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Development, Fundraising

Critical Year-End Appeals And Solicitations Part 3

by The Timothy Group
November 2, 2020

Persistence in Uncertain Times
During the past several months, how many times have you heard the phrase, “these uncertain or challenging times?” No doubt, you have faced times of difficulty and discouragement. Thankfully, recent reports give hope that new medications, therapies, and a possible vaccine for COVID-19 are expected to be available soon.

Scriptures encourage us to endure and trust God for guidance, direction, and provision. “Be strong and courageous,” and, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” As you battle through these final months of 2020, you must give a 110% effort to your fundraising activities. You must remain diligent in the work. If you do your part, you can trust God for the increase. Here are some action steps for your last few weeks of 2020.

November 2020
• Initial year-end appeal sent out via email and snail mail on or before Nov. 15th.
• Conduct a Ministry Briefing event and arrange follow up visits to those expressing interest in learning more about your ministry.
• Schedule personal visits with major/mega donors during final quarter of 2020 by CEO, COO, and CDO. Prepare a sample script for contact by phone with the goal of scheduling visit appointments, not soliciting gifts.
• Thank you calls. Recruit team members to make “thank you” calls to major, mega, and faithful donors as part of your year-end outreach. Acknowledge gifts received during 2020, particularly major gifts, and remind them of your year-end appeal. Team members should include board members, administrative staff, development staff, and faithful volunteers dedicated to your ministry’s mission and vision. Prepare a sample script for call team members to use for donor outreach calls in December.
• Personal or virtual visits. CEO, COO, and CDO to make personal or virtual visits with key donors for solicitation of significant year-end gift commitments.

December 2020
• Follow up year-end appeal sent out via email and snail mail on or before Dec 10th.
• Conduct another Ministry Briefing event and arrange follow up visits to those expressing interest in learning more about the ministry.
• Finalize personal contact with major/mega donors to schedule personal or virtual visits during final quarter of 2020 by CEO, COO, and CDO. Prepare a sample script for contact by phone with the goal of making visit appointments. Don’t solicit during the call, just schedule the appointment.
• Thank you calls. Team members to make “thank you” calls to major, mega, and faithful donors. Provide a sample script for call team members to use for donor outreach calls after year-end appeal follow up is sent out via mail and email. Make these calls between 12/10 to 12/20.
• Personal or virtual visits. CEO, COO and CDO travel to make personal or virtual visits with key donors to solicit significant year-end gifts.
• Prepare for last minute gifts. Administrative and development staff should be on call to follow up with key donors interested in arranging special or last-minute year-end gifts (gifts of stock; IRA Rollover, planned gifts, etc.).

Take these action steps and share your ministry story. Then trust God to “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it” (Malachi 3:10). Please email us and let us know how your year-end fundraising plans are coming. We would love to hear from you.

Author: Dan DiDonato, Consulant

Fundraising

#GivingTuesday: Ready…Go!

by The Timothy Group
October 21, 2020

Autumn is one of the most enjoyable times of the year for me. I love the fall colors and looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. In this 4th quarter, you will most likely receive more donations than any other time of the year. Every ministry needs an annual development calendar that outlines your plans and financial goals for each fundraising activity and appeal. Fundraising success just doesn’t happen; it takes hard work and a prayerful, strategic approach to reach your goals. Year-end has a flurry of activities with end of year mailings, major donor solicitation, and special events. You might think, “We’re too busy to squeeze in another project.” That may be true, but maybe not.

#GivingTuesday can give you and your organization more energy and motivation to finish the year strong. You may have tried it and not done so well. You may have tried and did OK but are not sure you should try again. Or, you may have done it several times, learned how to do it, and now raise some serious dollars.

#GivingTuesday is December 1, 2020. Here are some helpful ideas! 

