Follow up Follow Up
 A large part of successful fundraising and asset-building relies on simple good manners -thanking and following up. Following up with contacts can be time consuming, but locating new prospects from scratch for the next project can be even worse! All donors and volunteers should be thanked and appreciated. After you secure a donor, schedule a follow-up meeting and bring a thank-you note and any additional materials requested by the donor. Keep it going!
ABCD is about more than identifying and securing resources for your project. Remember, this is an ongoing, sustainable project that will strengthen your community and future community projects.  Once you succeed in getting someone on board, you then need to try to leverage their contribution by linking that person with another partner to increase the effect. If you have found an individual who is a great storyteller, for example, hook that person up with an institution such as a library or bookstore to host a story-telling day at the playground. By building these partnerships, you will increase any single contribution and will strengthen your sponsors' involvement for the playspace, and for your community.
Evaluate
Don't forget to evaluate your ABCD process and product. Gather your planning team together to discuss what worked well, and what didn't. Here are some questions to consider: - Did you involve lots of different kinds of people in your asset mapping process?
- Were people involved, interested and energetic?
- Were the people, agencies and institutions interested in getting involved in your project? Did they contribute their time, talents and goods?
- Were you able to "connect the dots" and build networks?
- Is there a way for this process to continue and for your asset map to be used by future organizers?
- What would you do differently next time to make it more successful and productive?
Evaluations need not be formal, but they should give you an idea of any gaps you may have missed or areas on which you can improve. If you came up with some great ideas for assets in your community, be sure to add them to our asset wikis!
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