To ask or not to ask?
Are you feeling bombarded by emails? Like most of us who make our living by raising money, I can't open my email inbox without numerous appeals from "experts" and consultants on how to raise money during the COVID-19 pandemic. And as you'd expect, much of the suggestions or advice varies. I have never seen so many webinars being offered and frankly it's way too much for most of us.
One consultant will tell you absolutely NOT to back off from making gift solicitations, and others will recommend that you should just communicate with your donors and prospects and wait until the pandemic passes before "making the ask." So you're left asking yourself over and over, "what should I do?"
The key is for all fundraisers is to evaluate their relationships with donors and prospects. I called a major donor recently, and after about 10 minutes of typical opening conversation, she told me how worried she is about her financial health due to the stock market decline and other factors affecting her retirement income. She and I had arranged for me to call and talk with your about supporting a specific initiative. I had planned to solicit a major gift over the phone, but after she shared her situation with me, naturally I changed gears and the remaining 15 minutes of our discussion focused on her health and well-being.
This is one example of why active listening is so crucial in the fundraising profession. In addition, emotional intelligence is crucial as well so that you don't damage your relationship with the donor.
Do donors want to help right now, in this COVID-19 world in which we live, with crazy fluctuations in the stock market? Yes they do, but not all are able to do so! I think it's dangerous for some consultants to continue to "push" development officers into making asks without considering the multitude of factors today.
The fundraiser must absolutely put herself/himself in the shoes of the donor when trying to decide on whether to go ahead with that solicitation for a major gift. Despite what you're hearing from some consultants out there, now is not the time to solicit major gifts unless you are 100% certain that the donor is in a position to accept a proposal. And communicating with the donor is the only way you'll know. The odds are, some of your donors will truly appreciate being asked for that gift despite this environment, but a good portion of your supporters will need time and space.