News & Insight

16th November 2015

Making a hash of making the ask

The fundraiser, Dr Henry Drucker, cited three reasons why people do not give:

• They are never asked
• They are not asked well
• They are not thanked

Examples of when people are ‘not asked well’ might include:

Asking too early and provoking a rejection or a comparatively low gift. Such gifts have a number of names such as ‘hello gifts’ or inoculation gifts:

• ‘hello gifts’ – because the ask is made at the start of a relationship
• Inoculation gifts – a one-off token gift may be forthcoming, but it come with messages of immunity from any future ask – ‘don’t ask again/ there’s no more for you where that came from’

Asking in the wrong way

People give to opportunities and not to problems. Many organisations place the emphasis on a problem or weakness. This can create discomfort. Asking in a way that has an air of panic, makes a threat or conveys negativity or weakness:

• If you don’t make a gift today, then the opera house/theatre will close.
• The grant that we’ve had from a big funder is about to end; without your immediate help, we’re going down
• ‘if your gift is isn’t received by a certain date then the development will fail.’
• Fluffing the ask – instead of asking for support, you end up asking someone to host an event; or tone down the ask to a much smaller amount; or reduce it to lower level, before the donor has responded, ‘we can probably do it for half the amount’

In the next Blog in our Making the Ask series, we look at who should do this

Making the Ask is a core part of our Foundations in Philanthropy course. For further details click here or call Alistair on 07884 196423