Author: Tony Poderis

In every fund-raising campaign, toward the end of the drive, we always must address any number of proposals and presentations which were made seeking donations, but for which we’ve still not gotten a definitive response.

We were not given a “Yes,” or a “No.” Mostly we were told, “I’ll let you know,” … or something like that. The books are closing. The campaign is at its end. What do we do to get a final answer from those key prospects?

Following-up a presentation, especially that of of a major gifts proposal, looks for the most desired timing and process. The proposal was already made to a prospect, and the final decision is still pending. It usually starts with the “comfort level” of your association with the prospect which enables your instincts to tell you when and in what manner to proceed, so as not to be intrusive and annoying to the prospect.

In specific terms, what you were told during the proposal presentation regarding decision making, possibly covers these three scenarios as the prospect:

(1) Cited a duration of time, such as a few days, weeks, or even months, to an explicit calendar date, when they will make their decision known to you. (Remember, even though we want the funds “now,” it is still up to the donors to determine when it is best for them to give.)

(2) Indicated they will think it over, and will let you know at the “appropriate” time.

(3) Requested that you resubmit your request “at a later time.”

Those three scenarios, and other variations, could be addressed at the appropriate time by utilizing one or combinations of the following:

(A) Contact the prospect and simply and directly – and politely – seek their response. (Again, this is naturally dictated by the “comfort level” of your association.)

(B) Telephone or send notes of appreciation for their thoughtful consideration of the request in the first place, and briefly cite again the main points of the campaign or project. Reiterate the applicable “named gift opportunity” or membership level related to their gift.

(C) Initiate an “informational” follow-up contact, providing to your prospect up-to-date fundraising news and reports that would be bolstering and compelling. Talk about the encouraging results of the fundraising to-date, and remind them that they can be part of the eventual/public success.

(D) Use the impending/looming☺ end of the fundraising program — cite an imminent campaign deadline, the end of the fiscal year, that you are getting close to meeting the terms of a challenge grant, and that their commitment now will help ensure the campaign’s success.

Remember, chances are good that you will not receive a cool reception regarding any “bother” you may think you would be causing. Just be polite, have no hint of crisis in your voice, and always show appreciation, even if you do not get the gift – or get less than you had asked. After all, they were considerate enough to give your request some degree of thought.

Maybe Next Time !!

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Have a question or comment about the above posting?
You can Ask Tony.
There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website:
Raise-Funds.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $4.99) ☺
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

On first reaction, you might think that title would evoke a “Ya think?” response.

Not so fast. Too often, those seeking “major gifts” for those major campaigns, settle for what are really small gifts, not at all in keeping with the size and scope of the donations needed to meet those larger goals.

While an annual campaign is a broad-based effort relying on smaller gifts from a great number of donors to achieve its goal, a major gifts campaign expects to reach its goal with a much smaller number of donors making very large gifts – see “What is a Major Gift.”

All too often, organizations that have decided on a major gifts campaign incorrectly begin with the idea of making it a broad-based appeal. You can’t raise a million dollars with gifts of $100 or (even) $1,000. You would need 10,000 of the former or 1,000 of the latter.

Rather, you need to begin by targeting prospects who can give at least $50,000—and remember, a number of those prospects may give only $20,000, or $10,000, instead of the $50,000 you anticipated.

Also to be considered is fundraising’s daunting “rule-of-thumb” for prospect-to-donor ratio. You usually need to identify at least four viable prospects for each contribution you desire at the required contribution level.

Ask Small And You Get Small
At the Cleveland Orchestra, I once disagreed with the volunteer leadership of a $15 million endowment campaign about the size of gifts we should be seeking. The idea was put forth that we raise $5 million by enticing people to endow each of the 2,000 seats in our concert hall. That worked out to $2,500 per donor.

I strenuously objected to this, literally risking my job.

My reasoning was simple: We would not succeed in finding 2,000 donors at $2,500 each. Experience had shown me that the base of donors able and willing to give that much wasn’t large enough. I also feared that the campaign committee and solicitors would get used to the idea of asking small, and the campaign would lose its steam.

My argument held, and the volunteer leadership agreed not to put so much of the campaign effort into an idea that past experience showed could not succeed without damaging other areas of the drive.

In our effort to find 2,000 donors willing and able to make gifts of $2,500 we would have included donors we knew to be capable of making far larger gifts. They would be donors we would need to solicit for the larger-gift divisions of the campaign.

