Let's Talk About Writing For Effective Prospect DevelopmentFrom a Journalistic Perspective

Preeti Gill - Manager, Prospect Development atSt. Paul's Foundation in Vancouver, BC, Canada

Learning Objectives• Gather and Produce Prospect Intelligence in

New and Different Ways• Make New Prospects Stand Out• Be a Better Writer (BOK > PR > No 8)

Words Are Powerful Things

"Create the future. Don't protect the past." Christine Day, CEO at Luvo Inc.

~~~“Whether due to the complexity of the decision in front of them, or

because of the fear of not performing sufficient due diligence, the easy option facing any executive is simply to request more information.”  Julian Birkinshaw, “Beyond the Information Age,” Wired Magazine,

June 2014.

#quote    #amwriting

Journalist vs. Prospect Researcher• Accuracy• Curiosity • Ethical Conduct• Judgment

Newsu.org - Poynter Institute + Knight Foundation

News Gathering • Train your 'news eye'

• Appreciate history conduct a landscape scan

• Interviews

• Sources Firsthand to tertiary

Prospect Researching • Hone in on the 'philanthropic individual'

• Know your organization's information history

• Work your sources – verify, verify, verify Firsthand to tertiary

• Partner with fundraisers on information gathering

Interviewing is an Art Ask questions of your fundraiser:

What constitutes a good prospect? Tell me about a donor who is special to you? Why?

Develop questions for your donor / prospect: Do you remember when you first heard of [your

charity] and what the circumstances were? How would you like to be acknowledged?

Research in Real Life

News Production • It's All About the Headline!

"If it bleeds, it leads"

• The Inverted Pyramid

• The News Cycle; Best Time to Like/Post/Tweet?

Your Prospect's "Headline"

Former Political Reporter, Advocate and Executive Whose Community Engagement and Influence is Growing

[Exercise]: Powerful and compelling wordsthat describe your prospect'spotential

Prospect Research … Inverted Age or Generation; Connection and Giving

Summary and Suggestions

Capacity Clues: Location, Career Success

External Giving History (starting with most recent gifts to similar organizations)

Cat's Name

Clear and Concise Contact … leads to streamlined prospect management

Contact Reports at St. Paul's Foundation

Evolved from 'courtroom transcript' to the five "W"s:

Why (meeting purpose) | Who | When | Where | What (next)

Prospect Respect Use the language of philanthropy, not fundraising

Keep it positive :-)

-30-  

References BooksSusan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking; Crown Publishers, 2012.

Roy Peter Clark, Help! For Writers: 210 Solutions to the Problems Every Writer Faces; Little, Brown and Company, 2011.

William Strunk Jr and EB White, The Elements of Style [Fourth Edition]; Longman, 2000, 1979.

William Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction; Quill, 1976-2001.

More References Articles and Presentations>Leah Eustace, "How to Gather, Write & Publish Your Donor Stories," Canadian Association of Gift Planners; Webinar Wednesday; 2013 >Lynda McDaniel, "Make Writing Fun(d)," Advancing Philanthropy, Summer 2015 issue; afpnet.org >Mike Spencer, "The Skills Journalism Brings to PI Work," LinkedIn Pulse; March 13, 2016.>Mike Vardy, "Writing a journal can make you more productive," The Globe & Mail; April 21, 2016 [newspaper and online]>Barbara Wallraff, "Improve Your Writing to Improve Your Credibility," Harvard Business Review; July 23, 2015.

Let's Talk About Writing Your Turn

@srbernstein  @SoleSearcherPR  #aprapd2016

Telling Dan's Storyhttp://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apra/connections_2015q2/index.php#/0 

• ttp://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apra/connections_2015q2/index.php#/0 

Write On!• Self Reflection:What is one thing you've learned today that will help you move forward with your own writing? (5 min)

• The Editor Near You:Turn to the person next to you. [S]he is your editor or sounding board; and vice versa. (10 min)

• Open Mic: Questions, comments, etc. (15 min)

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