The Extreme Fundraising Blog

Tom Suddes of ForImpact.org recently posted this joke to his blog:

“There is the story of a pastor who got up one Sunday and announced to his congregation: ‘I have good news and bad news. The good news is, we have enough money to pay for our new building program. The bad news is, it’s still out there in your pockets.’”

I love it!

For a link to the ForImpact blog, go to: Nugget: Funding Joke:

Just a reminder of the proper use of spam!

[Click here for the original post.]

Even with the best preparation, asking for money can still be a bit nerve-wracking. Have you ever set up a solicitation appointment and gone to the meeting only to chicken out of asking?

I’m sure it’s happened to each of us at least once.

One of the best ways to help remind you to actually ask for money is using props. There’s a wonderful power in putting a piece of paper on the desk or propping a picture on a bookcase. All of a sudden, the solicitation is no longer you against them. Instead, you’re both focusing on the same thing. It’s as though you form a brief partnership.

One of the easiest props is using the gift grid you created during the research stage. You can create one easily by going to http://campagne.com/giftrange/.

This gift range chart shows how many gifts you need to successfully reach your goal. Moreover, it shows how many qualified prospects you should have at each gift level.

Why do I like this type of prop?

Even if you have a problem asking for the exact dollar amount, say $25,000, you can point to the section of the grid and ask, “Would you consider giving at this level?”

When the prospect can see the entire range of gifts and just may say, “No, but I can see giving at this higher level.” (It has happened!)

This grid can also become a great prospecting tool. Whether the person says “yes” or “no” to your solicitation, you can ask them if there is anyone they’d recommend you talk to about giving at that level.

They may not be able to think of anyone, but at least you’ve asked. If they do think of someone, you’ve significantly decreased your research time on that new person. With permission, you can even call them and say, “I was just talking about this project for XYZ nonprofit with Joe and he suggested I show it to you too. Would you have time in your schedule this Thursday or next Tuesday?”

One important note: don’t use the prop as a substitute for asking. Do a little PYITS (Putting Yourself In Their Shoes). Would you make a significant gift if you received a gift grid in the mail?

Probably not. So don’t risk it with your prospect. Your cause is too important. Set up the solicitation appointment, and bring the prop with you. You’ll be glad you did!

Thank you to everyone who’s responded to my Would you help me name my book? post!

The response is so good, I’m having a challenge quantifying it. So I set up a survey at SurveyMonkey.com.

At the risk of being a pain, would you vote again? This time at the survey?

I have kept the responses so let me know if you need to be reminded of how you voted.

All participants will be entered into a drawing for a free copy of the book…when it eventually comes out!

CharityChannel.com’s Stephen Nill just reviewed Hildy Gottlieb’s newest book.

I’ve enjoyed interacting with Hildy on the CharityChannel listservs. We even had the treat of speaking at the Hampton Roads Institute for Nonprofit Leadership this past January.

Check out the entire review at: WeReview.

[Cross posted on my other blog, PursingPassion.com.]

This week I bought some perforated paper at Quill.com. It was my first Quill purchase.

When it came the next day (very fast), I saw that it was perforated in the wrong place. So I decided to return it.

The return process was incredibly simple. But what blew me away was the wonderful response I received. I’ve posted it below. How cool would it be if all companies were this remarkable?

————— Original Message —————
Subject: Re: Return Order
From: “info@quill.com”
Date: Thu, March 9, 2006 9:39 am
To: marc@vcwaterville.org
————————————————-
Dear Marc,

Thank you for writing Quill.com.

I apologize that your item does not meet your needs.

It is not necessary for you to return this to us.

Please donate this to the school, church or charitable organization of your choice.

I have processed a credit to your account that can be applied to any open invoice. You should receive a copy of this by mail in 5-7 business days.

If you would like a replacement, please order at your convenience. If we can be of assistance in finding an alternate item, please reply to this email.

We value your business. Thank you for choosing Quill.

Sincerely,

Jan S.
Electronic Correspondence
Representative
Quill Corporation
http://www.quill.com/
“So Fast. So Simple.”

This morning I set time to start calling prospects to set up solicitations.

And I found out I’m really good at distracting myself. I checked GoogleNews. Then I made a call.
I remembered I needed to read an article on one of the people before I called. I printed out the article and made another call.
I noticed I was behind in my reading the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

I wasn’t even asking, I was just setting up appointments.

I’d already researched and engaged. I knew these were the right people to ask for this project.

And I was still procrastinating.

But I did get some calls in and set up a bunch of appointments. (Some solicitation; some cultivation.) So I have moved forward.

If you’re in a procrastination mode too, check out my post called: Ask!

It helped me!

I’m in the process of finishing writing the first draft of my book on asking for money. I want the book to be a very readable, practical, and inexpensive tool that you can give to board members and other volunteers. Something that will demystify the process of fundraising without getting overly complicated.

Hundreds of you read this email every other week. (Thank you!) Would you help me choose a title for the book?

The current ideas are:

1. The R.E.A.L. Simple Guide to Raising Money from Individual Donors: Research, Explore, Ask, and Love for Fundraising Success
2. The R.E.A.L. Simple Guide to Asking for Money
3. The R.E.A.L. Simple Guide to Raising Money for Your Nonprofit: Why Individual Donors Are the Future of Fundraising
4. How To Ask for Money
5. F2F Solicitation
6. Asking for Money
7. Get R.E.A.L.!
8. Raising Money for what Matters Plugging into the Electricity: Connecting Donors with What Matters Most to Them

You can email your votes to me at marc@fundraisingcoach.com or make a comment to this post.

Despite my amazing ability to complicate things, I’m a firm believer in keeping things simple. Simplicity has a beauty of its own. Especially in fundraising.

Asking people for money brings up all sorts of fears. Once a person overcomes those fears and starts trying to find out how to ask people for money, she’s often bogged down with all sorts of well meaning techniques and tools.

Think of the last book you read on fundraising. It often gets caught up in the morass of direct mail minutia, planned giving options, and gift grids and ratios.

I fear we’re running the risk of over complexity as we look specifically at “the ask.” We’ve been looking at this since January! Already we’ve covered

• the need to just get out there and ask (“would you consider a gift of…”?),
• the need to keep asking (multiple year gifts),
• the importance of asking yourself first, and
• the idea of making your solicitation concrete (tangibilitizing).

But when it comes right down to it, asking for money is simply story telling.

• You figure out what people are most likely to resonate with your story.
• You let people tell you their story.
• Then you show them points of intersection with your organization’s story.
• Then you ask if they’d consider investing in one of those points.
• Then you go and tell that story to the next person.

What can you do this week to get out there and tell your story? Better yet, what can you do this week to get out there and listen to a prospect’s story?

Here’s an article I wrote last year around tax time.

Perhaps you’ll find it helpful.

Are You Paying Tax On Your Charitable Gifts?