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How to Make the Ask

Mighty Penguin Speaks
Fundraising can be for many purposes, whether it's for program expenses, general operating funds, capacity building, or capital campaigns. Some of the ways you might “make the ask” include direct mail, major gift campaigns, grants, crowdfunding, memberships, events and galas, corporate sponsorships, or planned giving. That’s a pretty long list! So, who manages all these different methods, and which ones should you prioritize? Larger nonprofits may have a professional development team or consultants implementing all of the above strategies. They often also involve staff, volunteers, a high-performing board, and an executive director in fundraising efforts. Smaller organizations, on the other hand, may choose just 1-3 methods to focus on, gradually enhancing their processes over time. Fundraising initiatives are likely overseen by the board and volunteers. In either case, fundraising is a shared responsibility! Get Your Strategy in Place First, decide which fundraising strategies your organization will focus on for the year, and set a main objective (or goal) for each strategy. Then, create priorities (sub-goals) to support each objective. You might have 2-5 priorities per objective, each followed by an implementation plan with benchmarks, tasks, roles, responsibilities, and timelines. When you put all of this together, you’ve got your development plan! For example, a section of your development plan might look like this: Objective: Raise $5,000 through online fundraising. 1.1 Priority: Host an annual crowdfunding campaign. Benchmark: Raise $3,000 through crowdfunding by 2025. Task Who Timeline Create crowdfunding campaign roadmap Jill May 2024 Launch campaign John September 2024 Evaluate campaign Cindy December 2024 Donor stewardship roadmap & plan Board January 2025 This structured approach allows you to measure success at each stage and adapt as needed. Supplement your plan with graphs, logic models, or additional roadmaps as necessary. Be a Great Project Manager Successful fundraising is all about being a good project manager, telling compelling stories, maintaining professionalism, and building confidence among your supporters. Use video, live streaming, and social media to create awareness and understanding. Establish themes and activities that your audience will recognize year after year, and develop a clear case for why supporting your cause is crucial. Project management tools such as Google Workspace are free and easy to use. What to Bring to a Donor Meeting Let’s say you’re meeting with a local credit union or dentist’s office that’s excited about your corporate sponsorship program and were enticed about boosting their brand awareness. What should you bring? Create a brief narrative that explains who you are, what you do, your impact, and why you need their support. Show how their donation will provide a tangible return on investment (ROI)—maybe they get their logo featured in social media posts, email campaigns, or the annual report. Spend 75% of your time listening and engaging with them. Get comfortable talking about your cause briefly and powerfully. This strategy also applies to other fundraising strategies; just make sure to tailor the materials accordingly. (For more on engaging with donors, check out our article, "No Kissing on the First Date!") Train the Troops Everyone involved in fundraising needs to be on the same page. Do they know the organization’s values? What makes it unique? Why is it needed? Make sure you have a compelling messaging kit and that everyone knows how to use the right language in their conversations with potential donors. Say "Thank You" Three Times Over You can never thank donors enough. Many donors don’t give again because they weren’t thanked properly or didn’t feel their donation made an impact. Go above and beyond with personal emails, phone calls, and personal invitations to events. Show up at their company parties if applicable. Make them feel valued! How to Make the Ask: Action Steps Create a gift acceptance policy to prevent any unnecessary issues arising. Develop your plan with objectives, priorities, and implementation strategies. Monitor for success. Prepare training materials to ensure everyone is aligned with the goals and messaging. Make a list of donors and their ask amounts. Develop an engagement strategy for your top prospects for each strategy, whether it's corporate sponsors or major donors. Be ethical—ensure all “askers” are reflecting the organization’s values. Keep learning and growing—document what works and what doesn’t. And always improve! Refresh sponsorship materials annually for relevancy. Include who you are, what you do, the impact you are making, and the need. Overcoming Fundraising Obstacles Ensure a clear call to action: ask directly, for example, “Join us by donating $10 today.” Supply evidence: include testimonials and success stories. Demonstrate impact: use visuals to show how donations make a difference. Generate excitement: create buzz with live streams, fun stunts, or creative activities. Always follow up: thank donors and let them know their donation made a difference. A good CRM system is key. Communicate trust: spotlight board members, enhance your social media presence, showcase impact, or earn a transparency seal through Candid. Ensure a user-friendly experience: make sure your donation landing page is accessible and mobile-friendly. Fundraising is about personal outreach, networking, storytelling, and showing ROI. If you need help creating a development plan, implementing fundraising strategies, or overcoming obstacles, give Mighty Penguin a call today! We can help create a fundraising plan and narratives that people want to stand behind.

