September 25, 2008
Popping The Big Question
Who among us hasn’t experienced the joy, the eager anticipation, the sheer, blinding euphoria over the idea of asking a stranger for money.
Say what?
So maybe most people don’t exactly relish the thought of asking, but the fact remains that asking is the way to raise money. Or, as Reynold Levy puts it in his book Yours For The Asking, Ask. Ask early. Ask often. And learn form your hits and your misses.
For Levy, president of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, the issue of asking should not be about the problems of asking but instead about putting the question frankly to the right prospect.
Here are some examples of how to pop the question:
- Would you be willing to help establish a patron’s circle with a donation of $5,000?
- Can you see your way to a gift of $100,000 paid out over two or three years?
- Will you join your friend and colleague in giving $500,000 to this worthy and noble cause?
- While we will be grateful for any positive decision you reach, in view of your reputation in the community as a generous benefactor, a lead gift in the $3 to $5 million range would represent a very special vote of confidence in our campaign. Will you consider such a gift?
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This article is from NPT Instant Fundraising, a publication of The NonProfit Times.
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