How to ask for support effectively

I got a call yesterday from a local nonprofit. The nice lady on the phone spent about three minutes telling me all about the organization. She gave me a synopsis of what they support, their mission statement, even their web URL. At the very end, she said,  "Thank you for taking the time to let me tell you about (the organization name). Can we count on you to support us?"

 

Support it how?  Do you want money? Volunteers? Are you having an event? What specific thing will my support accomplish?

This is a problem with many smaller nonprofits. They don't complete the ask. Maybe it's because they are trying to avoid the hard sell, maybe they are uncomfortable with having to ask for money, who knows?

I get just as annoyed as anyone else when the first words out of the telemarketers mouth are the name of the organization and the dollar amount. You know, the ones that start out, "this is the Blank Society and we are calling to let you know we are sending out a donor envelope for $25.00. Can we mark you down for that amount?" Uh…no. That approach almost always gets you hung up on at my house.

In between those two approaches is that sweet spot that gets you what you need. If the local lady had simply told me in about one minute that they were the Blank Nonprofit trying to support X cause, given me their name, location and their URL, and told me they would appreciate a donation for $25.00 that would provide X benefit for a recipient, I probably would have been more inclined to either say yes, or counter with another amount.

I fully appreciate that many smaller organizations are using volunteer fundraising personnel that don't do cold calling for a living. Work up a script, and have them practice calling each other or role playing until they are comfortable with the spiel. Try to keep it short, but informative. Above all, specifically ask for the money (or time, if that's what you need). If the answer is no, and it often will be, thank them graciously and move on.

One well known nonprofit uses the tactic of visual images and a targeted monetary appeal. "Just $xx. a month will (feed, clothe, educate, whatever) a (deserving recipient)."  That is about as short and yet effective as it gets, and that nonprofit raises millions and millions of dollars every year, $x at a time.

Asking for money is a part of nonprofit survival, particularly for new or smaller nonprofits that may not yet be ready to apply for grants. It's a learned skill, but you can learn to do it well.