What Are You Asking ?

BLUF [Bottom Line Up Front]:

When raising funds, give attention to what you are asking for

Walking up to my neighborhood Starbucks the other day, I was greeted by a woman raising funds for Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE). She was pleasant and friendly, cheerfully waving down passersby, so I stopped to speak with her for a few minutes. Along with some background information on the organization, she also delivered a nice picture of the need.

“We are just $207 away from our goal. Would you consider helping us today?”

It seemed like a good and worthy cause, so I made my donation. But while I enjoyed my coffee, I kept mulling over what she had asked of me. She had only requested a donation with a vague “help us today”. I just couldn’t get it out of my mind.

As a came out of the shop an hour later, she was talking to another gentleman. I overheard her end with “. . . and we are just $200 away from our goal”.

Still thinking about our earlier exchange, I (somewhat rudely) jumped into the conversation with a friendly smile and some unsolicited advice:

“Hello ma’am. When we spoke earlier, I loved hearing you talk about the organization and about the need to raise another $200 to hit your goal, but something felt missing in your ask for support.” I then suggested, “What if you had said to me, ‘We are just $207 away from our goal. Would you consider helping us get to $190?”

Then Larry, the man she had been talking, interjected. “Yeah, for me, when you said we still have $200 to go, I was thinking to myself, ‘I need to go! I can’t make that kind of donation.’ I thought you were asking me to give $200. If you were asking me for $10 or $20, I can do that.”

I have to say, it was nice having a donor right there on the spot to see and hear his reaction live and in-person.

The lesson in the story: Simply outlining the need and asking for help isn’t enough.

What you ask for matters.

It really matters.

There’s a surprisingly large difference between, “Would you consider helping us today?” and “Would you consider helping us get that $207 to $190?”

Be mindful of what you are actually asking people to give, whether that be money or time. Don’t be afraid to be specific and direct. People find comfort in that, and you are likely to get better results that way.

To get a FREE PDF on similar such tips and best practice but for board member fundraising, go to my website: https://www.deringerconsulting.com/