Fundraising can be for many purposes, whether it's for program expenses, general operating funds, capacity building, or capital campaigns. Some of the ways you might “make the ask” include direct mail, major gift campaigns, grants, crowdfunding, memberships, events and galas, corporate sponsorships, or planned giving. That’s a pretty long list! So, who manages all these different methods, and which ones should you prioritize?

Larger nonprofits may have a professional development team or consultants implementing all of the above strategies. They often also involve staff, volunteers, a high-performing board, and an executive director in fundraising efforts. Smaller organizations, on the other hand, may choose just 1-3 methods to focus on, gradually enhancing their processes over time. Fundraising initiatives are likely overseen by the board and volunteers. In either case, fundraising is a shared responsibility!

Get Your Strategy in Place

First, decide which fundraising strategies your organization will focus on for the year, and set a main objective (or goal) for each strategy. Then, create priorities (sub-goals) to support each objective. You might have 2-5 priorities per objective, each followed by an implementation plan with benchmarks, tasks, roles, responsibilities, and timelines. When you put all of this together, you’ve got your development plan!

For example, a section of your development plan might look like this:

Objective: Raise $5,000 through online fundraising.

1.1 Priority: Host an annual crowdfunding campaign.

  • Benchmark: Raise $3,000 through crowdfunding by 2025.

Task                                                                     Who                     Timeline

Create crowdfunding campaign roadmap          Jill                          May 2024

Launch campaign                                               John                      September 2024

Evaluate campaign                                             Cindy                     December 2024

Donor stewardship roadmap & plan.                  Board                    January 2025

                      

This structured approach allows you to measure success at each stage and adapt as needed. Supplement your plan with graphs, logic models, or additional roadmaps as necessary.

Be a Great Project Manager

Successful fundraising is all about being a good project manager, telling compelling stories, maintaining professionalism, and building confidence among your supporters. Use video, live streaming, and social media to create awareness and understanding. Establish themes and activities that your audience will recognize year after year, and develop a clear case for why supporting your cause is crucial. Project management tools such as Google Workspace are free and easy to use.

What to Bring to a Donor Meeting

Let’s say you’re meeting with a local credit union or dentist’s office that’s excited about your corporate sponsorship program and were enticed about boosting their brand awareness. What should you bring? Create a brief narrative that explains who you are, what you do, your impact, and why you need their support. Show how their donation will provide a tangible return on investment (ROI)—maybe they get their logo featured in social media posts, email campaigns, or the annual report. Spend 75% of your time listening and engaging with them. Get comfortable talking about your cause briefly and powerfully. This strategy also applies to other fundraising strategies; just make sure to tailor the materials accordingly. (For more on engaging with donors, check out our article, "No Kissing on the First Date!")

Train the Troops

Everyone involved in fundraising needs to be on the same page. Do they know the organization’s values? What makes it unique? Why is it needed? Make sure you have a compelling messaging kit and that everyone knows how to use the right language in their conversations with potential donors.

Say "Thank You" Three Times Over

You can never thank donors enough. Many donors don’t give again because they weren’t thanked properly or didn’t feel their donation made an impact. Go above and beyond with personal emails, phone calls, and personal invitations to events. Show up at their company parties if applicable. Make them feel valued!

How to Make the Ask: Action Steps

  • Create a gift acceptance policy to prevent any unnecessary issues arising.
  • Develop your plan with objectives, priorities, and implementation strategies. Monitor for success.
  • Prepare training materials to ensure everyone is aligned with the goals and messaging.
  • Make a list of donors and their ask amounts. Develop an engagement strategy for your top prospects for each strategy, whether it's corporate sponsors or major donors.
  • Be ethical—ensure all “askers” are reflecting the organization’s values.
  • Keep learning and growing—document what works and what doesn’t. And always improve!
  • Refresh sponsorship materials annually for relevancy. Include who you are, what you do, the impact you are making, and the need. 

Overcoming Fundraising Obstacles

  • Ensure a clear call to action: ask directly, for example, “Join us by donating $10 today.”
  • Supply evidence: include testimonials and success stories.
  • Demonstrate impact: use visuals to show how donations make a difference.
  • Generate excitement: create buzz with live streams, fun stunts, or creative activities.
  • Always follow up: thank donors and let them know their donation made a difference. A good CRM system is key.
  • Communicate trust: spotlight board members, enhance your social media presence, showcase impact, or earn a transparency seal through Candid.
  • Ensure a user-friendly experience: make sure your donation landing page is accessible and mobile-friendly.

Fundraising is about personal outreach, networking, storytelling, and showing ROI. If you need help creating a development plan, implementing fundraising strategies, or overcoming obstacles, give Mighty Penguin a call today! We can help create a fundraising plan and narratives that people want to stand behind.