Effective prospecting isn’t about finding every possible opportunity—it’s about identifying the right ones and knowing when to move from searching to taking action. Instrumentl’s sorting, filtering, and research tools help you do exactly that.
Use sorting and filtering to focus your review
When reviewing your project’s Matches, use sorting and filtering to quickly narrow in on opportunities that are most relevant to your work.
You can prioritize Matches by things like:
Funder type (corporate, government, or private foundation)
Funding use (general operating, capital, or program/project funding)
Location, eligibility, or past giving, depending on your project setup
This helps you move past long lists and focus your time on opportunities that are worth a closer look.
Go beyond the headline: Review details and funder insights
Once an opportunity looks promising, take a moment to dig a little deeper before saving it.
A few things to review:
Opportunity descriptions: Look closely at priorities, eligibility language, funding restrictions, and any notes about preferred grantee types. This can help you quickly spot strong alignment or rule out a poor fit early.
990 Insights: Reviewing a funder’s past giving (when available) can help you understand typical award sizes, funding focus areas, and whether they regularly support organizations like yours.
Spending a few extra minutes here can save you hours later and lead to more intentional decisions about which opportunities to pursue.
Use hiding strategically
If you determine that an opportunity isn’t a fit, don’t leave it lingering in your list.
Hide from this project if the opportunity isn’t a fit here but could be relevant elsewhere
Hide from all projects if your organization is clearly ineligible or it’s never a fit
Hiding opportunities helps keep your Matches list clean and ensures you’re not repeatedly reviewing the same poor-fit options.
Balance prospecting with action
Prospecting is just one part of the grants process. To make real progress, it’s important to balance time spent reviewing new Matches with time spent applying, tracking, and building relationships.
A good rule of thumb:
When you’ve identified several strong-fit opportunities with upcoming deadlines, shift focus toward grant writing, planning next steps, and relationship building
Reduce time spent prospecting until you’re ready to add more opportunities to your pipeline
Example: If your team identifies three strong-fit opportunities with deadlines in the next month or quarter, it often makes sense to pause heavy prospecting and focus on submitting strong applications and engaging with those funders.
Let the Tracker guide your workflow
Once you save opportunities to your Tracker, use it as your source of truth:
Track deadlines and statuses
Assign tasks and plan next steps
Keep notes on funder relationships and application progress
This helps ensure prospecting leads to action—not just a growing list of possibilities.
Contact Us 
Reach out to our friendly support team if you have any questions about prospecting. Message us via the chat bubble when you're logged in, or email us at hello@instrumentl.com.