Expanding Your Network Identifying, Recruiting, and Securing CoChairs

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Expanding Your Network Identifying,
Recruiting, and Securing Co-Chairs
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A.K.A.

• Six Degrees to Bringing
• Home the Bacon

Activity
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Expanding Your Network

• Review What is a Co-Chair?
• Why People Get Involved
• Identify Co-Chairs
• Recruit Co-Chairs
• Secure Co-Chairs

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Review What is a Co-Chair?

• A co-chair takes personal responsibility for
  raising a specific portion of your fundraising
  goal.
• A co-chairs goal must be attainable and the
  co-chair must actually commit to a specific
  number.

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Review What is a Co-Chair?

• At a minimum, a co-chair must agree to
• Identify prospective targets and provide contact
  information
• Determine ask amounts for targets
• Approve ask letters
• Make personal follow up calls to all of his/her
  prospects

Co-Chair Responsibilities (Tab 4, p. 33)
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Why People Get Involved

• What motivates someone to be a co-chair?

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Why People Get Involved

• L.I.A.
• Linkage S/he knows someone involved in your
  organization
• Interest S/he believes in the mission
• Ability S/he can

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Identify, Recruit, and Secure Co-Chairs

• For the next three months, your focus is to
  secure co-chairs through the following steps
• Step 1 Co-Chair Brainstorming
• Step 2 Evaluate and Categorize Your Prospects
• Step 3 Determine GGA Ask Amounts
• Step 4 Organize Your Information Create a
  Prospect/Leadership Chart
• Step 5 Determine the details
• Step 6 Ask!

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Identify Co-Chairs

• STEP ONE Co-Chair Brainstorming
• The purpose of the co-chair brainstorming session
  is to help you and your key leadership identify
  co-chair prospects from your network. Youth,
  I.N.C. will facilitate this session.
• Brainstorming sessions should be OPEN discussions
  where participants feel comfortable suggesting
  all prospects. There will be time to evaluate
  once all the names are on the table!
• Guide to Co-Chair Brainstorming (Tab 4, p. 29)

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Identify Co-Chairs
Others
Who They Know
Who We Know
Board/ Staff
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Identify Co-Chairs

• Four Types of Co-Chair Prospects
• Current Stakeholders Board Members/staff we
• 2. Others currently involved donors,
  volunteers, clients/clients families
• People who your organization knows, but who are
  not currently involved friends and spouses of
  Board members, vendors, colleagues
• 4. Long shots people who you do not know and who
  are not currently involved politicians,
  celebrities, business leaders

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Identify Co-Chairs

• What makes a good co-chair?

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Identify Co-Chairs

• STEP TWO Evaluate and Categorize Your
  Prospects
• What questions should you ask yourself when
  considering a prospect?

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Identify Co-Chairs

• L.I.A.Three Criteria to Evaluate Your Prospects
• Linkage how closely is the prospect connected to
  you or your organization?
• Interest is the prospect interested in the work
  your organization does?
• Ability can the prospect give, get, or arrange
  the amount you need him/her to?

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Identify Co-Chairs

• How do you know if someone is an honoree, a
  co-chair or a donor?
• Name recognition in the community Honoree
• Linkage with someone on your board/staff, but
  averse to fundraising Donor
• Great ability but NO time Donor or Honoree
• Past/long-standing supporter Co-Chair
• Great connections owes someone in your
  non- profit a favor Co-Chair

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Identify Co-Chairs

• STEP THREE Determine GGA Ask Amount
• Rule of 5 Each person can usually fundraise 5
  times what they are able to give personally
• Do your research what has s/he given to other
  organizations?
• Ask the person with the closest relationship
  what they think is an appropriate amount
• If youre really not sure, guess high. People
  are flattered to be asked for more than they can
  give

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Identify Co-Chairs

• STEP FOUR
• Organize Your Information Create a Prospect
  Chart and/or Leadership Chart

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Identify Co-Chairs

• Co-Chair Prospect Chart

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XXX Leadership Chart
FUNDRAISING GOAL - ____
Co-Chairs
xx (xx asks) GGA 5,000
xx (xx asks) GGA 5,000
xx (xx asks) GGA 5,000
xx (xx asks) GGA 5,000
Benefit Committee (Min. of arranging for five
1,000 each)
xxx (xx asks) GGA 5,000
xx (xx asks) GGA 5,000
xx (xx asks) GGA 5,000
Board of Trustees Individual Amounts TBD on X
Date
Co-Chair Asks to be made by xx
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Recruit Co-Chairs

• STEP FIVE Determine the details
• What order?
• Who should ask?
• What method? When and where?
• Whats your pitch?

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Recruit Co-Chairs

• What order?
• Determine the order in which you will approach
  prospects
• Get the obvious yeses first (board members,
  last year co-chairs, etc.)
• Figure out if co-chair As participation will
  depend upon co-chair Bs - if so, get B
  committed first so that A doesnt say no
• Dont do the biggest one first or last
• Save people with the least linkage for last

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Recruit Co-Chairs
Who? Peer to Peer Network
The asker should be someone the prospect would
rather not say no to a peer or superior.
WHO IS A PEER? Peers can share

• Social circle
• Neighborhood
• Careers

• Childrens schools/clubs
• Educational background/
• Alma Mater

Consider a team approach the peer should ask,
but an executive director or staff can speak well
to the need or another co-chair to the experience
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Recruit Co-Chairs

• What method? Where and When?
• Request a meeting
• Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner - RememberIts always
  your treat if you invite and always make it
  convenient for the prospect
• His/Her office Convenient for him/her, and can
  be short, sweet and to the point.
• Site Visit Best for a follow-up after asking to
  seal the deal
• Make a phone call
• Consider best time of day and week to call
• Send an email
• Any combination of the above
• THE MORE PERSONAL THE BETTER!!!

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Recruit Co-Chairs

• Whats your pitch?
• Think carefully about what will motivate your
  prospect to say yes. Each prospect may be
  interested for a different reason remember
  L.I.A.!
• Craft a pitch that appeals specifically to the
  individual you are targeting.

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Secure Co-Chairs

• STEP SIX ASK!
• Once your strategy is in place, it is time to ask
  your co-chair prospects!

• What Do I Say?

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Secure Co-Chairs

• Your Co-Chair Ask should include the following
• Brief introduction to/update on your organization
• Description of the event opportunity
• A formal ask We would like you to co-chair.
• A strong case for why you are asking him/her
• Discussion of expectations and responsibilities
  including the GGA fundraising amount!

Co-Chair Responsibilities (Tab 4, p. 33)
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Secure Co-Chairs

• Tips for the Ask
• Invite questions elicit interest!
• SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE!
• ONCE YOU HAVE ASKED
• Sit back and stop talking. Do not speak until
  they respond. Let them ponder. If you talk, you
  will weaken your case. Listen.

Role Play
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Secure Co-Chairs

• What if s/he says no?

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Secure Co-Chairs

• If s/he says yes, youve only just begun . . .
• SAY THANK YOU!
• Clearly outline the co-chairs roles and
  responsibilities and determine how you can assist
  in the process
• Strategize and brainstorm work closely with your
  co-chair to examine his/her networks and figure
  out an appropriate goal and the best way to reach
  it
• Make sure s/he knows when the next important
  meeting or milestone is get yourself on the
  calendar!
• Give him/her your contact information and
  determine the best way to communicate with
  him/her (email, secretary, etc)
• Keep him/her informed, involved, acknowledged,
  and recognized