The Masterful Follow-Up: Navigating Post-LOI Communication with Grace

A field-tested guide for foundation fundraisers who want to stay on a program officer's radar without landing on their nerves.

You submitted your Letter of Inquiry. You hit send, silently prayed to the grant gods, and then... nothing. The calendar pages turn. Your executive director starts asking questions. And you’re left wondering: do I follow up, or do I wait?

Here’s the truth: the follow-up is part of the ask. Done well, it signals professionalism, genuine interest, and organizational competence.

Done badly, it signals desperation and makes program officers hide behind their out-of-office messages.

Let’s talk about how to do it right.

Hiking in the Rainforest, Bogor, Indonesia © Tonya Hennessey

First, Read the Room (and the Guidelines)

Before you do anything, go back to the funder’s website. Many private foundations spell out their LOI review timeline and whether they accept follow-up inquiries.

If the guidelines say “we will contact you,” that means you wait. Ignoring this instruction is the grant equivalent of texting someone back before they’ve had a chance to reply. Don’t be that person.

If the guidelines ar…