Board Members and Campaign Committee members often turn pale when faced with asking a donor for a significant gift. This is true even if they are relying on their staff teammate to be the designated asker.

How can you feel confident that you know the best practices of gift solicitation and can also be authentically YOU, reflecting your enthusiasm for this group and their important work? How can these solicitations for significant gifts (also called “major gifts”) go smoothly and with great results?

Timing

Too early. First, let’s talk about whether you should ask for the gift in this meeting at ALL. If neither you nor your staff teammate has met with this donor before and especially if the donor is unfamiliar with the project or initiative for which you are asking support, the ask should probably not occur in the first meeting.

Instead, use the first meeting to have a meaningful discussion with the donor about how they view your group’s work and their reasons for supporting it. You should also discuss the specifics of the project or need for which you are raising major gifts.

[As you set up the meeting, your team should communicate clearly that there will eventually be discussion about a gift from the donor that will be significant to them, but “First we want to thank you for your involvement so far, be sure you understand our plans, answer your questions about the project (or "our work") and make sure you feel confident about how a gift would be used.”]

Too late. You will know! I hope this only happens once to you, if at all.

The right time. OK, let’s say you’ve met with the donor before, had a great discussion about the work of your nonprofit and what it means to them, and in the next meeting your team plans to ask them to consider a gift of a certain size.

As the volunteer leader in the meeting, how should you prepare for the meeting?

Research

Do your homework. Work with your staff teammate to

get a record of the donor’s past giving to your organization;
understand your donor’s history with your organization, including any board service, volunteer work and in-kind donations; and
learn about gifts the donor may have given to other local or similar organizations.

Make your own gift or pledge first.

Especially in a campaign, when everyone is giving together towards a goal, as a volunteer leader you have to make your own gift or pledge before you can be effective in asking others. You don’t have to give at a level in the upper reaches of the gift categories, but you do have to make a “stretch” gift in your own terms, and be able to talk about it enthusiastically when the time is right. Although it’s nice for an organization to send a donor who is a financial peer to help make the ask to a major donor prospect, it’s not required. However, I need to stress again – as a Board Member or Campaign Committee member, you must give as much as you can, and do it before you go out to help ask others.

Next time, in Part 2 on this topic, I will discuss

How much to ask for
Can you ask for too much?
The value of wealth screening
What to do if the donor pre-empts your ask and offers too little

You can DO this! I will be back to you soon with Part 2.