Capital Campaign Management
If you are going to raise money somebody has to ask someone else (or some entity) for the gift. It is unusual for organizations to sustain themselves with a plan that assumes people will stop by and drop money on your desk. The only time I had that happen was when the university I was working with was winning national championship football games.
There is a whole industry around training/teaching people how to make an ask. In fact, I know of one consulting firm whose entire focus is on this one critical piece of fundraising. Much of this energy is directed toward major gifts strategy and capital campaign management; however, even with small gifts, someone has to ask. But then what? I’ve heard it said many times from donors, “I was asked for a gift but no one ever called me back…how did they make out?” To think that after you make an ask the donor will call you with the answer is a bad assumption.
While meeting with a development director for capital campaign management we are involved with, we were discussing which donors need to be seen by the end of the year. On the list were a number of people who had been asked for a gift but have not yet committed. I told her, “don’t sit on your ask.” You have to follow up until you get an answer even if it’s one you don’t want to hear. In the busyness of everyone’s lives you have to follow up or it can easily be forgotten.
For capital campaign management, as important as making the ask and doing it properly is when and how to follow up.
“Many persons have a wrong idea
of what constitutes true happiness.
It is not attained through self-gratification
but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”
Written by: Paul D’Alessandro
