First Impressions: Making the Most of Those Crucial First Meetings

As a young nonprofit professional, I have struggled with perfecting my “short and sweet” pitch to get potential donors and supporters from the NO category to the YES category. After all, I like to talk and the meetings big corporations offer never seem long enough.

I remember my first big meeting (which was actually only a couple of years ago). That morning I put on my power suit, brushed my teeth twice, and left extra early (just in case I hit unexpected traffic).

When I arrived at the office, I was greeted with a strong handshake and the comment, “You look to be about my daughter’s age!” Immediately my hands began to sweat.

We sat down and I got right to the point. I talked about the organization, our programs, and the impact we were having on the local community. I offered testimonials, recited statistics, and even provided a couple of colorful pie charts. Yes, I even had a PowerPoint on my laptop. I talked for about 20 minutes straight. I thought the key was to sale the organization, to prove that out of the hundreds of other nonprofits in the area, this was the one to support.

At the end of my speech, I asked if there were any questions. With a stern face the top CEO of the company looked at me and asked,” So what’s in it for us?”

I didn’t know how to respond. Wasn’t knowing that your money was going to a good cause enough?

Needless to say, I didn’t land the sponsorship. I did, however, learn an important lesson about cause marketing.

Today’s first breakout session brought back this experience. Speaker Scott Pansky (partner and co-founder of Allison & Partners) talked about first impressions and the key to making the most of those crucial first meetings.

Here are his tips:

• Come in with an agenda – the three B’s – Be Brief. Be Bright. Be Gone!
• Remember you are “in the door” (and getting in the door is the hardest part!)
• Listen! Ask questions!
• Think about both sides of the table
• Create clear next steps and deliverables

Obviously I failed to do all of these things during my first big meeting. I would like to say that I have perfected my pitch at this point, but I know that I still have a long way to go.

I think the hardest part is demonstrating what a partnership can look like. Potential donors and financial supporters do not want to hear the typical three-tiered promotion. No one really cares if they are a gold, silver, or bronze sponsor. What they really want to know is how connecting their name to your organization will affect their bottom-line.

It is important to understand a potential partner’s needs before you sit down for that first meeting. It is also important to present MARKETING solutions to potential sponsors rather than “fundraising problems”. Everyone knows that as a nonprofit, you are always looking for more financial support. The key to winning that support lies in seeing both sides of the picture.

Maybe that minor in Marketing will come in handy after all. :)