We have spent decades assembling information about donors and potential donors.
In the 1980s (when foundation data was still on microfiche!), leaders of a religious congregation on the east side of Detroit asked Laurie for help. Their historic church, once a hub for the city’s Belgian community, was falling into disrepair. They were in search of a wealthy Detroiter, preferably Catholic and of Belgian heritage, who was interested in historic preservation. Databases painstakingly compiled yielded not one but two names.
The results were based on shared interests – in themselves a sort of relationship. But in the internet age, we’re able to do even better. We can search for personal relationships you and your organization might already have to potential funders. Think of it as philanthropy’s version of “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.”
Follow the threads!
Starting with your board members and/or your donor lists, we expand out, finding their connections to other people and organizations. And then we go another degree, looking at their ties. The results are presented in an interactive map, published on a password-protected web site, for you to explore. (We do NOT incorporate your private data into our databases or share it with anyone else; confidentiality is assured through nondisclosure agreements at the beginning of our work together.)
An important proviso: Relationship maps are just that. Maps. They can send you in the right direction, but they do not replace personal interaction. Sustained funding relies on trust between grantor and grantee, along with the ability to produce, measure and document results. These relationships have never been more vital than today, when so many organizations are competing for dwindling resources.
Below is an example of our interactive maps, this one showing the founders of Nonprofit Pivot: