Last time we looked at the #1 fundraising secret: ask!
Asking will always be #1. The rest of these fundraising secrets are in no particular order.
That being said, the second secret is: brainstorm objections up front.
Nine times out of ten, when you ask for money the prospect won’t say “yes” or “no.” They’ll give you an objection. In another secret we’ll look at why objections are great. (They really are!)
The comforting news is that objections tend to cluster around 4 or 5 common themes. So, instead of being surprised by them, why not identify them before you ask?
Give this easy “objection exercise” a try. It could be a blast.
- Get your team together (volunteers or staff) and have them write objections down on post-it notes. Go until there are no more objections. Get out as many as you can. Have fun with this and be sure to laugh!
- Then put the post-its on a wall and have someone start clustering them into common themes. Chances are, you’ll see only a few common groups forming.
- Now strategize on ways to answer these objections or respond to them. Don’t become cavalier and abrasive. Use these objections to move yourself to the prospect’s side of the table. Help them solve the “problem” keeping them from saying “yes.”
Once you’ve done this, you’ll feel much more comfortable when you get one in real life!
Better yet, since you’re mind won’t be racing with fear of what the prospect might say, you’ll find you’re able to actually focus on the her more. She’ll sense that. And appreciate it.
Let me know how the “objections exercise” goes with your team!!
Really great ideas here. We will certainly try the objections exercise. I’ve also found that using the word “because” is very powerful when fundraising. FundraiserHelp.com has an article that goes over this fundraising technique.