# meeting with authorities

*Article written by FUND-IT team*

Before or after sending your application to possible funders, we encourage you to ask for a meeting with them.

It is not just your team presenting the project. It’s a conversation, so it’s important to make sure you know who you talk to. And whoever you face, this meeting needs to be prepared. The first impression is really important and people have to remember your project as something cool and serious. We know how hard it can be to meet officials sometimes, so we, as your tribe, will help you in succeeding in your 1st meeting! 

> Make it real, do not send long emails or PDFs. Make sure there is somebody at the table, a face, shake hands, speak to them and do not take the attitude of somebody who is begging for money. Take the attitude of somebody who has a wonderful idea and is presenting a strong project that will help the city. — *Ghent team*

Here are the core ideas : 

🕵️ **Dig in the objectives of your sponsor** to find out which way your project fits in.

🚀 Concentrate all your preparation elements in **a short presentation**.

💡 **Anticipate questions** sponsors could ask.

👯 **Ask questions** and make them feel they are already a part of your journey.

> It doesn’t matter who you are trying to contact, do not forget they are human beings, "they read emails too". Do not be afraid of them! — *Bratislava team*

***

{% hint style="success" %}
*EXPLORE OUR RESOURCES*\
[*The FUND-IT toolkit*](https://use-it.travel/fund-it/toolkit), by the FUND-IT team\
including videos of funding journeys, interviews of officials, tutorials and keys agains skepticism.\
[Get ready for the interview with sponsors through a city game](https://use-it.travel/fund-it/art2-citygame), a blog post by the FUND-IT team\
[Pitching your USE-IT map](https://use-it.travel/fund-it/art8-pitch), a blog post by the FUND-IT team
{% endhint %}


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