  • Find a small starter project for your #GivingTuesday. It could be carpeting a classroom, purchasing musical instruments, adding a piece of equipment to your STEM Lab, etc. Raise money for something already in your budget. Do something that is exciting that will engage many people.
  • Engage your entire constituency: parents, grandparents, friends, family members of employees, students, ministry prayer warriors, teachers, professors, community leaders, and churches. EVERYONE needs to be involved. Who do you know? Don’t underestimate the power of peer-to-peer fundraising!
  • Determine an amount you can reach in one day. Set yourself up for a win that makes everyone feel good and energized.
  • Do not forget that #GivingTuesday is a one-off type of event each year. It lasts one day and does not interfere with your other fundraising plans. Ask people to give over and above their current giving. Have fun. It will work.
  • #GivingTuesday gives your organization an opportunity to sharpen your online/social media presence by amplifying your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Engage some new volunteers to help!
  • Your email list is key. Continue to update your database with current contact information. Use e-blast software like MailChimp, Constant Contact, SendInBlue, MailerLite, etc. to promote and initiate your campaign.
  • Aggressively promote #GivingTuesday. Keep people updated on your fundraising progress during the day, so they can join in the excitement.
  • Ask a major donor to give a matching gift.
  • Follow up with everyone, especially those who donated – thank them. Ask them to pray with you and your organization to have a strong year-end fundraising effort.
  • Now, you have a starting place for next year!

#GivingTuesday is a collaborative effort – locally and globally to make your presence known. Learn more at: www.givingtuesday.org

Author: Dr. Jim Johnson, Senior Consultant

Fundraising, Major Donors

Two Minute Warning: A Late Game Offense That Worked!

by The Timothy Group
October 20, 2020

It’s football season and we all love exciting finishes. You know the scenario: two minutes left on the clock…deep in your own territory… down by a couple of touchdowns, and somehow out of nowhere your team makes a series of spectacular offensive plays and the crowd goes wild in a victory celebration!!! The final minutes of close games bring a sense of urgency. It’s now or never. Each play is critical. All the details of your last-minute plan must come together, or you lose. 

We ran a two-minute offense recently with one of our Christian College clients. I received this e-mail from the president. “Pat, your plan looks great. My only modification is on the amount needed to close out our fiscal year. The actual need is $2.4-$2.8 million dollars, which includes money for scholarships already budgeted. Our fiscal year end is June 30th, therefore we have approximately 120 days.”

“OK, Mr. President, let me get this straight? Your board wants you to finish your fiscal year in the black or they may not let you open next semester. Did I hear you right?”  “YES!”  “So, we must meet or exceed this God-sized goal or you’re out of business?” Once again, “YES!”

We often say at TTG, “Pray like it’s all up to God… work like it’s all up to us.” James teaches, “Faith without works is dead.” The only way our “two-minute” plan would work was with lots of prayer and lots of hard work. This fundraising effort was for the annual operating fund, not a capital campaign. It wasn’t for shiny new stuff; it was for survival. Donors are motivated by urgency, and we certainly had that working in our favor.

I laid out the game plan and said to the president, “You will need to own this. You will need to be in the field with me making donor visits, making asks!” He said, “YES!” I outlined everything it would take to accomplish this goal and he said “yes” to every point. We agreed on a plan and began executing our two-minute drill. 

Here was our plan:

  • Identify the “Top 10/Next 20” key donor visits, and the next 50 donor prospects and suspects.
  • Create a personalized Gift Proposal for each donor and request a specific amount.
  • Prioritize time in your daily schedule to make phone calls and insist on seeing the donor prospects and suspects in person. We could not allow the prospect to say, “Come on, ‘Doc.’ I love the college; just send me the proposal.” Mail has a 1-5% close ratio, personal contact closing jumps up to 80%-85%. Remember, we very likely had only one opportunity with each of these ministry partners. 
  • Build a Team. It was all hands on deck. I asked the question, “Mr. President who on the board, faculty, and staff could help us as ‘friend raisers’ and ‘fundraisers?’”
  • Recruit and hire a full-time, top notch, productive Chief Development Officer. A producer who raises new and renewed gift income. 

YES, I said we could do it. We created a plan, timeline, training manual, and materials. This became a campus wide event. The president even installed digital clocks all over campus to count down the last thirty days. We wanted faculty, staff, and campus visitors to be reminded to pray and help open new doors of opportunity.  

Guess what? They Won!!! We exceeded the gift goal of $2.4-2.8 million. God opened the floodgates of heaven and blessed us with $3.2 million. We found not one, but two stewardship officers, a chief development officer and a major gift officer. YES, it was a miracle, a miracle I have experienced with clients around the world since I stepped into this fundraising arena in 1981. 

What do you need to replicate this opportunity? A clear vision, specific dollar needs, a committed board, staff, faculty, a willing president who is committed or soon will be committed, and a sense of urgency. If you are down this fourth quarter of 2020, let us help you with your two-minute drill!

