Solid advice on the follow-up cadence. That line about everyone else just having a spreadsheet is so true. I've seen orgs spend months building prospect lists and then get paralyzed at the outreach stage. The three-week initial contact window is key becuase it gives enough buffer for busy program officers without losing momentum. One thing that helped me was treating the first email like a soft intro rather than an ask.
Thanks so much. And yes! Don't start your first communications with an ask off the bat. Program officers get dozens of inquiries each day. Make it easy for them to say yes to a conversation.
Solid advice on the follow-up cadence. That line about everyone else just having a spreadsheet is so true. I've seen orgs spend months building prospect lists and then get paralyzed at the outreach stage. The three-week initial contact window is key becuase it gives enough buffer for busy program officers without losing momentum. One thing that helped me was treating the first email like a soft intro rather than an ask.
Thanks so much. And yes! Don't start your first communications with an ask off the bat. Program officers get dozens of inquiries each day. Make it easy for them to say yes to a conversation.