Marc A. Pitman's Blog, page 41

Emergency relief in the Philippines and fundraising for your nonprofit

Congratulations to Facebook and the Red Cross for making it ridiculously easy to support those devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines!

Even if you don't have the connections or relationship to get this type of top billing on Facebook, there are loads of ways you and your nonprofit can support the relief efforts.

Support typhoon relief in mission-related ways

As I told my Fundraising Kick email subscribers earlier this week, if your nonprofit community wants to help, seek mission related ways to help.

If your cause is animal related, consider supporting an animal related rescue effort.

If your cause is water, look to see who's already on the ground and support them.

If you run a homeless shelter, look for aspects of emergency relief that resonate most deeply with your mission and support those. Maybe sending money to programs that provide soup or blankets.

There are so many creative ways to help. And remember, most relief agencies say money is the most important help. Don't send the blankets or the diapers, send the money to help them buy them.

Don't stop asking your donors for your own nonprofit

And most importantly, don't stop asking donors for your own nonprofit! This is the most charitable time of the year. Your mission is still worthy of funding. So get out there and ask for it. If you live in an area devastated by the typhoon, this will need some nuancing. But in times like this, your nonprofit is probably needed more than ever.

How to answer the relief effort objection

If you don't, here's what to say when a donor says, "We're giving to the typhoon relief effort instead."

"So are we! The devastation is mind-boggling, isn't it? So as an organization, we're giving money to [tell them about the project you chose that reinforces your mission]. While that is happening, we are seeing more need for [food, shelter, education, land conservation, political action, whatever your mission addresses]. Would you consider increasing your gift from last year?

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Get 100 donors in the next 12 weeks? Learn how: 100 Donors in 90 Days!

Other Possibly Related posts:
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Fundraising Seminars and Nonprofit Executive Coaching
The Fundraising Coach’s Nonprofit Fundraising Institute

Who pays the tab at a meeting with a donor?

During a recent coaching call, my client asked me to walk her step-by-step through an upcoming donor meeting. I love doing this! We established her top goal for the dinner, talked about the environment, and scripted a couple questions for her to ask as the meal progressed. We even worked on keywords she could use should an opportunity to make an ask arise.

Then she asked about what happens when the waitress brings the bill.

Great question!

This can be a point of amazing tension. It’s usually stressful for the donor because nonprofit people are so often “entitled.” They act as if they are “owed” the meal.

I’m not a fan of using restaurants for donor visits. But if you do, here are some pointers in removing stress about paying the bill.

Always assume you are paying the bill

First, as a fundraiser I always assume I’m going to pay for the meal. Always. I’m representing a nonprofit and this is just a cost of doing business.

Here is how it plays out at the table:

The server comes with the check.

I’ll reach for it. Not hastily, not in a way that breaks the flow of conversation. But I’ll quietly slide it towards me.

If the donor reaches for it himself, I’ll always look up and say, “Are you sure?”

If they insist, I’ll let them pay.

I’m not sure where I picked up the “Are you sure?” step but I think it’s based in that family tradition of refusing seconds until they’re offered twice. If the donor offers to pay twice—once by moving to take the check; twice by answering me—I’m confident in letting him.

If there’s any hesitation on their part, I’ll pay. I was expecting to anyway. They probably rarely get treated to a meal so paying is sort of fun. (Even when budgets are tight.)

It’s O.K. to let donors pay

There are several reasons it’s good if they pay:

Confirms good stewardship of their own gift

Many donors feel that if they pay for the meal, more of their gift (or future gift) is actually “going to the mission” of the nonprofit. They like to be able to help the organization be good stewards.

Another chance to say “thank you”

It gives me a lot of opportunity to express gratitude. If you’ve come sincerely expecting to pay, you can honestly say, “Wow. Thank you so much.” But let it rest at that. Your job is to—at some point—ask for a much larger gift than a dinner. You can gush with gratitude then.

Givers like to give

There’s a real joy for people in being able to pay for a meal. Who are you to rob them of that joy?

Increasing engagement

Finally, their paying the bill is yet one more way for them to support my nonprofit. Nothing that will show up on tax forms or donor lists, but it can be yet another engagement step in the process. Another way of them establishing a close relationship.

