Welcome to Withbroe Development Consulting

Below are links and resources that we hope you will find useful to support your organization. We've also included Nancy's personal tips on making the "dreaded cold call."

Be prepared with your 30 second “pitch” on your organization and why you think there is a good match between your mission and the funder’s current priorities.
Ask to speak with a specific program officer (foundations) or community relations representative (corporations). The person answering the phone will be trained to screen out organizations that are obviously not good fits. If you have a staff members’s name, it helps to show that you have done some research. You may have to go through your questions with the lower level person anyway. This can be helpful, but still ask at the end of the conversation if you can make an appointment to talk with the person you really wanted to reach to explore further the potential partnership.
Have a substantive question ready that demonstrates that you’ve done your homework (i.e., read the Foundation Center profile, corporation/foundation web site, guidelines, past grants lists, current press releases, etc.). For example, you might ask, “I see from the Africa Grants Program fact sheet on your web site that you prefer to make grants to programs that strengthen the capacity of local organizations. Our organization works closely with indigenous people and local NGOs to build the skills of local people so they can sustain the project long-term. We’d like to apply to the Major Money Foundation to support the micro-enterprise component of our project in Uganda. Would such a request be of interest to the foundation?”
Be ready to cite examples of successful, relevant projects that your organization has conducted and to mention the names of partner organizations, particularly if the foundation has funded any of their work. Collaboration is key, especially for foundations.
If you aren’t sure which of your organization’s activities will interest the foundation the most, say that you have 2-3 projects in mind and you’d like to briefly describe each one to find the best fit with the funder’s goals. Keep your initial descriptions very short; staffs are inundated with requests and are looking for reasons to get you off the phone.
Have a grant amount in mind and, if the conversation goes well, ask “Would a request in the range of $X be appropriate?”
If they say that they aren’t making any new grants now, ask if it would be appropriate to call back later – maybe in six months or a year. The answer to this question will let you know if they are trying to say no forever gently, or if they really are interested but just don’t have the funds right now.
Whether or not they express interest in a proposal, always ask what other funders they think you should approach. Grantmakers love to give advice, will be flattered that you asked, and may name an organization that you hadn’t identified yet. Ask for a contact and if you can use their name when calling them.