"A" is for Assessment

In January we talked about prospect identification - where to look for those individuals, corporations and foundations with potential to support your organization. And our January 27th post, Know thy Donor, referred to Tom Belford's post over at the Agitator blog, where he talks about the importance of getting to know your donors and prospects.

In his post today, Tom reinforces the need for organizations to truly know not just the whos and whats of donors and prospects, but to dig deep to discover the whys. He references "soft" research, which is one of the greatest benefits that flows from a development or program audit/assessment, feasibility study, or fundraising planning process. Donors, volunteers, staff and clients will often share their frank and honest thoughts and feelings with a neutral third party when confidentiality is guaranteed and an objective process is in place.  Conducting an annual assessment is one of the best ways to let your supporters know that you value their input - and to discover the whys.