Last year, I shared my favorite questions to guide donor cultivation. That post was the first in a series on my favorite conversation starters, transition questions, and asks. I’m pleased to continue that series now, and to tackle perhaps the most challenging part of a donor meeting: transitioning to your request and making a direct solicitation.
I was inspired to create this series because I’ve found that the most popular and useful blog posts offer concrete advice and tips. The “ask” is much more than just a request for money—it’s the relationship building that happens before a solicitation and the stewardship that comes after the response, whether or not you have secured the gift. It presents challenges for even the most experienced fundraisers. Because the entire process is in the context of a human relationship, it can be unpredictable, and it’s natural to be nervous.
That’s why having prompts and conversation starters in your back pocket can be extremely helpful. I share these not as mandated talking points, but rather as guideposts that you can use to chart your course, and frameworks that can be modified for your cause and supporters. Also, as I emphasized in the first article, these questions can help provide valuable focus if the conversation starts to wander, and they help to show respect for your donor’s time.
These questions are a natural extension of the first set of cultivation prompts. If you’ve been engaged and actively listening while getting to know your donor, the information that you’ve learned will set you up for success in this next stage.
Transitioning to make an ask
Transitions, by their very nature, can feel awkward. However, it’s critical to guide the meeting toward its purpose: asking for support. When a donor, or a prospect, agrees to meet with you, they anticipate that an ask is coming. Failing to get there could leave your supporter confused about why you even met at all.
It can be particularly hard to change the direction of the conversation if it’s going well; however, it’s especially important to keep the meeting on track when you have a strong rapport. These prompts can help you pivot the conversation at key moments:
- I want to be respectful of your time. Let’s make sure we talk about your gift before we run out of time.
- I know our time is almost up and we planned to talk about your gift.
- I want to make sure we talk about your contribution this year. Have you given it thought?
- In the time we have remaining, I want to make sure we talk about your gift.
- I’d like to make sure we talk about your gift; would it be OK to transition to that discussion?
Asking
In my experience, once you have gotten through the transition, the ask usually flows naturally. The key consideration for this stage of the conversation is your own preparation. Ideally, you will have brought solid knowledge of your donor into the meeting and details gleaned during your conversation will help you craft an appropriate solicitation. Below, I’ve modeled several different scenarios for new and established donors for you to use as frameworks:
- Last year you gave $1,000. Would you be open to discussing an increase?
- Last year you gave $1,000. Would you consider increasing to $1,500?
- Our leadership level gifts begin at $5,000. Let’s start our conversation there.
- Thank you for giving year after year; I hope we can count you among our supporters again this year.
- I know we had previously talked about making a gift to support our work. I’d love to know what you’re thinking.
Next month, in the final post in this series, I’ll be discussing how to respond when a donor doesn’t commit or turns down your request. Stay tuned!