But always arrive at the meeting expecting to pay

Here are some of nuances for you to consider:

Never assume they will pay

The worst thing you can do is to assume that since you work for a nonprofit, it’s everyone else’s job to pay for the food. That sense of entitlement stinks to high heaven and leaves a bad taste in the donor’s mouth leading them to think twice about any other invitation from your nonprofit.

Avoid offering to split the tab

Unless you’ve agreed on this before the meal, offering to split the bill can make you look like a cheapskate. And that can damage any future relationship you might have grown with the donor.

Who set up the appointment?

In general, if the other person invited you to the meal, it’s safe to think they’ll be paying. But that makes your low-key offer to pay even more powerful. They’re used to nonprofits being “takers.” This shows that you represent a different type of nonprofit than they’re used to.

If he asks for the check

If the donor asks the server for the check, it’s a good bet that he’s going to pay. When the server brings him the check, you have a choice: you can either ask a brief “Are you sure?” or you can say, “Thank you very much.” You can’t really go wrong with either response but after you’ve been in enough of these situations, you should be able to sense in the moment which response is more appropriate.

Deciding you’re paying frees you to focus on the donor

By coming to the meeting having made the decision that you are paying for the meal, you free your mind to focus on the donor rather than on who’s going to pay. And your gratitude should he pay is genuine.

Your turn

What about you? How do you handle this situation? Tell us in the comments!

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Get 100 donors in the next 12 weeks? Learn how: 100 Donors in 90 Days!

Other Possibly Related posts:
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Explosive growth: The Donor Retention Project
Brief rant: YOU ARE NOT YOUR PERFECT DONOR!

Does Amazon's new "Smile" mean a windfall for your nonprofit's year-end fundraising?

I'm not a fan of "fundraising sales" like cookie dough, pizza kits, wrapping paper, raffle tickets, or popcorn. I think they do have a place in the realm of fundraising. But while I love asking for money, I don't like doing this type of sale.

So it's probably no surprise that I've never been a fan of the shopping portals that are supposed to give donations to nonprofits. To make them successful, nonprofits need to constantly promote them, reminding their donors to change their buying habits. It really bugs me that each nonprofit turns into a volunteer sales force for that company and promotes the company brand far more than their own. I can see tremendous benefit for the company--lots of sales with little effort--but not a great return for the nonprofit--lots of effort but little donations.

Is AmazonSmile a game changer?

Now Amazon is offering AmazonSmile. Just go to http://smile.amazon.com/ and choose a charity. From then on, any eligible purchase will result in 0.5% going to the charity.

They preloaded some charities, the usual suspects like charity:water and the American Red Cross. But you can also search. I chose a startup near Boston called Amirah. Amazon made it easy to find and choose. So now, presumably, every eligible purchase I make on Amazon will result in helping more woman rescued from human trafficking heal and put their lives back together.

Here is why I think AmazonSmile can be effective: millions already are shopping at Amazon. The other tools require you to go through their link to work. People are already going to Amazon's site. They don't have to change that behavior. They just need to choose your charity and then carry on as they were before.

Still chump change

This is still chump change. I thought I was a heavy Amazon user. But in reviewing my purchases for the year, if all of them were eligible, Amirah would've received a whopping $2.50. Nothing to write home about.

But that still $2.50 more than I've given to date. And if you have thousands of people doing this, you could start seeing real money.

What's in it for Amazon?

So what's in it for Amazon? Marketing. As with any retailer, we give the money but they get the marketing credit. When Walmart says it's given a million dollars to the Children's Miracle Network, they really mean their customers have given that much. They're usually the pass through organization, not the philanthropist.

And their choice of program name is awesome: AmazonSmile and the AmazonSmile Foundation. It reminds us of the boxes we receive. And reinforces the good feeling we get in receiving them.

This type of program also helps train us to shop at their store. No longer will we get a cashier asking if we want to buy a balloon or shamrock. We'll just get the good feeling of having this work for us.

It's worth trying

Having said all that, I definitely think it's worth trying. I get to do something I already do, shop on Amazon, and have a sliver of it go to a charity I care about, Amirah. Easy enough.

