Overview
You're an outbound BDR at OneCause (now part of Bonterra), cold calling nonprofit executives to book qualified discovery meetings for Account Executives. You're selling fundraising software - event management, auction platforms, peer-to-peer fundraising tools - to development directors and nonprofit leaders. Your job is to get past gatekeepers, qualify budget and timeline, and hand off warm opportunities.
Role Snapshot
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Role Type | Outbound BDR (meeting setter) |
| Sales Motion | Outbound-heavy with some inbound leads |
| Deal Complexity | Consultative (nonprofits need education) |
| Sales Cycle | Not your problem - you pass to AE |
| Deal Size | Likely $5-25K ACV (nonprofits have tight budgets) |
| Quota (est.) | 15-25 qualified meetings/month |
Company Context
Stage: Post-acquisition (OneCause acquired by Bonterra)
Size: 333 employees
Growth: Part of a larger portfolio play - Bonterra is consolidating nonprofit tech
Market Position: Established player in nonprofit fundraising software, competing in a crowded space with players like Classy, Givebutter, Eventgroove
GTM Reality
Pipeline Sources:
- 70-80% Outbound - cold calling/emailing nonprofits from lists, LinkedIn outreach
- 20-30% Inbound - website demos, content downloads, referrals from existing customers
- Some inbound quality varies - small churches requesting info alongside legitimate $1M+ revenue orgs
SDR/AE Structure: You're a dedicated BDR feeding opportunities to AEs. You don't close deals - you book them and move on.
SE Support: Likely no SE on initial calls - AEs handle demos themselves since the product is relatively straightforward to show.
Competitive Landscape
Main Competitors: Classy, Givebutter, Givebutter, Eventgroove, DonorPerfect, Bloomerang (depending on segment)
How They Differentiate: All-in-one suite (events + peer-to-peer + online giving), established player with nonprofit-specific expertise
Common Objections:
- "We already use [competitor]" or "We just do Eventbrite + PayPal"
- "We don't have budget" (classic nonprofit response)
- "We need to talk to our board" (decision-making is slow)
Win Themes: Proven platform for nonprofits, support team that understands the sector, consolidated tools vs managing multiple vendors
What You'll Actually Do
Time Breakdown
Cold Calling (50%) | Email/LinkedIn (25%) | CRM/Admin (15%) | AE Handoffs (10%)
Key Activities
- Dial 60-80 calls per day: Calling development directors, executive directors, fundraising coordinators at nonprofits. Lots of voicemails. Many "send me info" brushoffs.
- Research accounts: Before calling, you look up their website to see what events they run (galas, walks, auctions) so you can reference them. You're trying to find hooks.
- Handle the "no budget" objection: Nonprofits always say they don't have money. You have to dig into what they spend on their current tools, event costs, staff time to qualify if they're real prospects.
- Pass qualified meetings to AEs: When you book something legit, you brief the AE on what you learned, then they take it from there. Your job is done.
- Work email sequences: You're running Outreach or SalesLoft cadences - multi-touch sequences with calls, emails, LinkedIn touches over 2-3 weeks.
The Honest Reality
What's Hard
- Nonprofit budgets are tight: You'll hear "we can't afford this" constantly. Many orgs are legitimately resource-strapped and prioritize program spend over software.
- Decision-making is slow and political: Even when interested, nonprofits have boards, committees, multiple stakeholders. Getting budget approval takes forever.
- High call volume, low connect rates: You're grinding through lists. Most calls hit voicemail. You need thick skin for rejection and gatekeepers.
- Mission-driven buyers can be picky: They care deeply about vendor values, nonprofit discounts, and whether you "get" their world. You can't just sell features.
What Success Looks Like
- Hitting 15-20 qualified meetings per month: Not just any meetings - ones where there's real budget, timeline, and pain
- AEs convert your meetings at 20-30%: If AEs are closing deals from your pipeline, you're doing it right
- Promoting to AE within 12-18 months: BDR is an entry role - successful reps move up to close deals themselves
Who You're Selling To
Primary Buyers:
- Development Directors (most common)
- Executive Directors (smaller orgs)
- Fundraising Managers/Coordinators
What They Care About:
- ROI on fundraising tools: Will this help us raise more money than it costs?
- Ease of use: Small teams, limited tech resources - can't be complicated
- Donor experience: How will this look to our supporters? Is it professional?
- Support and training: They need handholding - not technical teams in-house
- Nonprofit pricing: Expecting discounts because of their mission
Requirements
- Comfortable making 60-80+ cold calls per day (this is a dialing role)
- Coachable and willing to iterate on messaging based on feedback
- Genuine interest in nonprofit missions (you'll have better conversations if you care)
- Thick skin for rejection and budget objections
- No sales experience required - this is a first-break-into-tech-sales role
- Curiosity and competitiveness (you need to want to win)