Call Reports

After a prospect visit, do you write a call report?

If you make a visit to a networking contact, do you make a small, personal “call report” after the visit? I’ll bet you don’t, and yet this “career call report” could be just as valuable, if not more valuable, than any call report for a fundraising project.

I used to tell my staff that call reports were our legacy to the future of our organization. They were evidence that we were there and did our job to build a relationship with our donors. They were also our reminders of what we promised, and how we were going to follow up, and what was important (or not) to our prospect. In major gift work, call reports are essential.

But call reports can be the hardest documents to write. After all, a call report takes time. You make a visit, and you fly to the next and being thoughtful about what to say about your last visit seems like a luxury. Besides, you have your next steps in your head. Why write them down?

But making notes on your networking relationships can be just as important – and in the long term, more helpful to you, personally. So whether it’s on a 3 x 5 card, in Outlook, or wherever you keep your list of personal contacts — do a call report. Next year you’ll be glad you did.