How to Build Relationships with Grant Funders (An Introvert’s Guide)

Building relationships with grant funders is one of the most effective ways to strengthen your nonprofit’s fundraising strategy. Whether you’re reaching out to a private foundation, corporate giving program, or community fund, starting that relationship can feel daunting—especially for introverts. And, it can be intimidating to reach out to grant funders that are invitation-only. But as you’ll see below, it’s not really complicated. You’re getting to know the funder, and they’re getting to know you. Grantmaking (and fundraising in general) is all about relationships.

While email and video calls have their place in the professional world, in-person meetings and phone calls provide the human touch that can initiate and continue relationships. There are nuances we see and hear in these settings that don’t come across online. However, we’re increasingly working online (hey, I work remotely!), and as we spend more post-pandemic time at home than in public settings, we might start to get shy about reaching out to other people, especially grant funders. I call myself a socially functioning introvert: I can act like an extrovert in the moment, but it will wear me out, and I need time to recover after lots of people time. I found that, after the deepest parts of the pandemic, my extrovert muscle had gotten weak. I had to start over again exercising that muscle!

So, here’s an introvert’s guide to building relationships with grant funders. I’ll share practical tips and a simple conversation guide to help you confidently initiate the conversations you’ve been putting off. Even if you’re an extrovert, you’ll benefit from having this step-by-step guide to reaching out to funders.

Why relationships matter in grant funding

I usually feel like a broken record when I emphasize how much relationships matter in the grant world. You’ll likely also hear from many fundraisers that the best grantmaking isn’t transactional but rather about building partnerships. The strongest partnerships are founded on shared priorities and visions for the future. By establishing and maintaining a relationship with your grant funders, you’re helping them see how your work aligns with their philanthropic strategy.

It is particularly critical to build relationships with private foundations and corporations. Sometimes, these relationships are more important than the grant application itself, which could simply be the documentation the foundation’s auditor needs to support your grant award. As I mentioned in my comparison of private versus public funders, getting to know the decision maker(s) at a private foundation can directly impact whether you receive funding.

However, not all foundations are interested in having conversations with grantees. The grant ecosystem has gotten busier and more competitive than ever, and some foundations have transitioned to invitation-only opportunities (which means they have to reach out to you, not the other way around). Be prepared to either move on from a funder or put them on the back burner if you can’t get in touch with them through normal channels.

How to prepare before reaching out

A little preparation can go a long way toward creating a strong first impression with a funder. Here are some ways I’d suggest you prepare before initiating a conversation with a foundation.

Review the funder’s materials

Before you begin building a relationship with a grant funder, start by reviewing the public documentation about the funder and/or grant opportunity closely. If the funder has a website, scour each relevant page to get to know the organization. Do they list their priorities, grant opportunities, and past funded organizations? Is there an impact report available that you can review? If they don’t have a website, review the latest 990 available online (ProPublica is usually most up to date), focusing on past grantees and any basic information that is publicly available.

As you review each of the above areas, make a list of questions to ask that are related to how you would approach the funder or application. Do you want to find out more about the application or review process? Do you have a specific eligibility question? Whatever you do, don’t ask questions that can be answered elsewhere just to have something to talk about. Funders that are open to conversations expect you to do your homework before reaching out to them.

And this should be common sense, but I want to reiterate: If the funder has eligibility criteria listed online, ensure your organization meets those criteria! There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a conversation with a funder where you realize their priorities preclude you ever seeking their support.

Leverage your existing connections

Rather than cold outreach, it’s usually best to connect to a funder through a mutual relationship. One great way to do this is to share the funder’s list of board members and/or staff with your board. Do you have any relationships in common that you could leverage? If a board member recognizes a common connection, ask them to introduce you to the foundation. The old adage “people give to people” is founded on personal relationships like these. It will also make your board members happy to be working on your behalf. Be prepared to provide your board member with the research you uncovered in step one, and follow up with the board member regularly to find out the status of the connection.

Research the funder contact

If there’s a specific contact you’ll be able to speak with, research that individual. Time with a good, old-fashioned search engine can be helpful here. You’re looking for commonalities you or your organization might have with the individual, like boards they’ve served on, their alma mater, and so on.

In this step, you’re likely to stumble on the individual’s LinkedIn profile. Proceed with caution!! While this is so helpful to find out whether you have a common contact or to learn more about their credentials, it might be off-putting if you request a cold connection via LinkedIn. Think about all the outreach messages you’ve gotten on LinkedIn from someone you don’t know. You probably ignored them, didn’t you?

Align your missions

Finally, consider your organization from the funder’s perspective. What might they want to know about your work? Have your elevator pitch handy, and make sure you can speak quickly and knowledgeably about how your organizations' missions align. Start with these questions that funders want you to answer in applications: what work your organization is doing or plans to do, who your organization is serving or plans to serve, and how credible and effective your organization is.

