March 9, 2006 | Read Time: 2 minutes
The Ask: How to Ask Anyone for Any Amount for Any Purpose
by Laura Fredricks
Asking for money in person can be a difficult conversation to start, but it is an essential component of running any nonprofit organization or fund-raising campaign, writes Laura Fredricks, vice president for philanthropy at Pace University, in New York.
Her book begins by encouraging fund raisers to prepare to persuade others by first examining their own views on money, since many people find it awkward to talk about money. Those who balk at asking for donations may fear rejection, but Ms. Fredricks outlines ways to develop confidence in seeking a gift.
Asking for large donations must be done face to face, she emphasizes, because “people give to people; they do not give to paper.” She notes that solicitations made in person have a much higher rate of success than written or telemarketing appeals. Large gifts come in when donors can see and hear a fund raiser’s passion for the cause, she writes.
One chapter shows how to assess a potential donor’s interest, understanding of a group’s mission, involvement in the cause, assets, and inclination to give, as a way to determine the best time to ask for a donation. It also suggests ways to cultivate a successful team of fund raisers.
The rest of the book focuses on how to solicit donations for specific purposes, including annual gifts, capital campaigns, major gifts, and special projects, then how to respond to the myriad ways a potential donor might react.
Ms. Fredricks emphasizes that fund-raising techniques can be taught to anyone, even those who may be embarrassed to approach donors.
“People are not born fund raisers,” she writes, “just as they are not born with all the skills to be accountants, doctors, lawyers, or artists.”
Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 989 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 94103-1741; (800) 956-7739; fax (317) 572-4002; http://www.josseybass.com; 252 pages; $39.95; ISBN 0-7879-7856-6.