It is never a good idea to ask for two separate gifts for the same campaign. Donors will often make the decision to give either one or the other, and the option they pick can well be the lower.

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Have a question or comment about the above posting?
You can Ask Tony.
There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website:
Raise-Funds.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $4.99) ☺
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

There is an enormous amount of easily accessible information on constructing a nonprofit fundraising Case-For-Support … from the library, bookstores and the Internet. Countless volumes and articles have been written on the subject, and there are always workshops and seminars dealing with this critically important topic.

Keeping that in mind, I’ll try to give you the condensed version of what I’ve come to know about this vital “selling” tool for all nonprofits.

No nonprofit should ever be without a strong and compelling argument for its support. The Case should convey a sense of urgency, suggest efficiency in operation, state a uniqueness in filling a demonstrated need to an identified constituency, and provide personal (mostly internal) rewards to the donors.

The Case For Support is the “argument” for your fundraising program/campaign or your project in need of funding. It grows out of your organization’s mission statement in the sense that the money to be raised will be used by your organization to advance that mission.

It articulates your organization’s reason for being, its integrity, the good you do, the good you want to do, your specific fundraising need … and the urgency for it.

Developing the Case For Support and setting an annual goal and/or the goal of a campaign are preliminary, almost intuitive, steps in the process of creating a development/campaign plan, and they generally occur simultaneously.

The goal is the overriding concern of the program/campaign, and the focus and strength of the case to be made for the campaign are dependent on the size and purpose of the goal. The Case For Support often becomes the main tool used to recruit volunteer campaign leadership and solicitors and to convince prospective donors to give.

From what I have seen of compelling and relevant case statements, here is a suggested case development outline:

1. A statement of the problem/challenge.

2. One-or-more specific examples of the need.

3. Proof you did your homework – that you have studied and planned.

4. Evidence that you can make it work – that you have the skills and the organization to do it.

5. A discussion of how the donor might benefit … by helping others, or by doing something heroic.

6. A “Call-to-Action,” showing the donor what s/he could/should do to help, and why.

How short or how long should the Case For Support be?

It depends upon the magnitude and scope of the program/campaign or the project. Good judgment will tell you not to make it too brief, as it could suggest to the prospect that you have not researched adequately or that perhaps the project is not so important.

Then too, if it’s overly long, you run the risk of losing the attention of your reader. (If I have kept your attention thus far, I hope my Case Statement tips will work for you.)

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Have a question or comment about the above posting?
You can Ask Tony.
There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website:
Raise-Funds.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $3.99) ☺
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

I take the strong and unwavering position that members of the board of trustees and other volunteers are the people who must raise all or most of the money for a non-profit organization.

These days far too many boards and eager-to-please development professionals are starting down the slippery slope of relying on staff to be the gift solicitors of first resort.

Following is an overview of how I would see the effectiveness of staff solicitations vs. solicitations made by volunteers.

•  When a volunteer solicitor’s relationship to a prospect, relative to the solicitor’s level of giving, is the same or more than the prospect, the following qualities are shared:

1. Career Status

2. Economic Status

3. Social Position

4. Interest In The Organization

5. Mutual Respect

•  When a staff member-solicitor is compared to a prospective donor, only the following qualities are usually shared:

1. Interest In The Organization

2. Mutual Respect

What do you say? Wouldn’t you rather have five out of five of the best chances for major gifts working for your organization – or only the two a staff member brings to the asking table?

The best solicitor is a member of the prospect’s peer group or the peer group to which the prospect aspires. The CEO of a company is far more likely to share career status, economic status, and social position with another business leader than the development director or even the executive director of a non-profit organization.

Ideally, prospective donors should be asked to give by someone likely to have a high degree of influence with them. Qualities to look for in a solicitor for a specific prospect include:

1.  Past association with the prospect: The solicitor could be someone a prospect knows professionally, shares the same neighborhood with, or has in some other way had positive and meaningful contact.

2.  Charisma: People who have a compelling presence and an infectious personality can influence both the willingness to give and the size of the gift.

3  Stature: People are flattered when someone they consider important asks them for a contribution.

4.  Commitment: The higher the degree of devotion and dedication to an organization and its programs that a volunteer solicitor manifests, the more successful he or she will be in convincing others.

I have heard the argument made that a staff member’s commitment to an organization and the respect that he or she has earned in the community or in the eyes of the prospect is enough to overcome an absence of shared social, economic, and career points. Don’t you believe it!

