Episode #50
Are you afraid to ask donors for money?
The fear of asking people for money is a common one. But what if donors WANT to be asked?
In this week’s video, you’ll hear two stories of when donors weren’t asked…and the development person felt bad for NOT asking.
Watch this episode and learn from other people’s mistakes. 🙂
If you have any stories or advice around asking for money, please share them in a comment box under the video. Your nonprofit friends will appreciate it.
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If you have any stories or advice around asking for money, please share them in a comment box. Thanks! 🙂
In the Fall of 1980 we initiated a Founders Circle for those individuals who named our organization in their estate plans. The board approved a plan and the board development chair and I met to discuss meetings with individual board members. I asked the chair what his thoughts were about his estate plans. He said our organization had been in his will for a substantial sum for a decade! I expressed thanks and surprise and asked him why he had never shared that with us. You can guess his response! “No one ever asked me and the organization never had anyone focused on planned giving!”
This is a valuable video that makes an extremely crucial point, thank you. That said, I think the donor who tore up the $5,000 check has a mean streak that runs counter to the heart of philanthropy itself. No need to humiliate people aligned in common cause doing their best. Better to give the more generous donation with some gentle advice.
I had a different take on the $5,000. Sounded like the donor had already planned this scenario – and to be charitable – he might have seen this as a teachable moment – knowing that this was the first encounter for the opportunity to ask.