Author: Pat McLaughlin, President and Founding Partner

Donor Relations

Speak Your Donor’s Language

by The Timothy Group
October 14, 2020

Your ministry sends lots of messages to your donors through direct mail, newsletters, annual reports, website, social media, email, and face-to-face meetings—but are you really connecting? Countless other organizations are also competing for your donors’ attention. Cut through the communication noise and learn what major donors really want to hear from you.

Tune in and learn from Pat how to share your story and genuinely touch the hearts of your donors.

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Development, Fundraising

Critical Year-End Appeals And Solicitations – Part 2

by The Timothy Group
October 1, 2020

“Finishing Well”
When I think of the phrase, “finishing well,” I am reminded of Paul’s encouragement to Timothy “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). 2020 has been incredibly challenging from a fundraising perspective, but we must continue “fighting the good fight” to ensure the success of our year-end appeals and gift solicitations. Your fundraising activity in the final months of 2020 will be more critical than ever to catch up from the pandemic restrictions and limitations forced on us.

Our Fall and Year-End Solicitation Guideline included preliminary activities that you should have initiated over the summer months which included a Fall mail and email appeal in September. If you have not initiated your year-end gift planning, you are behind schedule and must work diligently to catch up. 

Here are your October and November action steps:
October 2020
• Fall appeal follow up via email out on or before 10/15; customize for donor segmentation.
• Prepare draft of year-end appeal and personal solicitation materials. Copy should include information on benefits of planned gifts at year end; (stock gifts, IRA Rollovers, planned giving, etc.).
• Conduct Ministry Briefing event and arrange follow up visits to those attending event expressing interest in learning more about the ministry.
• Continue personal contact with major/mega donors to schedule personal visits during final quarter of 2020 by CEO, COO, and CDO; prepare sample script for contact by phone with goal of making visit appointments (not solicitation of gifts).
• Recruit team members to make “thank you” calls to major, mega, and faithful donor groups as part of year-end outreach. These will be acknowledgements of gifts received during 2020, particularly major gifts. Team members could/should include board members, administrative staff, development department staff and faithful friends or donors (volunteers) dedicated to the ministry’s mission and vision.

November 2020
• Initial year-end appeal sent out via email and snail mail on or before Nov. 15th.
• Conduct Ministry Briefing event and arrange follow up visits to those attending event expressing interest in learning more about the ministry.
• Continue personal contact with major/mega donors to schedule personal visits during final quarter of 2020 by CEO, COO and CDO; prepare sample script for contact by phone with goal of making visit appointments (not solicitation of gifts).
• Continue to recruit team members to make “thank you” calls to major, mega and faithful donor groups as part of year-end outreach. These will be acknowledgements of gifts received during 2020, particularly major gifts and reminder re: year-end appeal. Team members could/should include board members, administrative staff, development department staff and faithful friends or donors (volunteers) dedicated to the ministry’s mission and vision. Prepare sample script for call team members to use for donor outreach calls in December.
• CEO, COO, and CDO travel to make personal visits with key donors for solicitation of significant year-end gift commitments.

We will continue these Fall and Year-End Solicitation planning reminders through the end of this year. Please also visit our website for other resources that can assist you in specific planning for general appeals and major/mega donor contacts and gift requests. Do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of help or assistance.

Author: Dan DiDonato, Consulant

Donor Relations, Major Donors

Do They Love The Gift or Me? A Guest Meditation by Jim Devries

by The Timothy Group
September 30, 2020

“The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold as pure as glass… the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.” Revelation 21:18-21

Does God need our money? Of course not! He makes it clear that man’s standard of wealth, precious metals and jewels in this case, is of so little value that in the new heaven and earth it will be used for building purposes. They will be used to construct buildings and will be trod upon in the streets. What God wants first and foremost is a vital living relationship with us.

Unfortunately, human relationships can go awry when money comes into the picture. Material success brings with it loneliness. You may sense a growing discomfort and even separation from former friends who wonder why you were blessed with riches and they were passed by. Members of your church may question your spirituality—particularly if they haven’t taken the time to get to know you. After all, the Bible says it’s easier to get a camel through the eye of a needle than it is for a wealthy person to enter heaven, so some people believe that being wealthy is evil.

The hardest relationships for me to sort out, however, are the ones that give me mixed signals. I find myself wondering, “Does this organization or person really want my advice, or is this some kind of mating dance so that they can get their hands on my wallet?” I can’t read people’s minds, but I do know what is on God’s mind. He clearly loves me just as I am, not because of my possessions.