Peer group influence and leverage are and always will be two of the best solicitation tools of fund-raising.

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Have a question or comment about the above posting?
You can Ask Tony.
There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website:
Raise-Funds.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $3.99) ☺
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

There comes a time when some non-profit development professionals begin thinking about saying goodbye to their organizations and hello to the world of fundraising consulting. They want to know what it takes to be a consultant, and how to find clients.

Although the consulting profession may seem attractive, the leap into this hazardous arena requires serious thought and honest assessment of your knowledge, temperament and motivation.

Consultants must respond to a wide range of challenges, so they need to have a wide range of experience.

I know from hard-earned experience what it takes to provide sound, reliable counsel to non-profits facing the challenges of recruiting volunteers, identifying prospects, managing campaigns, and asking for money. No one should expect to be hired as a fundraising consultant without having behind them a broad base of experience in meeting and overcoming these challenges. Reading books and attending seminars are valuable learning experiences, but nothing trumps real-life experience.

Large or small, young or seasoned, experienced or novice, clients expect consultants to deliver the detailed plans and proven tools the organization needs to attract the funds it seeks. This is a demanding profession where the consultant cannot say to a client, “I don’t know,” or “I’m not sure,” or “What do you want to do next?”

It can be intimidating when all heads turn and all eyes focus on the professional consultant seated alone at the end of the meeting table, the one charged with answering any and all questions, and the one on the receiving end of sometimes harsh criticism.

You Definitely Are On Your Own
As a fundraising consultant, you must stand ready to answer the inevitable questions:

• Why isn’t the money coming in?
• Why isn’t the money coming in faster?
• What do we do now that the Campaign Chairperson is no longer available?
• Why isn’t the solicitation committee doing its job?
• What do we do now that our biggest and most promising prospect has said, “No”?
• Should we put the campaign on hold until the economy gets better?
• Should we lower the goal since it seems we can’t reach it?
• I know we still need a million dollars to reach our goal, but shouldn’t we start going to the general community for $50 and $100 gifts?
• What do we do since our own Trustees are not giving at levels we counted on?
• You’re a consultant, supposed to be experienced in fundraising. Since we’re not as experienced in soliciting as you are, and with our campaign lagging behind, why can’t you make some solicitation calls for us?
• What are we paying you for, anyway?

And so they go. Would you be able to answer these questions? Equally significant, would you be able to act on them?

Make sure you can, and do. Your next contract depends on it.

Fundraising consulting is deeply rewarding and fulfilling. It’s also a highly precarious profession, definitely not for everyone. Before you take the plunge, make certain you have more than adequate experience, that you possess superior judgment, that you have very thick skin—and more often than not, that “luck” seems to favor you.

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Have a question or comment about the above posting?
You can Ask Tony.
There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website:
Raise-Funds.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

During a board meeting, many years ago, an influential and highly respected trustee declared, “What we need is more endowment. We ought to have a $20 million endowment campaign.” Being a trustee of influence and affluence, all heads nodded in agreement with him.

Hearing that declaration made with no justification, and no warning, I was in no position, as Director of Development, to show any reaction as to whether we could and/or should raise that large an amount.

My emotions were another thing … as I groaned, inwardly, and said to myself, “Oh no!”

But it was to be, “Yes!” The suggestion was made, after all, by a trustee that no one was going to question. So, off we went: Big Goal, No Plan.

That experience brought to mind those great old movies with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. The ones in which the “kids” had a money-raising dilemma that perplexed them. Then, Mickey would light up with youthful exuberance and optimism. He’d turn to Judy, and say, “I know, let’s put on a show! We can do it!”

An hour and a half later, after a liberal dose of movie magic, they’ve put on a production worthy of Broadway, the problem is solved, everybody has had a good time, and Mickey and Judy are in love.

Shamefully, there are organizations that operate in much the same way. Faced with the dilemma of growing financial need outstripping static resources, officials of those nonprofits will turn to one another and say, “I know, let’s put on a new fundraising campaign! We can do it!” Another case of big goal, no plan.

Unfortunately there is little movie magic in the non-profit world. Too often the campaign fails, the problem is still there, nobody has a good time, and love isn’t exactly what the campaign officials are feeling for one another.

It’s not that fundraising campaigns aren’t the answer to financial need. In the end, where else is a non-profit organization to turn than to generous givers? The problem is that, unlike Mickey’s and Judy’s show, the current campaign isn’t the first or the only one the organization will put on. It has to fit into the context of an overall development plan.