If you're looking to sign up, just go to: http://smile.amazon.com/. If you don't know who to support, would you consider supporting Amirah? Just search for it. It's the only Amirah that comes up!

If you want to register your nonprofit, just go to: http://org.amazon.com/. More details of the program are available here.

What about you?

Do you see AmazonSmile as helping your nonprofit or favorite cause?

Updated 10/30/2013 at 12:01 pm: I'd incorrectly reported the percentage as "0.05%." The article has been corrected to reflect the correct amount: 0.5%. The $2.50 was correct.

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Get 100 donors in the next 12 weeks? Learn how: 100 Donors in 90 Days!

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[Guest Post] What’s Scarier? Witches, Goblins, or Fundraising? 7 Ways to Stop Being Afraid

It's been my pleasure to get to know Claire Axelrad and her great blog Clairification. I've always said my best Halloween costume was to dress as a fundraiser! As a guy who teaches how to ask without fear, I love the post she's sharing. In it, she asks what's truly scary--asking for money, or what happens if you don't ask for money? You can find Claire on Twitter @CharityClairity.

What’s Scarier? Witches, Goblins or Fundraising? 7 Ways to Stop Being Afraid

by Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE

What’s scarier than fundraising, headless horsemen and spooky ghosts combined?

As much fun as it may be to dress up and freak out the neighbor’s kids on Halloween, let’s take a moment to think about what’s really, truly scary.

That would be cancer … global warming… natural disasters… homelessness… domestic violence… human trafficking… malaria… undrinkable water… torture and injustice… poverty… hunger… there are a lot of scary problems in the world!

If your board members, or executive director – or you! – are scared to ask for philanthropic gifts, consider the alternative. Not asking.

Here’s what I mean:

If it were you facing a night sleeping on the streets, would you rather ask for money to get a bed or stay homeless?

If it were you diagnosed with a terminal disease, would you rather ask for money to find a cure or succumb?

If it were you being unable to buy food to feed your kids, would your rather ask for help or see your children become ill?

If you were a polluted river would you rather continue down this path until you could be set on fire, or seek funds so you could flow free and pure?

Is fundraising scarier than doing what needs to be done to solve these problems?

Whenever you’re called on to ask for gifts, remember to think as if you were the one in dire need. Fundraisers ask when needs are apparent. Fundraisers ask on behalf of those who cannot. Rivers, forests, children, seniors, immigrants, the sick, the lonely, the impoverished.

Fundraisers ask to resolve problems and make the world a less scary place.

When people won’t fundraise because they’re scared, remind them to consider the alternative. If it were them being faced personally with this problem, how might that change their feelings? All the great religions have a commandment along the lines of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. There is a special commandment in Judaism called tikkun olam. It means to “repair the world.” We don’t raise money simply for the love of money. We do so to restore balance to a world that constantly gets out of whack. If we don’t do it, who will?

Here are 7 ways to set your fundraisers up to overcome the ‘scary’:


Connect them to their passion

Talk to them about why they’re involved. How is it personal? Have they been touched by your issue? Or do you need to set them up for some site visits so they can connect more personally to your work? Passion is what will help folks overcome their fears. Coincidentally, it’s what will separate you from the crowd and inspire others to join you.

Arm them with great stories

Great fundraising is really just great storytelling. Collect a few great stories that compellingly convey your mission. Not too many; you don’t want to overwhelm folks. You want them to remember these stories! Tell the stories. Write them down. Have your fundraisers practice telling the story back to you and others. Let them own the story and become passionate about the telling.

Provide inspiring training

Ignite your fundraisers’ passion for philanthropy. Don’t make your training all about money and sales. Give them a few easy-to-remember message points that speak to the need you address and your organization’s impact on the community. Why should folks support you over any other organization that does this type of work? Give your volunteers 3-5 talking points and FAQs. Give them brief case statements about your core programs. Give them succinct fact sheets.

Make thoughtful solicitor assignments

Don’t assign cold calls. Endeavor to create ‘wins’. With a first-time solicitor, pair them with someone you know will give. Don’t give folks too many calls at too low a dollar level. Plan ahead so that you make the best use of your volunteers’ valuable contacts and limited availability. It’s better to focus board members on fewer calls at much higher dollar levels. I believe in asking board members to make only 2-3 calls at any one time.

