The Ask: How to Ask Anyone for Any Amount for Any Purpose

282 Pages·2006·1.22 MB·English

by  Laura Fredricks

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The
A S K
How to Ask Anyone
for Any Amount
for Any Purpose
Laura Fredricks
Foreword by
Susan Earl Hosbach
Jon M. Wagner
Andrea McManus

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The
A S K
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The
A S K
How to Ask Anyone
for Any Amount
for Any Purpose
Laura Fredricks
Foreword by
Susan Earl Hosbach
Jon M. Wagner
Andrea McManus
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Copyright © 2006 by Laura Fredricks.
Published by Jossey-Bass
A Wiley Imprint
989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741 www.josseybass.com
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fredricks, Laura.
The ask : how to ask anyone for any amount for any purpose / Laura Fredricks.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7879-7856-3 (cloth)
ISBN-10: 0-7879-7856-6 (cloth)
1. Fund raising. I. Title.
HG177.F68 2006
658.15'224--dc22
2005032333
Printed in the United States of America
FIRSTEDITION
HB Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Contents
Foreword ix
Susan Earl Hosbach ix
Jon M. Wagner x
Andrea McManus xi
Preface xv
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction xix
1
Hesitating to Ask for Money 1
What Fears May Prevent or Postpone the Ask? 3
Knowing the Prospect Well Before Making the Ask 4
Giving Is the Greatest Gift of All 13
Every Organization Has Its Own Sparkle and Is Deserving
of a Gift 16
Knowing the Organization Inside and Out 17
Asking Must Be Done in Person 17
Saying No to the Gift Is Not Saying No to You 18
Conclusion 20
Looking Ahead 20
v
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2
Judging the Prospect’s Readiness for the Ask 21
Avoiding Common Pitfalls When Judging Readiness 22
The Readiness Profile 27
The Readiness Formula 33
The Match 40
The Pre-Ask Conversation 41
Unrestricted Gifts Are Our Friends 42
Asking for Money on the First Visit 43
Conclusion 44
Looking Ahead 44
3
Selecting the Right Person or Team to Do the Ask 45
Determining Your Pool of Potential Askers 46
Characteristics of a Good Asker 53
Determining When One Asker Can Conduct an Ask 58
Using the Team Approach 61
Conclusion 67
Looking Ahead 68
4
Preparing for the Ask 69
The Right Tone for the Ask 70
The Review Prior to the Ask 74
The Script for Each Ask 79
Conclusion 93
Looking Ahead 94
5
Asking for Special Event or Community Project Gifts
and Increased Annual Gifts 95
The Ask for a Special Event or Community Project 97
The Ask for the Enhanced Annual Gift 106
Conclusion 116
Looking Ahead 117
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Contents vii
6
Asking for Major Gifts 119
Defining a Major Gift 120
Defining Major Gift Prospects 121
Essentials of Any Major Gifts Program 122
Major Gift Asks 129
Conclusion 137
Looking Ahead 138
7
Asking for Planned Gifts 139
The Importance of Planned Gifts for the Organization 141
The Importance of Planned Gifts for Donors 142
Planned Giving Donor Profiles 143
The Planned Giver Prospect Pool 146
Planned Giving Program Prerequisites 148
Coordinating the Planned Giving Program with All Fundraising
Programs 152
Building a Planned Giving Program 153
Marketing a Planned Giving Program 157
Asking for Planned Gifts 158
Conclusion 167
Looking Ahead 167
8
Asking for Complex and Challenging Capital
Campaign Gifts 169
Defining the Capital Campaign 170
Phases of the Campaign 174
Defining Campaign Gifts and Prospects 177
Preparing Campaign Materials to Use During the Ask 179
Asking for Campaign Gifts 180
Conclusion 185
Looking Ahead 186
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9
Addressing the Prospect’s Response to the Ask 187
Preparing for the Prospect’s Response 188
Responding to the Prospect’s Concerns 189
Analyzing the Responses to the Prospect’s Concerns 198
Conclusion 203
Looking Ahead 204
10
Following Through with Each Ask 205
The Next Steps After Each Ask 206
How to Juggle and Balance Time After Each Ask 211
The Ten Guiding Principles for Any Ask 213
Resource A: Sources for Fundraising Software 215
Resource B: Prospect Research Providers and Web Sites 217
Resource C: AFP Code of Ethical Principles and Standards
of Professional Practice 219
Resource D: Thank-You Letter After the Ask 223
Resource E: Notification of Bequest 225
Resource F: Sample Prospect Materials for a Charitable Gift
Annuity 227
Resource G: Sample Prospect Materials for a Charitable
Remainder Unitrust 231
Resource H: Sample Capital Campaign Marketing Materials 235
References 249
The Author 251