Episode #59
Do you get nervous before you make an ask?
Do your board members or volunteers get nervous?
You’re not alone.
Every fundraising professional I’ve talked to gets nervous or used to get nervous.
In today’s movie, you’ll meet three fundraising professionals who talk about their own experiences in making the ask. You’ll meet:
Aimee Sheridan – Boys and Girls Clubs of King County
Douglas L. Page – Pacific Lutheran University
Barry K. McConnell – Make-A-Wish Foundation of WA
I hope this helps you and your volunteers to make more asks.
If you have a story or any advice to share around making an “Ask”, please share it in a comment box below the video. Thanks.
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If you have a story or any advice to share around making an “Ask”, please share it in a comment box. Thanks. 🙂
Chris, This video is one of your best! The honest sharing from experience and stories really impacted my understanding of one more facet of “The Ask”. I think people Want to be asked partly due to needing a “bridge” to get there. I had not yet heard that element or missed it.
Aimee’s story of “sharing from the heart” realization struck a chord with me. We can be clinically prepared to cover all the details but without the heart is key.
Very helpful and well-done. Thank you!
Loved the story about the dishes. SO true. I am very new and young in the Development world. We started a monthly giving program in the last year and we made videos, told compelling stories, encouraged people to join, etc. Several people did right off the bat, but there were a few people who LOVE our organization and I kept thinking, “Why haven’t they signed up yet…”. So one day I asked one of them if they would consider joining and she said yes and signed up the very next day. Same thing with our board members. I shared information about our monthly giving and asked them to join (in a group setting), and very few did. I finally took one board member out to coffee and asked if she would join and she signed up and she was very excited and signed up within the hour! Definitely taught me that I have to keep asking and not expecting people to take my hints. 🙂 And that people feel more connected when you take that one-on-one time with them.
Stats show that most people don’t give because they are never asked directly. Like it or not, face to face asks ALWAYS produce more support. Love the reminder that is has to be a genuine “from the heart because I believe in this” ask. People can sense insincerity.
Aimee’s story about the teenager was brilliant. This happens all the time. I often hear from MGO’s who are frustrated why donors are not giving. They start to bad-mouth the donor. And, when I ask if they have directly asked them for a gift they say no, they just expect that since they are rich, and have been “stewarded” so well they will just give. This is what I call Passive-Agressive Asking. Donors want to be asked. Just like you want to be asked to do something. Great video, Chris.
Someone once told me they always have butterflies in their stomachs when they go to an ASK.
The only difference now is the butterflies are in formation. 🙂
Great points and examples to show people want to be asked. Directly. Personally. Just putting out good “vibes” isn’t enough. That puts you into the “wishing and hoping” category. You’ve got to do something intentional to put the ball in your court. Otherwise, you’ll never score. Thanks!
Excellent. I plan to share this with my board!