Interest Alignment Strategies

𝗜𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗜 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘂𝗲𝗱. Early on, I chased every funding opportunity that vaguely aligned with our mission. When resources are tight, it’s easy to reshape your work to meet funders’ interests—even if it feels like squeezing a round peg into a square hole. Over time, I learned that this approach comes with costs that can be more detrimental than the reward they bring. These include: 🍃 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘁: We move away from our original purpose when we adjust our programs to fit a funder’s requirements. This “mission drift” can dilute our core impact, spreading us thin and lessening our unique value. 💪🏿𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗲: Constantly pivoting to satisfy funders’ priorities rather than focusing on a clear mission can lead to burnout and disillusionment, making retaining talented, passionate staff harder. 🎯𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀: Casting a wide net without a strategy leads to scattered efforts and less productive results. This especially affects the development team, making them less efficient and the relationships they build more surface-level and less impactful. So, how do you ensure funder alignment? I use a weighted rubric that keeps us focused on impact. I rate each funder on key criteria—like mission alignment, application ease, and grant size—scoring them as low, medium, or high. We only pursue funders who meet our threshold so we can focus on partnerships that genuinely support our mission and goals. The criteria include: 🚀 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝟮𝟬%): Does the funder have a history of supporting causes like yours? Funders interested in your mission area will likely be a better fit. 💰 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗶𝘇𝗲 (𝟮𝟱%): Does the grant amount align with your financial needs? You also need to factor in the costs of applying for the opportunity. Does the team time pay off? 👥 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 (𝟭𝟬%): Is there an existing link through board members or mutual partners? Familiarity can create a trust-based relationship, often leading to a smoother collaboration. 🧘🏿♀️ 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 (𝟮𝟬%): A clear, grantee-focused application process means your team can focus more on impact than on admin. 🧩 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝟮𝟱%): Does the funder’s mission support your core priorities? Funding that aligns naturally with your main programs allows you to focus on impact without significant shifts in strategy. 💬 How do you evaluate funding opportunities? What would you add to the above criteria? #internationaldevelopment #fundraising #nonprofitafrica #fundingafrica

𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀? 🤔 According to the "Benchmarks for Consulting Businesses 2024," 𝟯𝟱% 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲. Meanwhile, Agency Hackers and Wix Studio Agency research indicates that 𝟲𝟱% 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀. ✖️ Traditional outreach methods such as 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀, 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀, 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀, and 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 have become 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. Spam filters, crowded inboxes, ignored phone calls, and the rise of remote work have made it difficult to connect with prospects using these traditional techniques. As a result, many face frustration rather than securing new business. 💡But despite these challenges, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁—if you're relevant. Advances in technology now allow firms to 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. Leveraging these signals transforms cold outreach into targeted, hyper-personalized conversations. Intent signals come from four key areas: 🌐 • 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘀: Anonymous visitors to your website leave digital clues about their interests. Tools now exist to identify these companies and even the individuals viewing specific pages, highlighting clear interest. ✉️ • 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: Analyzing your newsletter engagement—opens, clicks, and content interactions—pinpoints prospects actively interested in your message and expertise. 📱 • 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Prospects who engage with your company's LinkedIn posts, follow your executives, or interact with their content signal readiness for deeper conversations. 🥇 • 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Individuals who register for your webinars, virtual or live events, demonstrate interest in your thought leadership and services. 📈 Leveraging intent signals through an 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 approach achieves 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 and 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 in pipeline. Since you focus on prospects actively engaging with content related to the problems you solve, these accounts are often in 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀. 🏆 By aligning your prospecting strategy around these signals, you 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀—focusing your efforts precisely where interest already exists. ___ 📥 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀? Join 40,000+ agency and consulting leaders getting smarter about business development—subscribe to my "𝘕𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘯" newsletter. https://lnkd.in/gv2CvHNU

Your investments could be shaping more than just your portfolio. What if every dollar you deploy could create a ripple effect of positive change? The cost of overlooking impact is higher than you think. According to the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), over 3,907 organizations currently manage $1.571 trillion USD in impact investing assets under management (AUM) worldwide, representing a 21% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2019. Yet, this still accounts for only about 1% of total global assets under management, indicating a vast potential for growth. By not integrating impact considerations, investors may miss out on opportunities for meaningful change and long-term value creation. 7 Strategies to Align Investments with Purpose: 1. Define Your Impact Objectives ↳ Identify core values: Determine the social or environmental issues that resonate most with your mission. ↳ Set clear goals: Establish specific, measurable outcomes you aim to achieve through your investments. 2. Conduct Thorough Due Diligence ↳ Assess impact potential: Evaluate how prospective investments contribute to your defined objectives. ↳ Analyze track records: Review the historical performance of organizations in delivering both financial returns and positive impact. 3. Diversify Across Asset Classes ↳ Explore various vehicles: Consider equities, bonds, and alternative investments that align with your impact goals. ↳ Balance risk and return: Diversification can help mitigate risks while enhancing potential for impact. 4. Engage with Investee Companies ↳ Active ownership: Use your shareholder influence to advocate for sustainable practices. ↳ Collaborate on initiatives: Work with companies to develop strategies that enhance their social and environmental contributions. 5. Measure and Report Impact ↳ Utilize standard metrics: Adopt frameworks like IRIS+ to track and compare impact performance. ↳ Transparent reporting: Regularly disclose impact outcomes to stakeholders to build trust and accountability. 6. Stay Informed and Adaptable ↳ Monitor industry trends: Keep abreast of developments in impact investing to identify new opportunities. ↳ Be flexible: Adjust your strategies as needed to respond to changing social and environmental landscapes. 7. Collaborate with Like-Minded Investors ↳ Join networks: Participate in groups like the GIIN to share knowledge and resources. ↳ Co-invest: Partner with others to amplify impact and share due diligence efforts. Every investment is an opportunity to shape a better future. What’s one step you can take today to align your portfolio with your purpose? ♻️ Share this story with your network - let's spread inspiration far and wide! 👉 Follow Ben Botes for more insights on Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Impact Investment.

