June 2, 2004 | Read Time: 3 minutes
Q. I work for a small but rapidly growing international conservation organization. My background is entirely in environmental programs, but I was asked to take our first-ever development-coordinator position. I have been working hard on such tasks as creating an online-donation system, but have not had the chance to meet with our most promising donor prospects. I’d like to learn how to “make the ask,” but our president tends to guard his relationships with these prospects himself. How can I get the skills and experience I need?
A. It’s not surprising that the president of your organization is guarding your organization’s most promising prospects — as you note, you don’t have a lot of experience in fund raising. On the other hand, you won’t get experience in “making the ask” if your president doesn’t let you try.
Start by planning a conversation with your president, says Sharon Keys Seal, a career coach in Pasadena, Md., who often assists nonprofit employees. She suggests you say something like this to your boss: “I know you carry the lion’s share of in-person solicitations from prospective donors, and I’d really like to learn more about that area. Can you talk with me about some of the skills I’ve identified that I have, and those that I think I need? Then, can we brainstorm about ways I can add to my skill set so that I can help in developing new prospects for our growing organization?” This, says Ms. Seal, “sends the message that you recognize the president’s expertise. It also gives him a chance to clarify, if necessary, your understanding of your role in the arena of in-person fund raising. And it gives him a chance to give you input and direction, without feeling threatened or like you plan to usurp his existing relationships with donors.”
Then, ask the president if you can simply observe him when he interacts with donors, so you can learn from his technique, suggests Suzanne Hilser-Wiles, national director of development at CancerCare, in New York. Not only will you learn from watching, but you’ll also get an introduction to your charity’s donor prospects — which means that prospects might start to view you as an additional point of contact. If you’re nervous about this conversation, think of it as practice for a conversation with a donor, suggests Rodger Roeser, director of development at the Center for Humanitarian Relief, in Cincinnati.
Whether or not your president will allow you to shadow him, you can borrow a technique that Ms. Hilser-Wiles has used when employees who manage programs want to get more involved with donors. “We have them make follow-up thank-you calls to donors,” she says. “This helps you to get over any initial shyness, and you can learn to be comfortable talking about money with donors before doing an ask.” Then, she says, you can progress to easier “asks” first, such as soliciting in-kind gifts, or supporters’ participation at special events, or following up with grant makers to whom you’ve sent grant proposals. “These are all good ways to start,” she says.
