The Ask Is Not A One-Person Performance
An executive director and I were visiting a potential donor who, in Moves Management terms, was still being qualified. Despite our agreed upon strategy, the director made an awkward ask twenty minutes into the visit. We did not receive a favorable response.
More than once, I’ve gotten involved with an organization that wanted to raise money but was only partially prepared—or not prepared at all—to take the measured steps required to build philanthropic support. I like to use Moves Management to ensure that the necessary steps leading to a persuasive request are taken, so that by the time the solicitation occurs, much of the work determining its success is already complete. The ask is never the first move, and a successful solicitation depends on the contributions of many.
When pressed prematurely for “results,” I sometimes offer a percentage estimate of the likelihood of success if the solicitation proceeds too soon. This tends to cool impatience and build appreciation for the less visible strategic work.
When I tell people I am a fundraiser, they often say, “Oh, I could never ask people for money.” But when all the moves have been attended to and you are sitting knee-to-knee with the prospective donor, asking is no longer an act of nerve. It is the natural culmination of shared work—and it can be a joyful experience.