Response: Thank you, Lord, for Your wondrous gift of your Son. Help me to value myself so that I can understand your unconditional love for me. Help me to put the right perspective on those who desire my wealth and don’t value me. Help me forgive: ______, who has hurt me by valuing me for what I can do for them.

Think About This: Wealth often brings pride along with it. Who do I know that is wealthy and humble? Do I need to spend some time with them in order to discover their secret?

About the Author: Jim DeVries graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in mechanical engineering. In 1979, he began a medical device company, DLP Inc, which he sold to Metronic Inc. in 1984. The company at that time had operations in three European countries and sold products to open heart centers worldwide. While working in the medical field, Jim receive over 50 patents in the areas of open-heart surgery and cell separation.

Jim’s devotional e-book, Work, Wealth, Wisdom & Worship: Meditations for Leaders, is available on Amazon.

 

Capital Campaigns, Donor Relations, Major Donors

Fundraising Tips from John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

by The Timothy Group
September 24, 2020

Today, when you hear the word, “philanthropy,” you think of Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, or Chuck Feeney. Perhaps one of the most generous philanthropists in the past century was John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1874-1960), the only son and principal heir of John Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil. Historians estimate that during Junior’s lifetime he gave away $537 million dollars, which adjusted for inflation, is more than $10 billion.

Junior had many giving interests including conservation, preserving historical landmarks, collecting fine art, promoting world peace, and supporting religious causes. Countless charities turned to him for support. Not only would he give, he would also invite his friends to give, and train organizations in the finer points of asking. In 1933, he delivered this speech, “The Technique of Soliciting,” to campaign volunteers who were raising funds for the Citizens Family Welfare Committee. Listen to his counsel and apply his suggestions to your fundraising efforts.

“I have been asked to say a few words on the technique of soliciting donations.

Perhaps the best way to acquire a knowledge of that subject is to ask ourselves the question, ‘How would I like to be approached for a gift?’ The answer if carefully thought out, may be relied upon as a pretty safe guide to the task of soliciting. I have been brought up to believe, and the conviction only grows on me, that giving ought to be entered into in just the same careful way as investing — that giving is investing, and that it should be tested by the same intelligent standards. Whether we expect dividends in dollars or in human betterment, we need to be sure that the gift or the investment is a wise one and therefore we should know all about it. By the same token, if we are going to other people to interest them in giving to a particular enterprise we must be able to give them adequate information in regard to it, such information as we would want were we considering a gift.

First of all, then, a solicitor must be well informed in regard to the salient facts about the enterprise for which he is soliciting. Just what is its significance, its importance? How sound is the organization back of it, how well organized? How great is the need? An accurate knowledge of these and similar facts is necessary in order that the solicitor may be able to speak with conviction.

It is a great help to know something about the person whom you are approaching. You cannot deal successfully with all people the same way. Therefore, it is desirable to find out something about the person you are going to — what his interests are, whether you have any friends in common, whether he gave last year, if so, how much he gave, what he might be able to give this year, etc. Information such as that puts you more closely in touch with him and makes the approach easier.

Again, one always likes to know what other people are giving. That may be an irrelevant question, but it is a human question. If I am asked for a contribution, naturally and properly I am influenced in deciding how much I should give by what others are doing.

Another suggestion I like to have made to me by a solicitor is how much it is hoped I will give. Of course, such a suggestion can be made in a way that might be most annoying. I do not like to have anyone tell me what it is my duty to give. There is just one man who is going to decide that question — who has the responsibility of deciding it — and that is myself. But I do like a man to say to me, ‘We are trying to raise $4,000,000 and are hoping you may be desirous of giving $_____.  If you see your way clear to do so, it will be an enormous help and encouragement. You may have it in mind to give more; if so, we shall be glad. On the other hand, you may feel you cannot give as much, in view of other responsibilities. If that is the case, we shall understand.

Whatever you give after thinking the matter over carefully in the light of the need, your other obligations, and your desire to do your full share as a citizen, will be gratefully received and deeply appreciated.’ When you talk like that to a man, he is glad to meet you again, and will not take the other elevator when he sees you in the corridor because you backed him to the wall and forced him to give.

Of supreme importance is to make a pleasant, friendly contact with the prospective giver. Some people have a less keen sense of their duty and responsibility than others. With them, a little urging may be helpful. But with most people a convincing presentation of the facts and the need is far more effective. When a solicitor comes to you and lays on your heart the responsibility that rests so heavily on his; when his earnestness gives convincing evidence of how seriously interested he is; when he makes it clear that he knows you are no less anxious to do your duty in the manner than he is, that you are just as conscientious, that he feels sure all you need is to realize the importance of the enterprise and the urgency of the need in order to lead you to do your full share in meeting it — he has made you his friend and has brought you to think of giving as a  privilege.

