When it comes to cultivating potential donors, sometimes the toughest step is just getting in the door! Wealthy people especially are being solicited from all directions, and if you want to stand out from the crowd, you need that connection you make to be a good one. This feature is designed to keep you from missing out on key advantages.
Specifically, the Inner Circle helps identify warm introductions by highlighting when one of your leads is connected to a friend of your organization. You’ll use this to identify individuals with whom special cultivation efforts can be made.
Who are my Inner Circle members?
Your Inner Circle is a list of close allies (e.g. board members, long-term advocates, former colleagues, beloved volunteers) who you would feel comfortable calling up on the phone and asking them to reach out on your behalf:
“Hey Sarah, it looks like you sit on the same board as somebody I want to cultivate. Would you be willing to reach out to them and then introduce me?”
An Inner Circle member would agree to help and then speak very highly of you.
How It Works
The Inner Circle feature cross-references the members of your list against the people you are researching. In other words, if a profile that you’ve searched for or screened is tied to the Inner Circle list, a Badge at the top of the page will be in green, indicating that fact.
- Note: For more on Badges, check out the Profile Structure Guide.
IC Member
The profile is for a person you added to your list, identifying them as a close ally.
IC Match
The profile has a high-level connection to a member of your Inner Circle list. This typically indicates a fellow board member or immediate familial relationship. Now that you’re aware you and your lead know someone in common, you can take advantage of that fact!
- Note: If there’s an IC Match, then you can find out which member of your Inner Circle they know by going to the Connections section of the profile.
Adding People to Your List
There are a number of ways you can add people to your Inner Circle list. Let’s break them down:
Individually
Step 1: Open their profile and make sure it’s been Saved to My Profiles.
Step 2: Look to the Badges at the top of the page.
Step 3: Hover your mouse over them to identify which is the IC Member badge.
Step 4: Click on it.
In Bulk
If you wish to save time, you can also add multiple people to your Inner Circle list all at once:
Step 1: Enter your people into the Inner Circle template.
- Note: As long as you use the proper template, the computer will recognize that it isn’t screening and not subtract any of your credits.
Step 2a: Send the file in using the Batch Upload.
Timing is Crucial!
Make sure that you set up your Inner Circle members before you begin doing any significant work on the WE Platform! The lists only work going forward, which means that anyone you searched for or screened prior will not see the benefits of this feature.