An AI like ChatGPT can be especially helpful here. For instance, input your mission and the funder's into the AI, then prompt the system to make connections between the two. Maybe even go so far as to input the rest of your elevator pitch and see how your work aligns.

Get ready for your meeting with the funder

If you are able to schedule a meeting ahead of time, request permission to record the call. This helps you focus on the call rather than furiously taking notes. Use a transcription service or listen back to the conversation to be sure you understood the funder’s main points.

Introverts, you might want to practice the meeting with a colleague ahead of time. Having a chance to test the language you plan to use could help you feel more at ease during the meeting.

What to say when you talk to a grant funder (conversation guide)

Here’s a conversation guide that you can adapt for calls, in-person introductions, and Zoom meetings. Having a plan for the first conversation can help you feel confident and professional. Even if you don’t use my suggested text below, try writing down some of what you might say. This will help you have a plan for the conversation and steady your nerves.

1. Introduce yourself and your organization. If you’re contacting them through a mutual connection, mention that person’s name at this stage. 

“Hi, I’m [name] from [nonprofit]. [Mutual connection] connected us via email last week.”

2. If you’re calling the foundation’s main line, confirm you’re speaking with the right person – the decision maker, grant program officer, etc.

“Hello, [name], I’m hoping to reach the program officer for [grant program name]. Could you please connect me?” 

If they’re not available at the time: “I’d like to call back. Can you please give me their direct line or email address?”

3. Explain your project briefly, ideally aligning it immediately with the funder’s priorities, such as benefit to the community.

“Our nonprofit, [nonprofit name], helps [service population] [solve problem] in [community name.] Based on our research, our work seems to best align with your priorities to [solve problem] in [community]. Do I understand that correctly?”

4. Ask for advice on building a relationship or applying. Make it clear that you’ve read the guidelines thoroughly. While your nonprofit is the expert in your programming, the funder is the subject matter expert on their philanthropy. Lean on them to learn how you can be a strong partner for their work.

“We’ve read all the information carefully about your funding history and the grant opportunity, but I have some specific questions about [list the questions].”

5. Take detailed notes and thank the contact for their time. If you’re not able to record the conversation, take a few quiet minutes after the meeting to jot down the highlights of the conversation.

“I appreciate your time today. I’ll follow up if I have more questions. [List other action items you determined in the call.]”

After the conversation: how to follow up

Send a brief thank-you note to your contact, referencing a portion of your conversation (e.g., “I appreciated how you explained why the trust’s founder was interested in [your nonprofit sector]. I hadn’t read that elsewhere, and it revealed more about the ‘why’ of your work.”). Don’t fret too much about whether this should be handwritten or emailed. It’s more important that it arrive to the contact in a timely manner. If you promised to connect them to a colleague, maybe email will be better, so you can CC the colleague to the message.

Share your learnings with your co-workers and board, helping to close the loop from your initial request for connections. Record your notes in your grant tracker or donor CRM so future development staff (maybe even you!) can remember the contents of the conversation.

If the funder expressed interest in a specific program, keep them in the loop about that relevant work by sending them updates throughout the year. If you’re worried you might forget, set a calendar reminder for a few months in the future. However, don’t add them to mail or email newsletter lists without their explicit permission. (Again, how do you feel when someone adds you to their email newsletter without your permission? You unsubscribe, don’t you?)

Final thoughts

Throughout the process, you may find that you don’t have contact information or a common connection. Or maybe the funder is invitation-only and is intentionally keeping their info private. In this case, think creatively about other ways you can be in touch. Attend local philanthropic events that the foundation sponsors or is likely to attend. Follow up with your board and let them know you’re having trouble finding a contact. They may have ideas for other ways to get in touch (or maybe they’re attending that philanthropic event or golf scramble). If you recognize a partner nonprofit among the funder’s supported organizations, reach out to your peer at the nonprofit to see what they’d suggest.

Building relationships with grant funders is a long game. In rare circumstances, you might be able to schedule a meeting with a foundation staffer, immediately apply for funding, and then receive a grant award. More often than not, though, it may take a few months (or years) to develop a relationship with a grant funder. Acknowledge that you’re doing everything you can, and educate your board on the long-term strategy you’re carrying out.

I hope this post has helped you understand that conversations with funders don’t have to be complicated or scary, but rather that you’re one person connecting to another one over a shared interest. Remember that the goal isn’t perfection (reading every single article about the funder and poring over the last 10 years of annual reports): it’s connection!

Want to skip over the grant research so you can go straight to a conversation with a funder? We offer funding strategies that narrow down the multitude of grants to a personalized road map of opportunities that are the best fit for your nonprofit’s mission. Read about the Plan Your Stops service and request a funding strategy.

Cover photo by #WOCinTech Chat on WOCinTechChat.com.