Why consider relationship mapping?
Organizations need to continue to find new individuals who are passionate about their mission. What better way to do this than by engaging those who are currently connected to help expand the base. We have all been drawn to something new because a friend or colleague spoke highly about it. Relationship mapping utilizes the natural human influence to help your organization.
One example where relationship mapping is beneficial is when finding a connection between a prospective donor and an existing volunteer/board member who can make an introduction on behalf of your organization. The benefits to this are many:
- Connection—when donors feel connected to other donors, their lifetime giving is 4x-5x higher; this is true even during times of economic uncertainty.
- Transformation of a cold call into a warm introduction—cold calls are not easy, nor are they as effective.
- Engagement of board members in this way increases their sense of purpose and belonging and gives them another way to help your organization.
Another reason to use relationship mapping as a tool is to conduct prospect identification through exploring the connections of your board and/or volunteers. Creating a thorough list of each board member’s affiliations (and possibly that of their spouses, partners, or significant others), can highlight connections that you may not have been aware of initially.
What type of organization could benefit?
No matter your mission, advancement work is about expanding those who know what organizations do and building those connections. Therefore, to be successful in expanding supporter circles, an organization, large or small, needs to have active volunteers and/or board members who are willing to reach out to folks in their networks and invite them to learn more about the organization.
One large environmental organization we worked with had 50+ trustees and wanted to find new donor prospects through their networks. We created lists of relationships for each of the trustees (some as long as 600+ connections!), along with notes and origin of connections. The organization’s development staff then met with each trustee to discuss which of their connections may be interested in learning more about their mission and programming. Many excellent prospects were identified and introduced to the organization.
Other organizations have a specific prospect in mind to whom they want to find a connection, and relationship mapping is a perfect solution for accomplishing that as well.
How can we conduct relationship mapping?
Creating a relationship map is a worthwhile effort, albeit time consuming. Using a relationship mapping tool—such as RelSci, Kindsight, Kaleidoscope, or DonorAtlas—can help with the initial research. Once this is complete, relationships can be analyzed for strength and a determination made of which paths are best and/or most efficient.
Once the relationship mapping is completed, the advancement team, with their volunteers involved, need to draft strategies for everyone mapped to your organization. The strategy should include:
- Clear identification of who is working on each step, recognizing that more than one volunteer or board member can be involved in a single strategy.
- Timeline.
- Feedback loop for capturing information.
- Examples of successful outreach from volunteers to others.
When should we conduct relationship mapping?
Focusing on expanding the base and informing more influential people about your organization is always important. The reality is that there is competition for time and focus, so relationship mapping really needs to happen when the organization and leadership volunteers can make it a priority. Planning for or launching a strategic planning process, a new fundraising effort, or a campaign are all good times to prioritize relationship mapping.
During the quiet phase of a campaign, your organization will need to welcome in new and lapsed donors in order to achieve increased goals. Prospect identification, when paired with relationship mapping, is exponentially more effective and will create relationships with your organization that last.
At BWF, we stand ready to assist you with all your prospect development needs. Please reach out to Chris Clark, Vice President or Sarah Price, Managing Director, Research Services. It’s a privilege to help.
