1. AFP Information Exchange
Using LinkedIn to Uncover
New Donors and Board Members
~
This AFP Information Exchange resource is provided by:
Ann-Laura Parks, CFRE
Monsterful Fundraising and Communications
www.BeMonsterful.com
4300 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 300 • Arlington, VA 22203-4168
800-666-3863 (U.S. & Canada) • 703-684-0410 • 001-866-837-1948 (Mexico)
703-684-0540 fax • www.afpnet.org • afp@afpnet.org

2. Using
LinkedIn
to
Uncover
New
Donors
and
Board
Members
Introduction
More
than
a
job
hunting
site
LinkedIn
is
not
just
a
place
to
look
for
a
job
or
network
for
business.
It
is
emerging
as
a
top
B2B
marketing
tool
which
also
happens
to
make
it
a
great
tool
for
nonprofit
prospecting
and
relationship-­‐building.
In
recent
years,
LinkedIn
has
added
features
that
can
present
your
nonprofit
in
a
space
where
corporations
and
foundations
are
increasingly
spending
their
time
and
effort.
Since
LinkedIn
users
are
primarily
professionals,
you
will
be
able
to
reach
people
who
are
more
likely
to
be
affluent
and
in
a
position
to
help
your
cause
through
corporate
support,
loaned
executives,
employee
volunteers,
cause
marketing,
and
board
service.
While
Facebook
and
Twitter
are
still
the
top
social
media
channels
to
reach
general
audiences,
LinkedIn
allows
you
to
make
connections
where
you
can
develop
more
beneficial
partnerships.
A
few
relevant
stats
• It’s
one
of
the
fastest
growing
networks
with
2.5
million
users
and
two
new
members
joining
every
second.
• The
average
income
of
users
is
$86k
per
year
—
36%
make
$50-­‐$100k
and
31%
make
more
than
$100k.
• 40%
of
users
check
in
several
times
a
week.
• Only
12%
of
nonprofits
use
LinkedIn
indicating
that
this
is
still
very
much
an
untapped
resource.
You
can
use
LinkedIn
to:
• Identify
and
research
potential
donors,
board
members,
and
pro
bono
service
providers
• Build
relationships
with
current
and
potential
donors
&
volunteers
• Be
better
informed
for
face-­‐to-­‐face
meetings
with
prospects
• Increase
the
branding
and
presence
of
your
organization
Your
Individual
Profile
Since
LinkedIn
is
focused
on
connecting
people
to
people,
your
profile
is
the
most
important
aspect
of
getting
the
most
from
the
network.

3.
Fill
in
the
basics
A
blank
or
sparse
profile
gives
the
impression
that
you
are
not
serious
about
your
work
or
career.
At
minimum,
include
your
recent
work
history,
education,
etc.
on
your
profile.
It
doesn’t
need
to
be
an
exact
copy
of
your
resumé
or
include
everything
you’ve
ever
done
but
do
hit
the
high
points.
The
goal
is
to
give
people
a
peek
at
the
personality
behind
the
profile.
Have
a
profile
photo
A
profile
with
a
picture
is
seven
times
more
likely
to
be
viewed
than
one
without.
But
nothing
says
“unprofessional”
more
than
a
bad
profile
photo
(blurry,
outdated,
or
inappropriate).
This
isn’t
Facebook
—
no
kids,
pets,
food,
other
people,
busy
backgrounds,
you
in
skimpy
attire
on
the
beach
...
The
only
thing
worse
is
no
profile
photo
at
all
which
does
nothing
to
foster
confidence.
Use
a
current
head
shot
(full
body
photos
don’t
‘pop’
in
the
news
feed)
so
that
people
won’t
be
surprised
when
they
meet
the
real
you.
LinkedIn
gives
you
the
option
to
crop
your
image
into
a
square
when
you
upload
it.
Take
time
to
adjust
this
otherwise
you
might
be
represented
by
your
forehead
and
the
ceiling
of
your
office.
Profile
Photo
Specs:
JPG,
GIF,
or
PNG,
200
px
‒
500
px
square,
4MB
max
file
size
Make
your
profile
public
In
your
account
privacy
settings,
you
can
determine
who
can
see
your
profile
and
connections.
I
recommend
that
you
make
your
public
profile
visible
to
everyone.
Get
the
others
on
board
Ask
your
staff
(especially
the
CEO),
board,
and
volunteers
to
update
their
own
profiles
being
sure
to
show
their
affiliation
with
your
organization
in
the
experience
or
volunteer
sections
as
appropriate.
Other
enthusiastic
supporters
can
add
a
link
to
your
website
under
“organizations
you
support.”
You
may
even
offer
to
assist
key
people
if
they
are
too
busy
or,
ahem,
technologically
challenged,
to
manage
it.
I’ve
been
known
to
add
photos
and
freshen
the
copy
on
more
than
a
few
profiles
(with
the
owner’s
permission,
of
course).
Your
Organizational
Page
A
company
page
on
LinkedIn
is
similar
to
an
organizational
Facebook
page.
You
can
have
followers,
post
updates,
and
converse
with
constituents.
People
who
include
your
organization

