Here’s a fundraising secret: if at all possible, don’t meet people in their offices. Meet over a meal or a coffee.
Why? Because aside from the obvious office distractions and time limitations, people are deeply in their “roles” while enthroned behind their desks. This dynamic presents a stubborn barrier when you are setting the conditions for an authentic connection.
[...] with the other person (in a previous blog: this first visit is more effective when you don’t meet in an office). I can then naturally, as a next step, weave the Executive Director and/or other key Board members [...]