Create user-friendly prospect/donor profiles

Give folks all the information they’ll need to make a successful connection with their assignment. This means letting the solicitor know how much was given, when, and why (for what purpose) and how long the person assigned has been connected with your organization. And it means suggesting an appropriate ask amount. It does not mean giving them access to every single note that’s ever been written in this donor’s record in your database. Don’t rely on database queries. Take the time to look at your print-outs and annotate them. Redact any information that really is none of the solicitor’s business. Speaking of scary… it’s just plain creepy when a solicitor comes off like ‘Big Brother.’

Make sure they make their own passionate gift first

What a board member says is not as important as what they do. They must lead by example (and, by the way, so should you)!

Support volunteers in building ongoing relationships

Remind them their work is not about the ‘ask’ alone. They can also serve as ‘ambassadors’ and ‘advocates.’ The “AAA Board” is one that’s set up for success because we help them assume the role for which they’re prepared today; then we help them take baby steps towards the roles they will assume tomorrow. When we make appropriate assignments, fundraising becomes a lot less scary. You’ve got to learn to swim in the shallow water before you’re ready to jump off a diving board.


What would happen if your organization ceased to exist? Scary, no?

The alternative to fundraising is not fundraising. What happens to all the people who rely on you then? What happens to our planet and our society when people don’t channel their empathy and care for one another? Now that’s scary!

For more scary inspired fundraising posts, check out the Halloween Nonprofit Blog Carnival – Major Gifts Tricks and Treats.

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Get 100 donors in the next 12 weeks? Learn how: 100 Donors in 90 Days!

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[Guest Post] 7 ways to thank a donor
[Guest Post] Three Ways Nonprofits Can Use Promotional Products Effectively

Bing is surprisingly important for your nonprofit marketing

I'm a huge fan of Google. I've written about Google Calendar, Google Trends, Google+ for nonprofits, and do most of my work in Gmail and Google Drive.

So tools like Bing fly under my radar.

Don't miss out on Bing

Google is still the biggest search engine on the planet. So paying attention to SEO that matters to Google is critical.

But Facebook is the biggest social media site on the planet. Did you know Bing is the search engine that controls all the "web search" searches on Facebook?

So when people are doing searches on Facebook, if your site isn't optimized for Bing too, you could be missing out on traffic. You see, when someone searches on Facebook, and the answer isn't apparent, "web search" is the first option.

Bing webmaster tools

To avoid making that mistake, SEO experts suggest setting up your site in the webmaster tools in Bing just as you would with Google Webmaster Tools.

Just go over and set up your website at:

http://www.bing.com/toolbox/webmaster

Then you'll be on the road to not missing any web traffic from Facebook!

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Get 100 donors in the next 12 weeks? Learn how: 100 Donors in 90 Days!

Other Possibly Related posts:
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Ambiguity is killing your fundraising

A few weeks back, I shared with my Fundraising Kick members a conversation I had with a friend asking me for a donation. In short, he asked me to consider "supporting" his nonprofit.

I'm thrilled he asked. That is a huge start. But I couldn't resist the opportunity to coach him into asking more effectively. If he's going to reach his goal, he can't simply trust that each person he asks will mystically "get it"...whatever "it" is.

Ambiguity is financial disaster for your nonprofit

You are the expert on your nonprofit. You are the expert on your mission. And you are the expert on the costs associated with that mission. The major gift prospect has no idea what level of gift you're thinking of! And they certainly can't read your mind. You may be thinking of a $2500 commitment but they may feel "supporting your cause" is a $25 gift.

It is disrespectful to not make a specific ask. (Click here to tweet that.)

Your nonprofit can't afford have it's best major gift prospects, prospects that would gladly give more if asked, give 1% of what you hope they'd give.

So even if you say,

“I have no idea what level to ask you for, but would you consider a gift of $2500 a year for the next three years?"

or

"I don't know what you might be able to do, but would you consider joining the Leadership Circle this year?"

This type of phrasing gives them lots of wiggle room while making it clear what kind of commitment you have in mind.