Never think you need to apologize for asking someone to give to a worthy object, any more than as though you were giving him an opportunity to participate in a high- grade investment. The duty of giving is as much his as is the duty of asking yours. Whether or not he should give to that particular enterprise, and if so, how much, it is for him alone to decide.

To recapitulate, then, briefly: know your subject; be so sold on it yourself that you can convincingly present its claims in the fewest possible words. A letter may well precede an interview, but personal contact is the most effective. Know as much as you can about the man to whom you go; give him a general idea to the contributions being made by others in his group, and suggest in a gracious and tactful way what you would be glad to have him give, leaving it entirely to him to decide what he shall give.

Be kindly and considerate. Thus, will you get closest to a man’s heart and his pocketbook.”

Resource: “The Technique of Soliciting” by John D. Rockefeller Jr. (1874-1960), a speech he delivered to the Citizens Family Welfare Committee in New York City in 1933.

 

Donor Relations, Fundraising, Major Donors

Do I Have to be a Donor’s Best Friend to Ask for a Gift?

by The Timothy Group
September 21, 2020

This is a fair question that the men and women of TTG have been asked many times over the past 30+ years. Please allow me to go out on a limb early and give you a simple answer… “NO!” Let me harken back to my high school algebra class where you can give the right answer, but then you must produce the equation to show how you got there, so here goes.

We have been conducting executive searches for more than 25 years. One of the questions we ask development directors, major gift officers, vice presidents, and presidents is, “If you began your new position on November 1st, how long would it take you to schedule a donor appointment and make an ask?” Are you ready for some of their answers? Two years, eighteen months, twelve months, six months, three months—we too, are baffled by these responses. These candidates assume that they must be the donor’s friend and, in some instances, their BFF to make a gift request. Can you imagine how long donor acquisition, cultivation, education, inspiration, and solicitation would take if you had to become everyone’s best friend to ask for a gift? Apparently, according to some people, it would require at least a year and perhaps two.

A few years ago, in a search for a major gift officer for a well-known ministry, I asked that question and received an absolutely refreshing answer. My candidate responded that he would be ready to make an ask the first week on the job. What? How could that possibly work? Here’s how he envisioned his first week as a new fundraiser/relationship officer:

·       Day 1 – Orientation and paperwork.

·       Day 2 – Find my desk and begin reviewing the solicitation materials and the giving history of his donor portfolio.

·       Day 3 – Meet with his immediate supervisor and other team members to hear their presentation/pitch.

·       Day 4 – Visit the president to hear his mission, vision, and core values of the organization.

·       Day 5 – Call close friends and schedule personal appointments to share the ministry and make a request.

In addition, all week this new major gift officer spent time in the dining commons having breakfast, lunch, and sometime dinner with students asking them why they attended this institution. He listened to what God was calling them to do now and in the future, because he wanted to share their stories as part of his presentation.

We helped him with the phone script for scheduling appointments, but much of his donor engagement strategy was just his innate, God-given relational skills. The script went like this:

Bill and Mary, this is John. I wanted to tell you about a wonderful new opportunity God has given me. I have the unique privilege of sharing the incredible work God is accomplishing though ABC Ministry and inviting people to partner with us. Don’t feel under any obligation to our friendship; I just want to share with you this unique organization and ask for your prayer and financial support. Could we meet Tuesday evening in your home? I will update you on the ministry and bring along a personalized proposal for you to consider and invite you to give. I only need an hour of your time so we can both plan our other Tuesday evening activities.”

He included this phrase in the presentation to those who were already donors:

“Jim and Joan, the president would like to visit with you personally, but time and his travel schedule will not allow it. So, he asked me to meet with you on his behalf and invite you to consider a generous year-end gift. Would you be available next Tuesday evening?”

As a fundraiser, it’s not your relationship with the donor that’s the most important. It’s the donor’s relationship with your ministry they have known, loved, and supported with their prayers and dollars for many years.

Back to answering our question; No, you do not have to be everyone or anyone’s best friend to ask for a gift. The real issue is connecting with the donor’s passion for your ministry. When you tell them you are bringing along a proposal, you open the door to ask on the first visit, if the opportunity is right.

