What’s the best way to infiltrate someone’s social network so I can figure out who to solicit contributions from?

We recommend that you create a private Facebook event with the date set as the contribution closing date and invite people to the event. Allow and encourage guests to invite others so that you can reach people outside of your friend network.

If the recipient has a significant other (especially one whom they’ve been with for a longer time) try reaching out to them directly, they will be able to put you in touch with family members, co-workers or friends outside of your immediate circle. They may even help you reach out to those people, if you ask nicely.

If the recipient doesn’t have one person who knows all the important people in their lives, you may have to contact a few “ambassadors” who can connect you to the various areas of this person’s social network. A co-worker, a family member, and maybe someone from each of their hobby or volunteer circles. If you’re not sure who each of these ambassadors would be, you could try to casually bring the matter up in conversation.