Finding the X: Prospecting with Intentionality
When it comes to identifying corporate prospects, it’s not about luck - it’s about knowing where to look. It’s a bit like following a treasure map. Not one scribbled on a napkin, but a well-worn map with clear signposts, symbols, and a big red X where opportunity lies.
Too many non-profits assume that any brand with a big name or deep pockets is the right partner. But true treasure isn’t scattered randomly, it’s found where there’s genuine alignment.
To navigate this terrain, you need more than instinct. You need a map. That’s exactly what our 7-step BePartnerReady.com® process provides - and Step 3 is where you start uncovering real opportunity.
Don’t Just Wander, Follow the Map
When I landed a corporate partnerships manager role at the NSPCC in London back in 1991, I was brimming with enthusiasm - but I didn’t have a clear strategy, despite 12 years on the corporate side! Working for a big, well-known charity meant that companies often came knocking. But just because they were interested didn’t mean they were the right fit. I wasted a lot of time chasing dead ends. That’s when I realised it’s not enough to sit back and hope the treasure will come to you. We needed a robust prospecting process - a map to guide us to the real gold. So, I created one. And left that map behind for future me’s.
When I moved to Australia, the map came with me. Over time, I refined it into a modern-day infographic - (see here), and I also began to see the corporate sector more clearly - not as one single landscape, but as a terrain with multiple treasure zones. And those zones? We now call them the Four Purses (also captured in a nifty infographic - (see here).
A Smarter Way to Prospect
Over the years, I’ve tried and tested and further enhanced the prospecting process to be both sophisticated and simple. Not just easy to teach, but practical enough for non-profits to actually implement.
That’s how the Bullseye Formula was born - a four-part process taught in Module 3 of our program:
Part 1: Think Tanking
Start by capturing companies and brands across 7 - 8 categories to create a ‘suspects list’ based on alignment. It’s big, messy, and full of possibilities - think of it as plotting all the islands on your map.
Part 2: Refinement
Using our formula, you narrow that list to 20 - 30 realistic ‘prospects’. Here’s where you start spotting treasure zones. It’s also the point to consider ethical fit, and whether you need a clear “no-go” policy to guide the crew.
Part 3: Profiling Prospects
We give you a robust template to profile each one, looking at their past behaviour, priorities and potential synergy. You’ll work out which are hot, warm or cold. It's like checking the terrain for traps, quicksand, or buried gold.
Part 4: Creating Hot Lists
From here, you’ll form two ‘hot lists’ of prospects to approach at the right time - when the tide is low, the weather’s clear, and their financial year is primed for new initiatives. No more knocking on doors during corporate winter.
Avoid Fool’s Gold
In the past, I’ve seen brilliant causes waste energy chasing big brands that look shiny but don’t offer real value - or worse, drain the team. Not every company is the right fit, and that’s okay. The ones who are? They’re out there. But it takes skill, strategy, and a solid map to find them.
Our 7-step map leads you to partnerships that are mutually beneficial, long-lasting, and deeply aligned.
If you're ready to stop wandering and start treasure hunting, take the Readiness Q&A to see if your organisation is ready to set sail.
Because in this game, it's not about finding just any chest of gold - it’s about finding your X.
Hailey Cavill-Jaspers
