Darren Ryan’s Post

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Freeing non-profit CEOs to lead. Founder | Philanthropy Strategist | CEO coach | Board Member | Entrepreneur | Speaker | Aspiring Surfer

How I got started when I didn't have a donor pipeline. One of the biggest blocks facing non-profit CEOs when it comes to philanthropy is that they feel like they don't know any rich people. They feel like they don't move in the right circles. They might have a philanthropy goal but have no idea how they are going to reach it. I get it. I didn’t play golf, didn’t go to private school, and didn’t come from wealth. My friends and family weren’t exactly a starting point for building a donor pipeline. But we have to start somewhere. What I learned the hard way and what I've seen time and again coaching non-profit CEOs is this: we all have more potential donors in our network than we realize. The problem is, we’re not recording them anywhere. Without a system, those potential connections slip away, and we forget about them. The truth is, potential donors are busy and so are we. If you don't reach out to them, follow up a few times, get them involved, inspire them and involve them, they will go do something else. And we'll forget about them. So, where do you start if you feel like you have NOTHING and NOBODY? Create a list. Even if it’s empty. It could be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet with a few tabs or a more sophisticated CRM. Don’t overcomplicate it. Just start capturing names. I use a super simple setup on Trello (more on that below). Who goes on it? - The person you meet at an event. - The person you remember meeting months ago but never followed up with. - The person a board member recommends. - The person you read about in the paper who’s passionate about your cause. - The family member of somebody who your charity helped. Leave it open on your computer. Once you have a central place to start capturing names, you’ll realize you have more potential donors than you thought. Try it! P.S. I’ve put together a quick FREE TRAINING (just 7 minutes!) on how I manage my donor pipelines using Trello, a free online tool. Plus, I’ll share my exact Trello template with all the headings you need to get started. Just DM me the word ‘pipeline,’ and I’ll send you the link.

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