Years ago, my wife and I returned to the Old City to visit a former landlady.
It was meant to be nostalgic. A cup of coffee. A quick catch-up.
What emerged was an unsolicited referral to a six-figure donor.
No pitch. No strategy.
Just a rekindled relationship.
It forced me to rethink something.
Adam Grant describes three categories of relationships: strong ties, weak ties, and dormant ties.
Most leaders focus their fundraising energy in two places:
Their closest relationships.
And brand-new prospects.
Strong ties feel safe.
New prospects feel strategic.
But there is a third category we routinely overlook:
People who once knew us well.
A parent whose child graduated years ago.
An alumnus now in a leadership role.
A former talmid now financially established.
A colleague from a past institution.
Dormant ties.
These relationships require far less effort than building something new, yet often carry more trust than we assume.
And they sit at the edge of our network.
They know us.
But they now move in circles we no longer inhabit.
In fundraising, leaders overestimate proximity and underestimate history.
We assume growth requires constant expansion.
Often, it requires reconnection.
And here is the deeper layer.
Dormant ties reactivate most naturally when you were known as a giver.
If someone experienced you as generous, supportive, invested in them, the bridge is already built.
Reactivation becomes far less awkward.
Before chasing someone new, it may be worth asking:
Who once trusted me, and might still?
Where did I invest in people years ago?
Which relationships require rekindling, not creation?
Sometimes the next major opportunity is not in front of you.
It is behind you.
Have a most successful week,
Avraham
© 2026 Avraham Lewis & Co.