You’re not manipulating

You’re not manipulating. You’re just being clear. The fundraising is based on your nonprofit’s plan. Your nonprofit is setting the target. You're just trying to find out where the major gift prospect's ability fits in that plan. Whether you're specific or not, the donor will decide what to give. But with the wording above, they’ll now have a target to shoot at.

Use gift range calculators to set up levels

If you don't even know how to come up with levels, try running your total goal through at gift range calculator. These calculators are based on decades of solid fundraising research. They are simply meant to help you plan your fundraising, not to dictate whether your plan will succeed or fail.

The two fundraising calculators I know of are mine and Blackbaud's:

http://GiftRangeCalculator.com/

and

https://www.blackbaud.com/nonprofit-resources/gift-range-calculator.aspx

We focus on different ends of the research. I use the more conservative numbers. If you need your top gift to be 10%-25% of your goal, I figure it's just as hard to ask for 25%. And if the donor says "no," they may go down to 20%. But they won't go up to 20% if you only ask for 10%. Blackbaud uses the other end of the same research and often feels more "doable" than mine. I like to say my calculator is what you show to an excited board member to help her generate a list of prospect names and Blackbaud's can be what you use in the office to plan out the campaign. They are simply different sides of the same coin.

This stuff works

I'm on the board of our local United Way. This year, we're beginning to add major gifts to our work-based campaign. The board has gotten the message so clearly that some are asking their peers to join the Leadership Circle. I've been thrilled to hear of the excitement from board and staff alike of donors giving the major gift simply because they were clearly asked!

This can happen to you too. And there's still time before year end. Don't let ambiguity kill your major gift fundraising. Ask each major gift prospect to give at a specific level.

The major gift focused Fundraising Kick goes go out each week. If you're not getting them yet, go to http://fundraisingcoach.com/fundraisingkick/ to see examples of actual kicks and to sign up.

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Get 100 donors in the next 12 weeks? Learn how: 100 Donors in 90 Days!

Other Possibly Related posts:
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[Guest Post] 7 tips for sharing stories about your nonprofit work

Today I'm pleased to introduce you to Lori Jacobwith. Lori and I have interacted over the last few years and finally got to meet in Minneapolis earlier this year. I've asked her to share her top tips on storytelling. You can check out her step-by-step storytelling system and you can follow her on Twitter @ljacobwith.

Seven tips for sharing stories about your work

By Lori L. Jacobwith, Master Storyteller, Author and Trainer

Someone asked me recently, what makes me a “master storyteller?”

Malcolm Gladwell says you should have 10,000 hours of practice to be an expert or master. So after more than 25 years of finding, telling, and coaching literally thousands of stories as both a nonprofit staff person and a trainer & coach, as well as writing Boring2Brilliant (a free ebook you can download) -- I consider myself a master!

One of my "soap box" topics has always been share MORE stories about the impact of your work.

Recently, while working with Sara, the CEO and Founder of a wonderful health-related organization, I found myself really having trouble paying attention to how she was describing their work.

So, I asked Sara to share a real example of what she meant. I asked her to tell me about a real person. I knew that a real person example would keep me listening and continue to care about what Sara was saying throughout her 15-minute presentation.

Sharing client stories wasn't new to Sara, but she struggled with how to use a story in short, 3 to 4 sentence bites to paint a picture. The speech she gave was good, but it could have been even better had she used a few rules about stories:

Stories should be about real people who need something, hopefully something that YOUR organization provides.

Allow the person in your story to have a real name, age, and to speak for themselves.

Minds wander, get real quickly. In about 4 - 10 seconds your listeners tune out if you haven't grabbed them. Don't tell me you are going to tell me a story about someone, just tell it. Starting with the person's name, age, and a few descriptive words.

Keep your story short. 6 words to 2 minutes is the length I recommend.

Allow your story to cause me to feel something. Anger, sadness, happiness, pride--it doesn't matter what the emotion is; I just have to feel something.

Your story should have a moment that paints a picture so I see myself or someone in my life. Could be aging parents, the daughter of the person who made my latte or took my bank deposit today, or even my own child.

The best stories are told by the person themselves. Clients telling their own stories are the most moving way to share how your organization makes a difference.

A great story versus a so-so or ho hum story can make the difference between keeping your donors and volunteers connected and losing them to the next good cause.

Make sure to put a face on your work often.

