Board members and volunteers often fear asking for support and think they have to be good at sales to be a good fundraiser. The reality is that practice does help, but mostly in learning how to listen more closely to the person you’re asking for a gift, and how to speak from your heart about the importance of this work to you.

Being a natural salesperson does NOT help in asking for a charitable gift, because it’s not about making a sale. There’s no explicit quid pro quo involved in fundraising – you can’t say, “Write me a check and we will provide you with this product that will benefit you at the value written on your check.” The relationship is very different from a sales/ customer relationship. Asking someone for a gift is about your organization’s vital work and the donor’s opportunity to support it; it’s not about you as the asker (and how nervous you might feel). However, if you are a Board member, it is also about how you regard the organization and its work. This way of thinking takes a while for most people to integrate, but eventually it takes most of the pressure off “the ask”. It’s also true that timing is important to making the ask.

Just remember: Asking someone for a gift acknowledges THEIR care for the organization and what it accomplishes for the community.

It’s about THEIR interest in furthering your work. Even if they can’t give as much as you ask them to give, just being asked may be a compliment and a pleasure – you need THEIR help, and THEY can make a difference in your valuable work. In fact, making a gift to your organization – especially if it’s a large gift for them or an “ultimate” gift – could be one of the most meaningful things this donor does in life. Isn’t that exciting?

You know how much it means to support this work from your own giving – don’t be in the position of depriving others of the opportunity to get involved as well.