Asking for money is never as difficult as you imagine.
Let’s get this out there right now – if nonprofit work is the path you’ve chosen to change the world, you have to ask for money.
No exceptions.
I know what you’re thinking: “Michael, asking people for money is terrifying!“
I know. I get it.
Asking people to give can be incredibly uncomfortable.
But here’s the thing: asking for money is like ripping off a bandaid – the anticipation is usually worse than the experience itself.
Do you want to accomplish your mission and bring your vision to life?
You have to get over your fear of asking.
Great. But how?
In my experience (and I have a lot of experience struggling with asking), the key is preparation, intentionality, and honesty.
PREPARATION
Before you meet with someone, do your homework.
How long have they been giving? What are they passionate about? Do you understand their connection and motivations? What are they trying to accomplish?
Have an answer or at least a hypothesis for as many of these questions as you can.
But remember … knowledge without a plan is never enough.
INTENTIONALITY
When you meet with someone, go in with an intentional plan.
Know your goal.
Is this an ask meeting or are you sharing impact? Are you simply trying to connect relationally? Is the goal discovery?
Let your purpose inform your plan.
Have a road map for how and where you want the conversation to go.
Know ahead of time what questions you’re going to ask.
“Why did you start giving to us? Why do you continue giving? What about this work inspires you? How important is the future of this work to you?“
Don’t wing it. I’m all for being flexible and abandoning your plan as the moment dictates but never go into a visit without an intentional plan.
HONESTY
Always lead with authenticity and honesty.
Are you inviting them to give?
Be candid and let them know upfront.
Tell them when you set the visit that you’d like to share an opportunity to give and discuss whether it’s something they might want to help with.
Ask if that’s okay.
“I’d like to visit with you about an opportunity to help kids experience healing from trauma by giving to provide families with access to training on trauma-informed parenting. Is that something you’d be open to discussing?“
This is called permission-based fundraising, and it works.
Sometimes the timing won’t be right for a gift, and they will tell you. Don’t sweat it. Better to know sooner rather than later.
Are you nervous?
Tell them! They can probably sense it anyway.
Then quickly pivot to a specific ask they can say yes or no to.
“You know I love this work, but asking people for money has always been difficult for me. I know you care deeply about this too though, so I’m just going to ask.Would you consider a gift of X to do Y so that Z happens?“
If they say no, ask if there’s a different gift that would be meaningful to them.
Not sure how much to ask for?
Own it and move on to sharing specifics on programs, expenses, and a few intended outcomes.
Then ask a few open-ended questions to gauge interest and ability levels.
“I have no idea what to ask you for, but I know that our counseling program is important to you. You might be surprised by this, but did you know it only costs $4100 a month to run that program? Last year alone, 94 children experienced healing from past hurts through counseling with us. Would you ever consider giving to fund some part of that program next year so that more children have an opportunity to heal from the hard things they’ve experienced?”
Asking for money can be scary.
It doesn’t have to be hard if you will take the time to prepare, lead with intentionality and authenticity, and offer people clear ways to turn generosity into impact.
You have what it takes to overcome the fear and ask with confidence, courage, and conviction.
Never forget … generous people WANT to support causes they care about.
All you have to do is give them a chance.
