We all know that when a donor or funder does a site visit, it's a good sign that you will probably receive a donation or grant.

When donors and funders make the effort to do a site visit, they do so because they are already leaning towards make a gift or grant. The site visit, then, is more like a pass/fail test than one graded A, B, C, or F.

Often a site visit helps me evaluate one of two options. The first is to see if the organization lives up the claims it makes in its proposal letter. That covers most cases.

But there are times when I think there is more to the organization's story I read in the proposal letter. That may be because of personal experience or other sources such as feature articles in the local newspaper. In these cases, a site visit helps me see if the organization lives up to what I'm reading between the lines.

Depending upon a funder's or donor's circumstances, a site visit probably has more influence on the size of a gift than on whether any gift is made.

Sometimes people turn these ideas around. After all, if a funder’s visit improves your chances for a grant, then let’s hold an event for donors and funders. Once they come and see out site, donations and grants will follow.

Organizations certainly need to hold events from time to time. But there is a fine line between a legitimate event and a contrived one. And you want to avoid contrived events. How do you create a great event that might attract new donors and funders?

First, remember that funders and donors attract a lot of attention. Many organizations would like to have their attention. So take a moment to think about your events from their perspective. What interests do your organization and potential funders have in common? What does your organization do that is unique? And is there a special way of presenting that unique feature to funders with an interest in common?

Second, involve a donor who already supports you in this effort. If a funder or major donor is willing to be a partner in an event other donors and funders may see it has a higher priority.

Fourth, if you are one of many providers of a service in a community you might consider partnering with other organizations. Your main goal is to help funders and donors better understand your area of service. This approach can spread the cost of events and attract a wider audience.

Fifth, think out of the box; take the event on the road. Maybe there is a way talk to donors and funders, individually or in groups, in their offices. Take the site visit to their site. An example; say you run an employment program that has crew working near a funder’s office. You might be able to show a funder how your program works right next door to their offices.

Finally, think about volunteer activities. Are there special tasks that your volunteers perform? Is there a way for a donor or funder to get a sense of what those volunteers do by participating side by side?

The recurring themes here are simple:

• Use real activities
• Connect to a donor’s interest, such as where they work or live
• Use connections you have to make new connections

If you have suggestions to add, email me at kenristine@hotmail.com