OK, OK, I hear you, “but what about building relationships?” We encourage our clients to “date your donors.” You may not be ready to ask your donor on the first date, it may require a second date. But it certainly doesn’t take five or six dates to reintroduce yourself and make a request. Overcome your FUD—Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. Pick up the phone, text, write a hand-written note, and schedule a personal visit (in a mask, of course), or a Zoom call. This step of faith will impact your bottom line the next 90 days as we head toward calendar year-end.

A few years ago, I evaluated a chief development officer’s performance. We visited a donor couple in early October. While driving there, he informed me this would be his sixth visit. Count them, six! My role was only to observe and evaluate. Twice during the presentation, the couple mentioned they had some funds still available to give yet that fall. This was the ultimate donor research information. They were screaming, “ASK US!”

My friend never missed a beat, he just kept talking. He ignored all their giving signs. No ask… no close… no money. It was very apparent that he was attempting to become their best friend or even their BFF before he could make an ask. It will come as no surprise that this former gift officer is now pastoring a small church on the west coast. Allow me to say it again, “No, you don’t need to be your donor’s best friend to invite them to upgrade their giving or consider a new gift to your organization.” Be bold! Ask!

Author: Pat McLaughlin, President and Founding Partner

Donor Relations, Fundraising, Major Donors

Asking Permission To Ask

by The Timothy Group
September 18, 2020

In our work with major donors, we often use the expression, “Asking permission to ask.” But what does that mean? When is it appropriate to use in a donor conversation? In Pat McLaughlin’s book, Major Donor Game Plan, he talks in depth about the transition from the “Romance/Relationship” step to the “Request” step with donors. This may be one of the most important steps you will manage in the donor process. A fumble or a miscue here can negatively impact a donor relationship for months, if not years. A successful transition will generally result in a gift to your ministry and an enhanced relationship with that donor forever.

The “Romance/Relationship” step is when you cultivate or strengthen your relationship with an individual donor before you ask for a gift. You have researched as much information as you can about your donor and believe there is good potential for a relationship, but the donor is not quite ready. Don’t make the mistake of asking too soon. Share with them how your ministry impacts lives and aligns with the donor’s giving interests. Build a solid relationship before asking.

The “Request” step is when you personally ask for a specific gift for a specific project or need. It may be a general request for ongoing operations or perhaps a request for a three-year pledge to your capital campaign. Whatever the need, this request is generally done face-to-face with major donors and usually includes a personalized proposal or “ask” piece.

“Asking permission to ask” generally occurs at the end of the romance or cultivation step. Let me describe this scenario. You have identified Mr. and Mrs. Smith as potential donors to your organization. You have researched their capacity and the types of causes they like to support. You have leveraged a board member or another donor to help open the door to a conversation with them. You now have the meeting you were waiting for. The conversation proceeds and Mr. and Mrs. Smith seem to resonate with your ministry. They have questions but seem open. They may ask you to get back with them with some specific information (statistics, annual report, financial reports, etc.). This may even require a second face-to-face meeting or phone conversation.

You reach the point where you want to make the ask but you are not quite sure. You do not want to rush it, but neither do you want to miss the opportunity to ask. You then ask a couple questions:

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith, ‘Is our ministry (or this project) something you could see yourselves supporting as a financial partner now or in the future?’” If yes,

“Do I have your permission to come back and share a proposal for your financial partnership?” In other words, you are asking their permission to proceed with an ask.

Obviously, a “yes” response is what you are hoping for and you can then schedule a time frame for follow up. You might ask a question like, “Would two weeks from now work for us to get back together?” Or, “when would you like to talk next?” Get a date on your calendar, if possible.

If they answer “no” or “unsure,” it simply means you have more cultivation to do. The donor is not ready. By asking the permission question, you have not offended the donor by asking outright before she/he is ready. You are keeping the conversation open. And keeping them in charge of the timing by first asking permission to ask, then planning your follow up accordingly.

One last tip – When you are a point in the relationship where you are not 100% sure, or relatively confident, the donor is ready, you should always revert to asking permission to ask first. That way, you cannot lose. They will tell you if they are ready.

Author: Kent Vanderwood, Vice President

Donor Relations

Your Next 100 Days

by The Timothy Group
September 17, 2020

How you invest your next 100 days will determine if you will achieve your financial goals for the entire year. Quickly assess your current situation and determine how you will prioritize your time to connect with your key donors. George Patton said “A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week.” Your fundraising clock is ticking. Tune in to hear Pat’s action plan for results!

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