus on industries most aligned with your goals
• Join Chamber Committees – Increase visibility and connections
• Research top Chamber sponsors – Spot companies already invested in community giving

Chamber of Commerce: Website Demo

Finding Your Prospects

Google��Why it matters

• A simple search can uncover valuable information—whether your target companies are large or small—and help shape your approach.

​

Keywords & Resources to Search

• Top Employers
• USA Data
• Local Tourism Sites
• Business Directories
• Local Business Journals
• Secretary of State Business Search Tool

Outreach to Land �Your Meeting

Outreach to Land

Your Meeting

Strategies to Make Contact

• Leverage connections – Ask a board member, staff, or volunteer to provide a warm introduction
• Use social media & LinkedIn – Begin building the relationship online…make sure your first message feels personal and authentic
• Send a short email – Share something they may not know about NAMI’s mission or your event, and highlight how your goals align

Outreach to Land

Your Meeting

Outreach Follow-Up Strategies�

• Phone call – Review your email details to stay top of mind
• Share a relevant article – Send content tied to their interests or to your shared mission
• Invite them to an event – Demonstrate how they can be part of creating Mental Health for All

Prospecting Outreach Checklist

Instructions on how to begin your prospect outreach and leverage your connections.

• Request an introduction. If you know someone who is connected to your prospect, a warm introduction is always helpful.
• Diversify your communication. Use different avenues to communicate with your prospect online or in person.
• Stay organized. Multiple prospecting trackers are linked to help throughout your process.

​

​

​

Preparing for Your Meeting

Preparing for Your Meeting

​

Before Your Meeting

​

• Research the company – Learn who they are, what drives their business, and their community focus
• Clarify your goals – Be clear on what you are asking for and how they can support NAMIWalks
• Find shared value – Identify how your partnership can make a difference for their business and for mental health
• Bring a story – If possible, include a volunteer to share their lived experience and make the mission personal

Preparing for Your Meeting

Setting the Stage�

• Express gratitude – Thank them for their time and confirm the meeting length
• Be transparent – Let them know you’ll be asking questions and request permission to take notes
• Listen more, talk less – Aim to speak less than 20% of the time; listening builds trust and insight

Preparing for Your Meeting

​

Building Connection & Next Steps�

• Chat to connect personally – Break the ice by finding common ground and building rapport
• Set the Exploratory Stage – Establish ground rules, learn about their needs, and set a collaborative tone
• Close with clarity – Send a post-meeting recap and confirm a follow-up meeting to keep momentum

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Preparing for Your Meeting

​

After the Meeting

​

• Review & follow up – Go over your notes and send a post-meeting recap email
• Identify common ground – Highlight areas where partnership makes sense
• Collaborate with NAMI staff – Discuss potential next steps and engagement needs
• Understand their concerns – Clarify the company’s priorities and challenges
• Begin your engagement plan – Map out a strategy for ongoing relationship building

Tips and Tricks for your Prospecting Meeting

Now that you’ve landed your Prospecting Meeting, here is what you should do before, during, and after.

• Before. Research who you’re meeting with, clarify what your goals are, and confirm your values align.
• During. Ensure you are actively listening, build rapport, and ask questions.
• After. Send a recap email, review your notes, strategize with your team, and focus on how you can work together.

​

​

​

​

Internal Talking Points for Company Teams

Guide for recruiting company teams for NAMIWalks.

• Use these talking points and best practices when meeting with local companies to invite them to start a team
• Subjects include:
• Why companies should join NAMIWalks
• Key messaging
• Stats that help companies understand why their participation matters

​

​

​

Next Meeting and Q&A

Next Meeting and Q&A

March Fall NAMIWalks National Call

March 11, 2026�2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. CT/12:30 p.m. MT/11:30 a.m. PT/�10:30 a.m. AKDT/9:30 a.m. HST

​

​