Should I offer a referral fee in the email?

Only if that's already how you work and it won't make them look mercenary. Many operators prefer a clean intro. If you do mention a fee, keep it secondary to why the intro helps the other person. Name the stall they care about, offer one small next step, and stop before the thread feels like a sequence.

Is it weird to email someone after six months of silence?

Not if you have a new reason and you don't pretend the old thread is still warm. Lead with the trigger, remind them who you are in one line, and make the ask optional. Nostalgia without news is just another cold email with extra steps.

Is it okay to send this referral request on LinkedIn instead of email?

Yes if this HR director is actually active there and the thread isn't about long attachments. Keep the LinkedIn version even shorter. Don't paste the full email. One context line and one question is plenty. Name the stall they care about, offer one small next step, and stop before the thread feels like a sequence.

What should I never say in a Non-Profit referral request?

Don't imply their mission is inefficient. Help them tell it better. Treating employees like a funnel or joking about culture. Don't open with 'it's been a while' and then paste the old pitch. Those three mistakes show up constantly in Non-Profit inboxes and they all read as "this was templated."

How should donor follow-up sound?

Grateful, specific, and light on pressure. Name the program the gift touched. Ask for a conversation when it's real, not after every newsletter. People give again when they feel remembered, not processed. Name the stall they care about, offer one small next step, and stop before the thread feels like a sequence.

Non-Profit · HR Director · Long Time No Contact

Referral Request for Non-Profit HR Director: Long Time No C…

A referral request email asks someone to make an intro by doing the work for them: who, why, and a forwardable blurb. For Non-Profit teams, the version that works for long time no contact has to respect Don't pitch like a VC. Write to the HR director like they already have a full calendar and a reason to be cautious.

Last updated: 2026-09-02 · Reviewed by: Sales Email Template editors

We write templates the way we wrote emails on quota: short, specific, and easy to forward. When we cite research below, it is because the number changes how a buyer reads your note, not to pad the page.

Sources: HubSpot sales email benchmarks; Gong follow-up research

Why does this referral request work for a Non-Profit HR Director?

Explain why they'd look good for making the intro.
Speaks to donor follow-up that feels automated and grant calendars that punish delay instead of a generic "value prop."
Fits how a HR director actually reads: Keep it human and under 100 words.
Bring a new observation about their world, then offer a small, optional next step.
Include a forwardable paragraph.

When should I send this to a Non-Profit HR Director?

Ask after you've given them a reason to want to help, not after the first coffee. Send when you have a real trigger: news, a useful artifact, a role change, a season. For this combo, treat "Only when you have a trigger" as the default, then adjust around boards and grant windows set the pace. ignore that and you'll look amateur. If you're emailing a HR director, Keep it human and under 100 words.

What this HR Director actually cares about

A HR director in Non-Profit is protecting people, policy, and the company's legal exposure. They screen for risk, employee experience, and whether you'll create a mess for managers. Confidentiality isn't a buzzword to them. The hook that earns a look is hiring drag, manager load, or a process that candidates complain about. The ask should stay at this size: a conversation about one process, not access to their whole org chart. Delete trigger: Treating employees like a funnel or joking about culture. They protect people, policy, and the company's legal exposure, so keep the ask at "a conversation about one process, not access to their whole org chart."

How Non-Profit changes the note

Non-Profit buyers are ED teams, development leads, and program directors stretching every dollar. Don't pitch like a VC. Mission language has to be specific to their programs, not a generic 'doing good.' A credible proof point in this vertical sounds like: improved second-gift conversion 17% with thank-you notes that named the program, not the CRM. Watch the language. Words that land here include restricted funds, board, grant cycle, stewardship, program officer. If you cannot name a gala, a grant deadline, or a board meeting with a gap in the packet, wait until you can. If you cannot name a gala, a grant deadline, or a board meeting with a gap in the packet, wait until you can.

How should I customize this template before I send it?

Replace the pain line with a development shop whose lapsed-donor emails all start with 'just checking in'.
Keep the tone calm, respectful, concrete.
Never send a referral ask from a brand-new relationship.
Time it for Only when you have a trigger. Send when you have a real trigger: news, a useful artifact, a role change, a season.
Don't imply their mission is inefficient. Help them tell it better.

What mistakes should I avoid with this long time no contact note?

Asking 'who do you know?' is lazy and gets no names.
Don't open with 'it's been a while' and then paste the old pitch.
Don't imply their mission is inefficient. Help them tell it better.
Treating employees like a funnel or joking about culture.

How does this long time no contact scenario compare?

Dimension	For this template
Best send window	Only when you have a trigger
Ideal length	Keep it human and under 100 words.
Primary ask	a conversation about one process, not access to their whole org chart
Industry metric to cite	donor retention, grant hit rate, and cost per dollar raised
Tone	Calm, respectful, concrete. No 'ninja recruiter' energy.
Unlike no response	This isn't a 4-day bump. It's a re-introduction with a new reason.
Unlike breakup	You're opening a door, not closing one. Still keep it easy to ignore.

What should I copy and send?

Copy-ready template

Subject

Quick referral ask on [topic]

Body

Hi [First Name],

This is an ask. I tried to make it easy to say no.

In Non-Profit, that usually shows up as donor follow-up that feels automated and grant calendars that punish delay. Ideal person: [role] at a [company type] dealing with donor follow-up that feels automated and grant calendars that punish delay. Not trying to spray this across your whole book.

Given this is long time no contact, ask if the old problem still exists, or if you should leave it archived.

Comfortable making that intro, or should I find another path?

Best,
[Your Name]
[Your Title]
[Your Company]

Questions people ask before they hit send

Ask after you've given them a reason to want to help, not after the first coffee. Send when you have a real trigger: news, a useful artifact, a role change, a season. After that, send a breakup note and archive it. A HR director who wants it will answer a clean close more often than a fifth bump.

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