4. in
their
own
profile
(employees
and
volunteers)
are
automatically
connected
to
the
organizational
profile.
Note:
Groups
are
mainly
used
for
discussions
centered
around
an
issue
or
special
interest.
These
require
more
effort
to
maintain
than
a
page.
Don’t
start
a
group
unless
you
have
an
engagement
strategy
and
someone
who
can
function
as
the
community
manager
otherwise
you
risk
giving
the
appearance
that
no
one
is
paying
attention
which
reflects
poorly
on
the
whole
organization.
Whether
you
have
a
profile,
group,
or
both,
someone
in
your
organization
should
be
responsible
for
moderating
them
and
keeping
them
current.
Parts
of
a
organizational
page
The
FAQ
section
is
where
you
include
the
basic
information
about
your
organization.
If
you
wish,
you
can
also
add
special
sections
for
programs,
products,
and
services.
The
showcase
page
is
a
new
feature
where
you
can,
well,
showcase
specific
brands
or
products
but
you
can
also
use
it
to
promote
fundraising
events,
membership
benefits,
or
special
interest
groups—use
your
imagination!
There
are
three
types
of
images
you
can
upload
to
an
organizational
profile:
• The
banner
image
displays
at
the
top
of
your
page.
(size
640x220
px)
• The
standard
logo
will
show
up
on
the
personal
profiles
of
people
who
include
your
organization
in
their
experience
or
volunteer
sections.
(size
100x60
px)
• The
square
logo
will
display
next
to
your
organizational
status
updates.
(size
50x50
px)
• Accepted
image
formats
include
PNG,
JPEG,
or
GIF
Building
Your
Network
Making
connections
Make
sure
you
have
staff,
board
and
other
volunteers
who
are
on
LinkedIn
as
a
first
level
connection.
Don’t
forget
about
any
major
donors
that
you
feel
comfortable
reaching
out
to—
they
are
your
best
advocates!
Then
you’ll
be
able
to
see
if
they
have
a
good
contact
with
an
organization,
company
or
individual
that
you
want
to
get
to
know.
If
you
find
someone
you
want
to
meet
in
person
or
by
phone,
call
your
first
degree
connection
ask
if
they
are
willing
make
an
introduction
and
set
up
a
phone
call
or
meeting
with
your
prospect.
Busy
people
usually
don’t
have
time
for
meetings
that
have
no
agenda
so
make
it
worth
their
while
and
have
something
to
say.
The
“Who’s
viewed
your
profile?”
feature
lets
you
see
who’s
checked
you
out.
If
it’s
someone
of
interest
to
you,
go
ahead
and
send
a
connection
request
or
message.
Whenever
you
meet

