The One That Got Away

The One That Got Away

As professional fundraisers, we know that each time we ask a prospect or donor for a gift - be they an individual, a corporation or a foundation - we will most likely be turned down two or three times for every "yes" we receive.  At the beginning of one's career, we may even be rejected more often, until we learn that fundraising is not about asking for money, it's about relationship building - in order to ask for money.

In Major Gifts fundraising, we know that if we are turned down, we must ask ourselves, "What was the reason for the rejection?"

1)      Was I the correct person to ask?

2)      Was the project right for this donor?

3)      Was the "ask" too high?

4)      Was the timing off for the donor?

With an individual donor, they will usually tell us flat out why they are turning us down.  With a foundation or a corporation, most likely, all we will receive in return for our hard work will be a form letter from the Program Officer at the Foundation or Corporation who processed our request, politely thanking us for applying.

As we do with Major Gift individuals, we must take the time to be reflective and try to understand why our proposal was declined.  Before picking up the phone to call the Foundation Officer, it's a good idea to review the steps taken prior to submission, to see if we've missed the mark somewhere.

Prior to submitting a proposal, we as fundraisers will do all the necessary research and read all the information on the foundation/corporation's web site to find a good fit between their funding priorities and our proposal, and to ensure that we are following their guidelines.  If the foundation/corporation states they do not fund salaries or capital projects, we should never try to disguise these factors in the body of the proposal, even though our employer, Executive Directors or other managers might pressure us to do so.  If the foundation or corporation doesn't fund what we need, we must do further research and move on.

Before submission, we should review what non-profits, similar to ours, were funded by the particular foundation/corporation in the past.  We then broaden our research and possibly call those non-profits and ask their Development Officers how much they originally asked for, what they were funded for and how much they eventually received.  Other fundraisers are usually open to giving advice to colleagues about the process and providing solicitation tips.

Once armed with this information, we can pick up the phone and find out who at the foundation/corporation will be reviewing the grant proposal.  Usually, there will be a Program Officer assigned to a particular portfolio, be it health, environment, etc.  Call to discuss the proposal with them, ensuring that the information on their web site is up-to-date, that they are not overcommitted financially, are still accepting proposals, and that the proposal is something they actually might consider.

Program Officers may say, "Yes, we funded X number of projects like yours last year, but this year, our board wants to go in a different direction."  Or they may say, "Yes, that's what is on our web site, but our board voted at their last meeting to change direction and we haven't had a chance to update the web site yet." Or, they may say, "Yes, we funded you five years in a row, but our board says they now want a two-year hiatus period after a five-year funding cycle."  Priorities can change quickly.  Get to understand their current focus.

Ask if they would review a draft of your proposal, or if you could call upon them with specific questions.  This will help develop a relationship with the Program Officer, which is essential to funding a successful proposal.  And if the Program Officer or their committee members do site visits, invite them out.

Now that we have reflected on steps prior to submission, and we have still received a terse, but polite letter from the organization turning us down, we do need to find out what happened.

Was the rejection due to:

 1)     The current foundation priorities no longer being a fit for our non-profit's request?

2)      The foundation's annual budget already being spent?

3)      The foundation leadership having their own, pet causes?

4)      The project not being a right fit because the foundation funded too many similar proposals?

5)      The "ask" being too high or low?

6)      The proposal not being well written?

The way to find out is to pick up the phone and call the Program Officer and ask specifically why the proposal was turned down.  If, for some reason they can't recall the proposal, email it to them to refresh their memory, and then call back in a week to discuss.

Listen politely, be courteous and don't argue.  Any fundraiser who submits a proposal will have invested a lot of time and energy into its creation, but be open to their comments.  The Program Officer may say the proposal was unorganized, or the budget was not sufficiently justified, etc.  Be calm and cool and thank them for their honest feedback.  Ask if the proposal can be reworked and resubmitted.  If yes, ask if they would be kind enough to provide feedback prior to the next submission. If not, thank them anyway.  This builds a stronger, future working relationship with the Program Officer.  And, this is what fundraising is all about: relationship building.