Fundraising basics (Roxanne Hinds and Dana Lucka) First Five of Central California

1. “The art of making the ask”
Roxanne Hinds
Dana Lucka

4. Moving from cultivation to solicitation
 From “Prospect” to “Donor”
 The Right Prospect/Donor
 The Right Amount
 The Right Time
 The Right Team

5. 1. Sees the need and not asked
2. Responds when told
3. Needs to be persuaded, but will respond
4. May or may not (the wild card)
5. The inert fifth
 The Three Magic Ingredients:
 Affinity
 Philanthropic spirit
 Financial ability

6.  Know your
organization and your
material
 Know the donor and
their information
 Know how to express
the amount
 Know your team (the
perfect pair)
 Know yourself (your
own gift first)

7.  Getting the visit is 85% of your SUCCESS
 Before the call:
 Be the prospect: focus and keep small talk brief
 Select the time of day and place
 Practice conversation and have a calendar handy
 Call to set appointment
 Court the “gatekeeper”
 Talk about amount of time needed (respect)
 Establish a date
 Confirm with a letter or email

8.  Think
about building rapport and common
ground
 Be interesting and interested
 Ask open ended questions
 You both care about the organization
 Acknowledge their dedication to the mission
 Remember the happiest person in the room is
usually the donor
 Probe and prod, then LISTEN!

9.  Decisions are based on:
 76% what they say
 37% what you say
 LISTEN for the gift.

10.  Give the testimony (tell the story with
passion) – team approach
 Remember: You are inviting them to join in
your organizations mission
 “I’d like you to consider…”
 State amount; and
 State purpose
 Don’t fill the silence: “He who speaks first,
looses”!
 Objections are your best friend 

11.  Mismatched project or interest
 Mismatched solicitor(s)
 Too much or not enough
 The stated amount
 Failure to convey urgency
 Spouse/siblings/children’s approval
 Too general or too vague
 Fundraising driven (no passion)
LISTEN

12. So….If you are playing the “blame-game”, you
didn’t get the gift because you:
 Didn’t make the call
 Became a friend
 Didn’t prepare/rehearse
 Didn’t have a strategy
 Assumed too much
 Failed to probe
 Didn’t listen
 Asked too soon (the “shut up and go away” gift)
 Or worse yet, didn’t ASK at all!