5. someone
out
in
the
real
world
who
may
be
a
beneficial
relationship,
follow
up
with
an
invitation
to
connect
on
LinkedIn.
Use
LinkedIn
badges
on
your
website
and
in
your
email
signature
to
direct
people
to
your
profile.
You
can
also
use
the
“People
You
May
Know”
and
“Advanced
People
Finder”
tools
to
locate
others
you
should
have
in
your
network.
The
best
way
to
send
a
connection
invite
The
default
connection
message
is
too
generic
and
nonspecific.
A
personal
note
is
much
more
effective.
If
you
don’t
know
the
person
very
well,
say
something
about
where
you
met
or
why
a
connection
is
mutually
beneficial.
For
example:
Kathy,
I
see
that
we
have
quite
a
few
LinkedIn
connections
in
common
and
we
also
share
an
interest
in
animal
welfare.
I’d
would
like
to
include
you
in
my
network
so
we
can
stay
in
touch.
Many
thanks,
Ann-­‐Laura
Parks,
CFRE
Go
for
quality
over
quantity
and
only
connect
with
people
you
know
or
where
there
is
a
clear
association.
LinkedIn
is
about
building
trusted
relationships
and
random
connections
can
devalue
your
network.
Tip:
newsle.com
is
a
third-­‐party
service
that
alerts
you
to
news
stories
about
your
LinkedIn
and
Facebook
contacts.
It's
a
great
tool
to
help
the
development
professional
build
upon
his
or
her
relationships.
Make
updates
You
can
post
updates
as
yourself
to
your
connections
and
as
your
organization
to
those
who
are
following
the
page.
Periodic
updates
will
keep
you
and
your
organization
in
the
minds
of
your
connections
and
followers.
Updates
should
be
related
to
your
work
or
area
of
expertise.
Follow
the
principle
of
donor-­‐centered
communications—what
do
you
have
to
say
that
your
audience
would
find
interesting,
inspiring,
helpful,
or
educational?
Add
value,
build
trust.
Identify
&
Research
Prospects
I’m
going
to
focus
in
what
you
can
do
with
a
free
account
but
with
the
paid
premium
account,
you
will
have
access
to
more
robust
search
features.
If
you
find
LinkedIn
to
be
a
useful
tool,
it
might
be
worthwhile
including
funds
for
a
premium
account
in
your
next
budget.

6.
Advanced
Search
In
the
advanced
search
function,
generate
a
search
to
find
people
who
meet
the
criteria
for
what
you
are
looking
for.
Useful
search
fields
include
name,
keywords,
location,
company,
industry,
and
alma
mater.
If
you
find
yourself
doing
searches
using
the
same
criteria
multiple
times,
select
“Save
search”
(upper
right)
to
save
your
future
self
a
little
effort.
Say
you’re
the
development
director
for
a
humane
society
in
a
metropolitan
area,
you
might
do
a
search
on
executives
in
your
area
who
work
with
animal
hospitals,
pet
supply
companies,
or
animal
boarding
facilities.
From
your
search
results
you
can
qualify
prospects
and
see
if
there
are
any
mutual
connections
to
facilitate
introductions.
If
your
prospect’s
visibility
settings
allow
you
to
see
their
profile
(I’ve
found
that
most
do),
you
can
find
out
more
information
that
will
help
you
qualify
them
as
a
prospective
donor,
volunteer,
or
board
member.
One
big
drawback
is
that
unless
you
have
a
paid
account,
you
will
not
be
able
to
see
the
full
names
of
people
outside
of
your
personal
network.
Here’s
a
trick
to
get
around
that:
from
your
favorite
search
engine
(Google,
Bing,
Yahoo!,
etc.)
do
a
search
on
their
organization,
job
title,
and
first
name.
Chances
are
their
full
name
and
contact
info
exists
somewhere
on
the
Internet.
Find
Board
Members
In
addition
to
the
steps
outlined
above,
joining
the
Board
Member
Connect
program
developed
by
LinkedIn
may
provide
you
with
high-­‐quality
leads.
Organizations
with
a
501c3
can
request
to
participate
in
the
program
which
provides
free
access
to
the
Talent
Finder
tool,
educational
resources,
and
membership
in
the
Board
Connect
Group.
Visit
the
Board
Connect
page
or
email
boardconnect@linkedin.com
to
learn
more.
Additional
Resource:
LinkedIn
for
Good
Official
Blog
-­‐
http://blog.linkedin.com/topic/linkedin-­‐for-­‐good/

7. AFP Information Exchange
Using LinkedIn to Uncover New Donors and Board Members
by Ann-Laura Parks, CFRE
Monsterful Fundraising and Communication
www.BeMonsterful.com
linkedin.com/in/annparks
twitter.com/BeMonsterful
About the Author: Ann-Laura Parks has worked in nonprofit development and
communications for 20 years. Her unique skill set – including writing, graphic
design, and technology – has played a major role in her success in these areas.
Ann-Laura graduated cum laude with a BFA from the Savannah College of Art
and Design and then worked as a freelance commercial artist for several years.
Her cover illustration for “Georgia Voices: Vol. 1” was recognized in the 1994
PRINT Regional Annual. In 1995, a career-shift brought her to the nonprofit and
arts administration world. A member of the Association for Fundraising
Professionals, Ann-Laura has been a certified fundraising executive through
CFRE International since 2006.
4300 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 300 • Arlington, VA 22203-4168
800-666-3863 (U.S. & Canada) • 703-684-0410 • 001-866-837-1948 (Mexico)
703-684-0540 fax • www.afpnet.org • afp@afpnet.org