Most nonprofit leaders I work with believe they don’t know enough people to fundraise effectively. They imagine that successful fundraising requires access to wealthy strangers, people they haven’t met yet who will somehow materialize and write large checks.
This belief keeps them stuck.
The truth is, you already know your first donors. They’re not strangers. They’re people connected to your mission, your organization, and your leadership. You just haven’t written their names down yet.
This post will walk you through an exercise to identify your first 50 prospects in about an hour. By the end, you’ll have a working list of real people you can actually contact. No wealthy strangers required.
Why 50 Names Matters
Fifty might sound like a lot. Or it might sound like too few. Either way, it’s the right starting point for most small nonprofits.
Fifty names gives you enough prospects to generate meaningful results without overwhelming you. If you reach out to 50 people over the next few months, some will give. Some will decline. Some will lead you to other prospects. You’ll learn what works and what doesn’t.
The exercise itself is also clarifying. When you sit down and actually write names, you discover connections you’d forgotten about. You realize that your network is larger than you thought. You start seeing people as potential partners in your mission rather than just friends, colleagues, or acquaintances.
Most people who complete this exercise are surprised by how many names they can generate. The prospects were always there. They just needed to be written down.
The Six Categories
Your prospects fall into six categories, arranged from closest to your organization to furthest away. We’ll work through each one.
Get a piece of paper or open a spreadsheet. Create six columns or sections. Then follow along.
Category 1: Board Members
Start with your board. Write down every board member’s name.
If your board members haven’t given financially, they should be your first asks. The amount matters less than the act. A board member who gives $50 has invested personally in a way that a board member who gives nothing has not.
Beyond their own gifts, board members are sources of other names. After you write their names, add a note next to each one: “Ask for 3-5 names from their network.”
If you have a board of eight people and each one provides four names, that’s 32 additional prospects just from this one category.
Category 2: Staff and Volunteers
Write down everyone who works for your organization, paid or unpaid. Include part-time staff, interns, and regular volunteers.
These are people who believe in your mission enough to give their time. Many will also give financially if asked. And like board members, they have networks of friends and family who might care about your cause.
Don’t skip this category because it feels awkward to ask colleagues. People who work alongside you often want to support the mission with their dollars as well as their hours. Give them the chance.
Category 3: Past Donors
If you’ve received any donations in the past, write down those donors’ names. Go back as far as your records allow.
Past donors are your warmest prospects. They’ve already demonstrated that they care about your mission. Many of them would give again if you asked. Some stopped giving not because they lost interest, but because you stopped asking.
Include donors of all sizes. Someone who gave $25 three years ago might give $100 this year. Someone who gave $500 might increase to $1,000. Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.
If you don’t have records of past donors, that’s a problem to fix. But for now, write down everyone you can remember.
Category 4: Event Attendees and Engaged Contacts
Think about everyone who has attended an event, signed up for your email list, followed you on social media, or engaged with your organization in any way short of giving money.
These are people who have raised their hand. They’ve expressed interest. They’re not strangers, even if you’ve never had a personal conversation with them.
Pull your email list. Look at event sign-in sheets from the past two years. Check your social media followers for names you recognize. Write down anyone who has engaged.
Not all of these people will become donors. But some will. And you won’t know which ones until you ask.
Category 5: Service Recipients and Their Families
Depending on your mission, the people you serve may be excellent prospects.
A parent whose child benefited from your tutoring program has experienced your impact firsthand. An adult who completed your job training course knows exactly what your organization does. A family member of someone you’ve helped may feel profound gratitude.
This category requires sensitivity. You never want people to feel obligated to give, especially if they’re in vulnerable situations. But many people who have experienced your work want to give back when they’re able. Don’t assume they can’t or won’t. Let them decide.
Write down anyone in this category who might want to support your mission.
Category 6: Community Connections
This is the broadest category. Think about people in your community who might care about your cause even if they don’t have a direct connection to your organization yet.
Consider local business owners, especially those whose businesses align with your mission. Think about members of your congregation, civic club, or professional association. Remember neighbors, friends, and acquaintances who have expressed interest in issues you address.
Ask yourself: who do I know personally who might care about this work if they understood it?
This category often generates the most names because it draws on your entire personal and professional network. Write down everyone who comes to mind. You can prioritize later.
Prompts to Jog Your Memory
If you’re staring at a half-empty list, here are some prompts to help:
- Who attended your last event or open house?
- Who have you talked to about your work in the past year, even casually?
- Who has asked you questions about what you do?
- Who has commented on your social media posts?
- Who do you know through your place of worship?
- Who are your neighbors, and which ones care about community issues?
- Who are your spouse’s or partner’s colleagues and friends?
- Who are your children’s friends’ parents?
- Who did you go to school with who has stayed in touch?
- Who have you worked with at previous jobs who might care about this cause?
- Who do you know through hobbies, sports leagues, or clubs?
- Who has given to similar organizations in your community?
- Who owns local businesses you frequent?
- Who serves on other nonprofit boards in your area?
Keep writing until you hit 50 names. If you exceed 50, even better. You can always prioritize the list later.
What to Do With Your List
Once you have 50 names, your next step is to prioritize.
Rate each person on two dimensions: how likely they are to give, and how connected they are to someone who can make the ask.
Your highest-priority prospects are people who are likely to give and whom you or someone on your team can personally contact. These are your first outreach targets.
Your second tier includes people who are likely to give but whom you don’t know well personally. For these, you’ll need to find a connection or build the relationship before asking.
Your third tier includes people with weaker connections or lower likelihood of giving. These are longer-term cultivation targets.
Start with your first tier. Identify your top 10 prospects and schedule time to reach out to them in the next two weeks. A personal email, a phone call, an invitation to coffee. Begin the conversations that lead to asks.
The List Is a Living Document
Your prospect list isn’t a one-time exercise. It should grow and evolve as your organization grows.
Every time you meet someone new who might care about your mission, add them to the list. Every time a current prospect gives or declines, update their status. Every time a board member or volunteer provides a referral, add those names.
Review your list at least monthly. Ask yourself: who should I be talking to that I’m not? Who has fallen through the cracks? Who is ready to be asked?
The organizations that fundraise successfully don’t have access to secret lists of wealthy donors. They have systems for continuously identifying and cultivating the people in their existing networks. This exercise is the foundation of that system.
The Assignment
Set a timer for one hour. Work through all six categories and generate at least 50 names.
Then identify your top 10 highest-priority prospects. These are people who are likely to give and whom you can personally contact.
Schedule time in the next two weeks to reach out to each of those 10 people. Not to ask for money immediately, but to start or deepen the relationship.
Your first 50 donors are already in your network. You just need to write down their names and start the conversations.