Today’s campaign, follows yesterday’s, and precedes tomorrow’s. The trick is to make sure that each and every one of an organization’s campaigns is successful. That’s the job of a general development plan.

The general development plan identifies how and from what sources an organization will acquire and maximize contributed income. It communicates that information to the organization’s staff, volunteers and supporters. Specific fundraising campaigns are then planned and carried out in accord with the general development plan.

The leadership of the organization, in concert with the development department, prioritize financial needs and agree to common fundraising goals. Within the context of the general development plan, they create an environment for achieving those goals and for planning, initiating, and producing annual, endowment, capital, sponsorship, and underwriting campaigns. Each type of campaign has key issues and components that an organization must understand when it considers implementing any one of them as a contributed income program.

In summary: All fundraising campaigns must work from within a General Development Plan … a plan that comes from the initiatives (and their costs), as stated and directed by your organization’s Strategic/Long-Range Plan.

Any fundraising campaign that is not in accord with the General Development Plan may make its goal, but it may also impede or damage other fundraising efforts … and relationships with donors.

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Have a question or comment about the above posting?
You can Ask Tony.
There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website:
Raise-Funds.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

…OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT !!
Most non-profit organizations have (or surely should have), standing committees for finance, investment, marketing & PR, nominating and evaluating board members, and (where needed) building & grounds. From long experience, for some unknown-to-me reason, there is not usually a fundraising steering committee in place devoted to ensuring that the funds needed to sustain the organization will be raised.

Your organization’s fundraising should be led by a Development Committee accountable to the Board of Trustees. That Committee should work from a document which outlines its duties and describes the policies the group will implement. The Committee should be led by the Trustees but comprised as well of non-board individuals having influence and/or affluence.

The Development Committee Has The Responsibility of Overseeing All Fundraising Activities

Annual Fund — Develop and maximize fundraising potential by coordinating all campaign divisions, identifying additional opportunities and recruiting key volunteer leadership

Project Sponsorships & Underwriting — Guide projects, services and programs for contributed support by identifying likely prospects, suggesting the best means to make presentations, and establishing benefits, services and recognition to prospects and donors

Government Grants — Maintain and initiate contacts with appropriate government officials to increase the possibilities of special grants and other support

Endowment & Planned Giving — Determine the feasibility of a projected solicitation campaign to secure permanent endowment funds for certain programs and services and basic operations and encourage the constituency to consider planned giving vehicles, such as trusts, insurance policies, and bequests to help ensure the long-term health of the organization

Capital — Identify capital projects as required by need and planned strategies for growth as mapped out in the long-range strategic plan. Ensure the feasibility and chances for success of proposed asset purchases

Special Fundraising Events — Work with the organization’s volunteer leadership, the groups which usually take on and totally produce Special Events (Galas, Auctions, Dinners, etc.), to offer direct support and encouragement, but always keeping in mind that those groups must have as much autonomy and freedom as possible to fully carry out “their” events.

Suggested Agenda For Regular Meetings Of The Development Committee
(A) Set policies, priorities & goals for fundraising programs for the current fiscal year

(B) Review in detail the ongoing performance of each particular campaign activity
    — Evaluate to original objectives to determine if “on track”
    — Make comparisons with previous years, where applicable
    — Introduce modifications and adjustments

(C) Review overall performance -vs- objectives
    — Determine reasons for campaigns not meeting goals
    — Provide reasons why campaigns exceeded goals

(D) Identify and rate all prospects for support

(E) Recruit key volunteer leaders and solicitors

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have a question or comment about the above posting?
You can Ask Tony.
There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website:
Raise-Funds.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $3.99) ☺
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

No one would argue the fact that every fundraising campaign needs a goal and that everyone connected with the campaign, including prospective donors, needs to be aware of that goal.

Why, then, do people so often fight the setting of a goal for each prospective donor and the sharing of that goal with the prospect?

Trustees often blanch at the idea, and it is the rare solicitor who for the first time he or she is told that there will be a suggested giving amount for each of his prospects does not respond with, “I can’t tell people what to give!”

They’re right! Solicitors shouldn’t try to tell prospects what to give, as that will likely engender a great deal of resistance.

Yet, setting a personal goal for all prospective individual donors, letting prospects know what their goal is, and helping them see where and how it fits under the umbrella of the campaign goal, are probably the most important elements of any campaign.

