The Ideal Ask for Funds
When preparing to make an ask for a donation, you need to consider what an ideal ask for funds looks like.
Someone has said that the ideal ask for funds is the right person asking the right person for the right project for the right amount at the right time.
As you raise funds, you need to be asking such questions as:
1. Am I asking at the right time?
Timing is everything. You ask a church missions committee for support, and they have just finished making their budget. You had better put it on your calendar to ask prior to the budgeting process next year!
You ask a donor who makes his giving decisions in mid-January. You had better plan to get to them at the close of the year.
2. Am I asking for the right amount?
If a church can provide as much as twenty-five percent of your support, why ask for only ten percent?
If a donor can give $500 why only ask for $50?
3. Am I asking for the right project?
If raising funds for individual support, pick and choose those projects which a donor might have, a strong interest in funding.
When raising funds for an organization, make note if your donor likes to support building projects, general funds, etc. You need to discover their Hot Button.
Answering these three questions can allow you to raise funds much faster and build even a greater bond between you and your donors.
