[Strategies for Success - Smart ideas from Hartsook Companies, Inc.]
Smart ideas from Hartsook Companies, Inc.

April 20, 2010

The Pre-Ask: A Winning Strategy
for Successful Solicitation

Good planning is a key to successful fundraising. From prospect identification to qualification of donor capacity and interest to the ultimate fundraising solicitation - adequate planning is essential.

Once you have determined that the prospect is to be solicited, consider an extra step which has brought me much success: Make an appointment to sit down and have a pre-ask conversation with the prospect.

When I schedule a pre-ask appointment, I tell the prospect I am coming to discuss a financial commitment to the organization, but not to ask for a gift. The pre-ask conversation needs to reinforce the organization's gratitude and appreciation for a donor's previous leadership and/or financial investment.

The next step is to clarify the donor's interest in the mission of the organization.

In other words, if I am planning to ask for equipment or capital, and I learn during the pre-ask that the donor would rather fund scholarships, this gives me time to adjust my strategy prior to the formal solicitation.

Be prepared to conduct a five sentence overview of the campaign at the beginning of the pre-ask conversation.

  1. Describe the mission.
  2. Delineate the campaign components.
  3. Detail the campaign goal.
  4. Distinguish the Board gifts given to the campaign and the organization's leadership.
  5. Define the campaign timeline.

For such a conversation, the language I use is simple and straightforward:

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith, you have an important role with XYZ Organization and it is our fervent hope that you will, with some additional information, consider ways in which you could make a financial investment of X dollars with a matching estate gift of XX dollars for a total of gift of XXX dollars."

What you do next is critical. Stop talking and LISTEN. This is your opportunity to get to know your prospect on a deeper level and uncover what he or she cares about most. Once you do, the next step is to talk about the various methods in which the donor can make a financial investment (gifts of stock, property, charitable trust, etc).

Continue your conversation with something along these lines:

"I don't want to put you or (insert name of staff or volunteer leader) in an uncomfortable situation, which is why we are having this conversation. Would you be open to discussing a gift of this size with (insert name of staff or volunteer leader)? We understand that 'nobody wants to give money away' but people are very interested in supporting the mission of XYZ Organization and its important role in the world (state, community)."

At the end of this conversation, set an appointment for the actual solicitation. Give the donor a proposal and a closing date, i.e.: "We need this gift by X (date) in order to achieve our campaign goal."

Always ask for a cash gift and a planned gift; and stay donor focused.

Remember, it is important for the prospect to pick up on your personal commitment to the organization and feel a sense of urgency in your request for support. Setting up a pre-ask visit is one of the best ways I know to ensure an enthusiastic and successful solicitation.

- Davoren Tempel, Executive Vice President (Kansas City), dtempel@hartsookcompanies.com

 

The Written Word

imageHartsook Companies COO Matt Beem debuts his first solo book, Performance-Driven Fundraising: Taking Control of Your Success. This insightful text will accelerate anyone's learning curve and serve as a handy, yet entertaining, reference tool for new and seasoned fundraisers. To order your copy at the introductory price of just $19.95, click here.

imageAdrian Sargeant, the Robert F. Hartsook Professor of Fundraising at Indiana University, and Jen Shang just released Fundraising Practices and Principles published by Jossey-Bass Wiley. One reviewer notes: "Sargeant is the accessible academic and this is typical of his work. It is rigorously researched, clear, concise, well written, well presented and entirely appropriate. Any fundraiser who knows what Adrian knows will outperform the others. It's as simple as that." Hartsook leaders Karin Cox (special events), Matt Beem (planned giving) and Bob Hartsook (major gift fundraising) all served as contributors. The book is available at http://www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/.

 

On the Web

 

Another Smart Idea...From the Hartsook Best Practices CollectionSM

"Endowment funds. Meet one on one with families who have directly benefitted and encourage them to create a family legacy that will allow future generations to benefit from the same programs." - Gary Sim, CFRE, President, Reena Foundation, Thornhill, Ont.

If you are interested in Best Practices and smart ideas, see these additional resources from Hartsook Companies:

For a free copy of "Best Practices Coast to Coast" or the "Hartsook Best Practices Collection", please email Tammy Weinman, tammy@hartsookcompanies.com, or visit our web site. We also invite you to contribute your own best practice by emailing Annette Lough, annette@hartsookcompanies.com.


Visit the Hartsook Companies web site for:

• Educational opportunities
• Books/reference articles
• Conference/workshop speakers

Strategies for Success explores smart ideas, connecting with more than 2,000 fundraising professionals bi-weekly. We welcome your contributions or comments. Send to Strategies for Success editor Annette Lough, annette@hartsookcompanies.com. If you'd like a free subscription to Strategies for Success - or its monthly companion, eHartsook on Philanthropy - contact Tammy Weinman, tammy@hartsookcompanies.com. You also can reach her at 816.298.8045, Ext. 8225.

Our web site is located at http://www.hartsookcompanies.com.

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