No matter what prospective donors you are approaching, you need to be ready with a suggested giving amount in line with what each prospective donor is capable of giving. Dealing with foundations, corporations, and government funders in this manner is easy. In fact, it us usually required. Grant application forms have a blank space where you fill in the amount requested. But when it comes to individual donors, we seem to think it is a different kettle of fish. It isn’t.

If a fundraising campaign is to have a realistic chance at succeeding, we must, in the case of every prospective individual donor:
   1. Rate and evaluate the person’s ability to give.
   2. Seek a realistically large—hopefully the maximum—potential gift.
   3. Provide the donor with a suggested gift amount.

This rating and evaluating process applied to as many of our key potential donors as possible will allow us to suggest what we would like them to give. It does not tell them what to give.

Most prospects will welcome a suggestion of what would be appropriate. People nearly always want to know what the “price” of something is. It is rare that anyone decides to purchase an item without first looking at its price tag. The same is true when it comes to making a philanthropic donation.

People want to know how much the soliciting organization needs, and those responsible for fundraising should always have a ready answer. That answer should be a specific dollar amount determined by a rating and evaluating process, but far too often it is:

1. “Give what you can:” Requesting that multimillionaires give what they can is capricious.
   You seldom are likely to be asking any one person for resources of that magnitude.
2. “Give what you are comfortable with.” People can be comfortable with giving $10 when
   you need $100 and they could give that and more.
3. “We would appreciate a gift in the range of $ ________ to $ ______.” Asking for a gift,
   for example, in the range of $100 to $1,000 tells the prospect you haven’t determined
   what your real needs are and you certainly do not know the prospect’s potential to give.

You should always suggest a specific number, and that number must be presented in a way that is neither annoying nor demanding. There is only one person who can and will decide the size of the gift – the individual making that gift, and most prospects will welcome and consider a request made that way.

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Have a question or comment for Tony? He can be reached at Tony@raise-funds.com. There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website: Raise-Funds.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap 🙂
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We’re going to take a break, now, for the July 4th Holiday,
then we’ll begin our once-a-week (Thursdays) Summer Schedule.
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

An e-mail sent to me recently….
“I have read that when setting a donation goal for each major donor prospect you should project 10x their largest single gift. Is this a good rule of thumb?”

This is yet another of the several similar hard-to-believe instances over the years when someone cited such an unfounded and useless “rule.”

I strive to be respectful of my colleagues, but there are times when I cannot abide by what some of them sometimes say is “Gospel” – what they suggest as a “standard,” or a “rule-of-thumb.” Anyone promoting such a “formula,” clearly has no idea how the process works – prospect identification, assessment, rating for giving potential, and the subsequent asking process.

No such (10x) arbitrary extrapolation could/should be presented to any donor, be it a granting foundation, a corporation, or an individual. If you apply that, or any other formula, to any donor source’s largest single donation, and you come up with an ask not based on reality – it can only cause distress and dismay from your prospects. They will know that the organization making such an ask did not do its homework.

When talking about granting foundations or corporations, you simply start by understanding their range of giving, to look, possibly, at their median gift when considering an ask amount. Factor in which types of organizations were favored for their bigger donations, and determine if those organizations have missions and/or constituencies similar to yours?

What kind of reactions and suggestions do you get from your board members as they look over the list of the foundations and corporations – complete with the names of those entities’ officers and top staff? Can you find any friendship and/or business links they might have with foundation and corporate leaders? Can your board members use those connections to help you to determine the appropriate ask amounts?

For an individual who has a history of giving to your organization, you’ll know what their largest gift was. Even then, if I was a donor to your NPO and my biggest donation to you in recent years was $1,000, it would make no sense to arbitrarily peg my next ask at $10,000.

Using the 10x factor, and asking me for that dollar figure would greatly damage your credibility. People in your organization would/should know enough about me to suggest a number based on their perception of my giving capability.

Suppose I could give much more than $10k? You would miss out. Or, suppose my $1,000 gift was a real and hard stretch for me in the first place? I would be uneasy, maybe even embarrassed, to be asked for such a large donation well out of my range of giving, and then having to refuse.

It would be better if people from within the organization did do their homework, so they can ask for a more sensible and defensible gift.

You must do your best to “know” each and every prospect. A made-up multiplying factor, simply will not work, and can be damaging to your relationship with your donors and to your fundraising program.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have a question or comment for Tony? He can be reached at Tony@raise-funds.com. There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website: Raise-Funds.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.