Asking For A Gift
One of the things about asking for a gift for the first time is finding the courage or strength to do so. You are nervous and don’t know how the donor will react. Will they laugh, be silent, be insulted, or quickly say yes? These responses, by the way, I’ve had and much more.
We are currently coaching a client through a $5 million capital campaign in Florida. Both the Development Director and the Executive Director are making the ask with our guidance. They came back after a recent meeting to debrief, as we always do, about what worked and what didn’t and I asked the ED about how the meeting went. In response to the ED’s request for a five-figure gift, the donor replied, “Wow . . . that’s a big number,” and then there was a pause (silence is good at this point). He then said, “I think we can do that though,” and he eventually made the commitment.
At the end of the 80’s, I started fundraising for Notre Dame on a $450 million campaign. As a new Regional Director, my role was to close major gifts and the first one I did was for $50,000. That was a big number then, but I was taught to always make a specific dollar request. Some of those requests from individuals are now in the millions of dollars, but a $1,000 request can be a big request for a middle-income family struggling to make things work financially. It’s all relative.
When going on a donor visit, always have a number in mind of what you would like when asking for a gift, even if it’s a cultivation visit. You may be surprised if you don’t and the donor says to you, “so how much are you looking for?” Usually, if you leave it to the donor it is smaller than what you would ask for – it’s just human nature. When asking for a gift, just put a number on the table!
Possibility – This is not the same as reality. But without belief in the possibility, your reality is going to be severely curtailed……We can only do our work justice by examining what’s possible, and then deciding if we care enough to pursue it. – Seth Godin
Written by: Paul D’Alessandro