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Get 100 donors in the next 12 weeks? Learn how: 100 Donors in 90 Days!

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3 things to NOT do in your next Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign

Crowdfunding has opened up funding for some wonderful projects. But according to their own stats, the majority of Kickstarter projects fail. And a full 10% never raise any money.

How to stay out of the majority of crowdfunding campaigns

I'm going to show you three strategic tips that will help keep your crowdfunding campaign out of the majority that fail. To do that, I'm taking a page out of Tom Ahern's playbook. One of the best things about hearing Tom Ahern speak is his prolific use of real-life examples. When I received this email last week, I knew it would be perfect for an Ahern-like post.

The first 3 things that they got wrong (it's not Indiegogo's fault)


Don’t send my the first email once it’s gone live

Like I say in "Fundraising on the Web: It's more than just a birthday wish," successful online fundraising happens before the event! Like any fundraising event, you need to do a lot of prep work. There should be a committees or a project teams and lots of outreach. Make a list of "influencers," people who will be able to help get the word out. Let them become part of the the creation of the campaign. Let them own it.

Take away: If you think someone is worth approaching for the campaign, chances are they're worth approaching before the campaign. If you're first contact is when the clock is ticking on your campaign, you've waited too long.

Don’t ask me to push it out to my network on the first contact

I don't know you but now you're saying you "know" I have a "great network"? Well, for your information, those people who seem like a group of strangers for you to exploit are actually my friends. My network is largely personal relationships that I've worked hard at cultivating. Now you are asking me to risk my reputation on something I know nothing about? That’s a no go.

Take away: Don't try to use my friends. Get to know me first.

In a recent Hangout with Creating the Future, Hildy Gottlieb shared the folks at StartSomeGood call these "PEERfunding campaigns" rather than crowdfunding. I love that. I wonder how this person would've changed her approach if she'd thought of my network as "my peers." And thought of me as a "peer." I think she'd have appealed to something like "your friends probably share these values too." I like to think I would've responded better.

Don’t make me unsubscribe me from a list I didn’t sign up for!

As if to prove that point that this isn't a personal message, despite my name being merged in the email, I learn at the bottom that I'm "subscribed" to a list I never signed up for!

This is called spam. I can't stand this.

Now I know I’m just one of the crowd. You don’t really care about me. You just care about getting your project in front of people I know. For all I know, everyone receiving this had the ego-stroking "your network is large" phrase.

Take away: Be really careful about adding people to lists. If enough of them report your email as spam, you could have problems far larger than a failed crowdfunding...er "peerfunding"...campaign.


What do you think?

Those were my visceral reactions to receiving that Indiegogo campaign email. Do you think I'm overreacting?

What have your experiences been with fundraising on Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or any other crowdfunding site?

For more information on successful crowdfunding, check out 6 Channels to Call in the Crowds to Your Crowdfunding Campaign.

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Get 100 donors in the next 12 weeks? Learn how: 100 Donors in 90 Days!

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Fundraising is farming, not Powerball

Nonprofits often mistake hiring professionals like fundraising coaches or consultants as buying the winning lottery ticket. No matter what they've been told, they think the professional will magically find them funding. Fortunately, that is actually great for nonprofits. Lottery winners typical have awful outcomes. They often live miserable lives.

True fundraising is like farming

Fundraising is not easy. There is no magic ticket. It's hard, often thankless, work. Huge campaign successes are not surprises. They're earned. Sure, there are out-of-the-blue gifts that come in. But overall success is a hard, emotional, well-planned slog.

That is exactly why fundraising coaches are needed

That's why professionals are such great resources! A fundraising coach is an outside voice. A professional can help you get through emotional roller coaster of fundraising.

I've been through 17 capital campaigns--15 successful, 1 good but not yet completed, and 1 miserable failure. Experiences like this make it easier to focus on what really matters without getting distracted by the inevitable shiny objects. Fundraising is much more like learning to ride a bike than walking a tightrope. Sure, you'll skin your knees, but you're able to get back up and do it again.

Re-caliberate your expectations

If you're currently looking for professional fundraising help, re-calibrate your expectations. If a professional is promising easy money, run away. Especially if promising online riches. True professionals know it takes effort. And true professionals will help your grow both your fundraising ability and your capacity to fundraise when they're gone.