Sales and marketing leaders try to fix misalignment with more meetings, shared KPIs, and new tools.  Yet, nothing changes.  • Sales ignores marketing’s leads.   • Marketing says sales isn’t following up.   • Revenue targets are missed.  Most alignment strategies fail because they focus on 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀.  • If sales and marketing have competing incentives, alignment will never stick.   • More meetings don’t fix structural gaps or broken handoff processes.   • Technology won’t solve misalignment if teams don’t trust each other’s process.  What to do instead:  • Align sales and marketing on the same revenue goals.   • Replace “alignment meetings” with a joint go-to-market strategy.   • Fix execution first—"then find the right tech."  Alignment isn’t about more collaboration—it’s about 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻.  Where do you see the biggest sales and marketing misalignment?

Inspiring wins from Sandler! By using 6sense to prioritize the right accounts, hyperpersonalize at scale, and align on goals and metrics, they’ve had HUGE results! Check out their wins: 📈 Increased opportunities created by 322% 📈 Boosted opportunity value by 171% 📈 Rewrote their sales strategy with their new ability to meet decision-makers with relevant, data-driven messaging Here’s how they did it: ✅ They prioritized high-intent accounts: Instead of throwing $$ at a broad list of accounts, Sandler focused their marketing spend on accounts that were actively showing interest. The quality of their pipeline went WAY up, resulting in faster closes, higher win rates, and more bang for their marketing buck. ✅ They personalized engagement across channels. Sandler got to know their prospects on a deep level with 6sense data and used the understanding to create sales and marketing campaigns tailored to the unique needs of each decision-maker within their target accounts. By serving up the right content at exactly the right time, they effectively engaged their buyers while ALSO building trust. So important! ✅ They aligned their revenue team. When the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing (or worse, when they’re actively fighting with each other!) revenue growth is a pipe dream. Sandler fixed that by aligning sales and marketing on shared goals and a common language around metrics. Their teams collaborated to engage key personas and track progress across the entire buyer’s journey, making sure no opportunity slipped through the cracks. 3 Big Takeaways 1. Focus on high-intent accounts. Direct your limited resources toward accounts that are already showing interest. You'll see higher-quality opportunities and more closed deals. 2. Meet your buyers where they are (and know who they are). McKinsey tells us B2B buyers now use twice as many channels for vendor research as they used to – which means we need to be in more places at once. A personalized, multi-channel strategy increases engagement and moves prospects through the pipeline faster. 3. Get on the same page. Collaboration between sales and marketing is critical. Get the whole revenue team playing from the same sheet of music with shared metrics and clear communication to optimize results at every stage of the buyer’s journey.

#ThrivingToGetWorkDone Post 5 of 9: Aligning Interests and Incentives; Creating Win-Win Situations Aligning interests and incentives is crucial when collaborating with people who don’t directly report to you. It helps to ensure that everyone has a stake in the outcome and is motivated to contribute effectively. Here are two short use cases on how to activate this skill in routine work within the hospital industry: Use Case 1: Aligning Incentives for a New Patient Safety Initiative You’re leading a hospital-wide initiative to reduce patient falls. To ensure buy-in from various departments like Nursing, Housekeeping, and Rehabilitation Services, you propose an incentive program. “For every month that we achieve a 10% reduction in patient falls, the department with the most effective safety measures will receive recognition at our monthly staff meeting, along with a small budget for team development activities.” By aligning the incentives with the goal, you encourage all departments to actively contribute to patient safety, creating a shared sense of responsibility and motivation. Use Case 2: Aligning Interests in a Hospital Outreach Program In another scenario, you’re working on a community outreach program to increase health awareness. You recognize that different departments have varying interests, so you align them by saying, “Our goal is to reach 1,000 community members through this program. For every department that contributes significantly—whether by providing medical expertise, organizing events, or managing logistics—we’ll highlight your department’s efforts in our annual report, which is shared with our board and stakeholders.” By aligning their interests with the broader hospital goals, you ensure enthusiastic participation across the board. #My2Cents: Aligning interests and incentives ensures that everyone is working towards the same goals with the same level of enthusiasm. When people see how their contributions lead to mutual benefits, collaboration becomes natural, and success becomes shared. These posts aim to invoke a better overall environment by sharing practical ways to enhance workplace collaboration and productivity. How do you align interests and incentives in your workplace? Share your strategies in the comments! #Leadership #Teamwork #WorkplaceCulture #Incentives #HealthcareLeadership #ThrivingAtWork #Collaboration #HospitalAdministration