Hi there,
We're currently reviewing our processes around what we call 'Peer Reviews', which is basically how we expand our donor network by utilising the connections our development board, board of trustees and executive team have, and how we accurately and efficiently record and track these connections in Tessitura, to support our efforts.
At the moment, fundraisers can suggest prospects for peer review via a peer review step type on an open Plan, adding the board member or other stakeholder as a worker to the step. This information can then easily be pulled into a step detail report, and we use the completed field once that prospect has been discussed in a stakeholder meeting.
We are finding holes in the process when it comes to updating results form peer review stakeholder meetings, and tracking whether our stakeholders hold certain relationships with prospects and the steps we need to take next to get closer to the prospect in question.
Obviously, there is the relationship tab to track relationships - this has been used in the past but hasn't been kept wholly up to date. This function is good for recording basic relationships, but we are unable to track how the relationships/cultivation activities are progressing here, which is why plans seem like a more obvious place to record this info in greater detail.
I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who uses Tessitura to actively track stakeholder relationships and activity relating to prospecting and cultivation. What Tessitura functions do you use? Do you have a set process or is it more ad-hoc? Is there a guide for the team to use? How do you record outcomes and measure success? Any advice would be gratefully received.
Thanks so much for your time,
Olivia
Hi Olivia,
We undertook a Peer Review/Peer Screening last year whereby a list of names was presented to various board members etc (as opposed to only presenting one name at a time as you mention above). Following this, we created a Prospect Campaign called "Peer Screening Follow Up" and then created plans on the board members' records who undertook the exercise using this campaign. We then created a step for each person that they identified that was known to them in the list under a Step Type we have called "Follow Up" (i.e. we made the Step Description the identified person's name, e.g. "Joe Blogs"). In the notes we described the connection (e.g. "Barry identified in the peer screening that he knows Joe Blogs through his time working at X") and then wrote the suggested follow up action for progressing an introduction, etc. We then added a due date to ensure that this progressed.The Worker for the step is the relationship manager of the board member so that they can receive notifications/reminders to follow up as this due date draws nearer. We also added the identified person to the step under the Associate Name. This way, if you go to their record on Tessitura for some other purpose you can see the plan on their record as well.If the same person was identified by multiple board members, we did this under both board members' Peer Screening Follow Up plan and then when you go to that identified person's record you can see that they are known to more than one board member (this was also mentioned in the notes section just in case for when a strategy/follow up/cultivation plan was developed).Note also that this exercise led to the board members etc who undertook the exercise bringing up other names as potential prospects/connectors, and we were able to add them in as steps too.
We are still in the early stages of the follow up but it is presumed that if the relationship with the identified person progresses, we will transition them to their own plan, however, if they are unresponsive to introductions through the board member/connector, it will simply be added to the notes section under this initial step with changes to the due date and completion date as necessary.
In terms of those named in the list who weren't identified as being known by the board members/people who underwent the exercise, we still recorded that they were included in the list of names by adding a step to their plan under another Prospect Campaign we have called "Philanthropy Prospect" (the names that were in the peer screening list were pulled from those already identified as potential prospects and assigned plans in this campaign) using a Step Type we have called "Peer Screened" and made the step date the date that the exercise was undertaken and wrote something to the effect of "Joe Blogs was put forward in a list of names which was presented to the board in order to identify whether or not they are known to them and whether they would be willing to assist us in advancing a relationship with them". The step description was "Round One" as we are planning to repeat the exercise at least annually as we become aware of other names etc. This is helpful for if/when that name comes up again sometime down the track, we have some sort of record that we have already investigated in-house connector points for engagement.
There is a lot of work in this as you say in terms of you also need to record relationships in the Relationships tab too, but the notifications keep the relationship managers on track in terms of transitioning these connections into becoming strong prospects. And the progress is also able to be tracked through the campaign which seems to be working OK so far.
Happy to chat/brainstorm more about it.
Stephanie.