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Get 100 donors in the next 12 weeks? Learn how: 100 Donors in 90 Days!

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How to effectively ask for advice

Last week, I was at a meeting and heard a board member say:

“Ask a man for advice, and he’ll give you money. Ask a man for money, and he’ll give you advice.

Isn’t that the truth? Think about the times you as a board member or nonprofit employee told someone you were asking for money. How often does that person think they’re helping by giving you ideas for raising money instead of making a donation? “Oh, you should try a bottle drive.” or “You know, what if you opened juice stores?” or “I bet if you sold these [fill in the blank of their product] we could raise some money for you.”

Asking for advice forces you to be interested

The great thing about asking someone for advice is that you’re forced to focus on the prospect. You must figure out something legitimate that he or she could actually give you advice about.

It forces you to see beyond the prospect’s wallet.

I know we’ve talked alot about effective fundraising letters and successful year-end appeals. These are extremely important components of your fundraising program. These should be well in hand. This week, ask advice of some of your best donor prospects.

Some tips on effectively asking for advice


No hook

You are really there to just ask advice. Nothing else. If they ask you how much you’re looking to get from them, you can say, “Oh. I wasn’t planning on asking you for money this time.”


Ask for meaningful input

This only works in building relationships when you really are asking for advice. Sincerity is key. There are two ways to go about finding what you should ask for and who to ask it of:

Draw a list of things your nonprofit needs help with.

Then go through your top donors and prospects, matching their expertise with an area on the list.

Or

Draw a list of people you’d wish were donors to your nonprofit. Jot down what areas of expertise they have.

Then circle the areas that would be most helpful for you nonprofit.



Not pro bono – not “picking their brain”

Don’t expect people to work for free. No matter how great your cause is, they have families to feed. Don’t rob the food from their mouths. (For one person’s take on that, read Andrienne Graham’s piece in Forbes magazine called “No, You Can’t Pick My Brain. It Costs Too Much.“)


Buy the damn coffee

A corollary to that is if you’re meeting them at a restaurant or coffee shop, pay for their order! You are asking for their advice. This is social etiquette 101 – if you do the inviting, you foot the bill.

Sorry. I don’t normally use language like that. But the number of times nonprofit people–not business people, just nonprofit people–have left me holding the bill is astounding. It’s embarrassing for our entire sector. And it leaves a very bad impression both to the “expert” you’re trying to build a relationship with. I once met people who’d asked for my advice. They invited me to meet at a local fast food restaurant. We sat their for an hour an a half and they never ordered anything!! My tension increased every minute. Their assumptive attitude, treating a private business like a public park, spoke volumes for how they were missing other social cues in their nonprofit work!

What to say at the meeting


Make your ask specific

Just like in fundraising, you need to be specific about what you’re asking of them. What exactly do you want advice about? “Marketing” is too broad. So is “online marketing.” A far better approach would be “developing relationship with area news reporters” or “tips on wisely making our ad buy.” Or “We’re going to build this new building. What are the 3 most common construction mistakes that you see people make? How can we avoid them?”


Acknowledge that this is their job

Let them know that you know that they get paid for this. “Joe, I know you get paid for this. I’m not asking you to do anything pro bono. I am calling hoping you could point us in the right direction as we approach [name your initiative or project].”


Don’t dominate their time

This is your full-time job, not theirs. (If you’re a board member you can read that as “This is your volunteer gig, not theirs.”) Respect their time. I like asking for 15-20 minutes. That’s long enough to get pointers, and short enough to fit in their schedule.

When you get to the promised time, and the person is on a roll sharing her ideas with you, ask “I only asked for 15 minutes of your time. Are you ok that we’re going over?” Then I wouldn’t mention the time again. It’s now their choice to give you more time than you asked for.


Asking for advice is a part of growing a relationship

Asking for advice fits in both the “engage” and “love” steps of the Ask Without Fear! fundraising system. When you’ve taken the time to identify a person’s assets, beyond what you think is in their checkbook, you’re treating them as a human. (Rather than treating them as an ATM.)

Using these tips, will help ensure that you are building the relationship, not damaging it!

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

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