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You’ve completed thorough prospect research, cultivated and provided a site visit, prepared a first-rate proposal and secured a meeting to make a solicitation, but the major donor prospect responds with a “no.” This scenario occurs every day. Winning fundraisers know how to handle it.
Bottom line: Fundraisers typically hear one out of three responses to an ask: Yes, No, or Maybe. With the exception of Yes, the other two responses can be nuanced and convey different meanings. It’s up to nonprofit leaders to be tuned in and sensitive to the complexity of donor words and feelings.
After a fundraising career of making solicitations for three different institutions of higher education and now serving as a trainer/consultant for a wide range of nonprofits, I’d like to share several fundraising lessons on what to do after your major gift ask is turned down.
In baseball if a player gets a hit one out of three appearances at the plate, they could be headed to the Hall of Fame. You can apply the same rationale to fundraisers. You are going to hear no even when taking all the right steps, and if you make frequent solicitations you are going to hear it often. You’ll come to understand that it isn’t a personal rejection because you’re not asking for yourself, but for a grander cause — a mission that touches, improves, and saves more lives. To successfully secure gifts of time and money you have to be ready to hear no. And if you hear no, I promise it’s not the end of the world. Let’s face it we hear no all the time in our personal and business lives.
It takes tact, homework, and most importantly, persistence, to follow-up and bring closure to major gift asks.
They might want to confer with family members, financial advisors, or others to gain the benefit of their advice and counsel on readiness to take on new financial commitments. Now this part is crucial: when a donor asks for more time, mutually set a convenient date, time, and place to continue discussion of the request. Not setting a specific date and time can place you in a Bermuda Triangle of sorts, with all sense of urgency lost.
Is the amount too much? Is it a bad time for the donor to make a new financial commitment? Or is there a lack of understanding and/or interest in the challenges being addressed by the nonprofit? I actually think it works to our advantage when the donor prospect has questions or information that they want researched. This provides an ideal rationale for getting back together and resuming discussion.
Unlike others, I’m not afraid of under-asking. Receiving a gift in any amount provides the perfect opportunity to steward the donor and share information on progress achieving the mission. If the donor is pleased with these results, you always can go back later to ask for another or larger gift.
Large capital campaign gifts are often paid out over three to five years. A best practice is getting the donor prospect to sign a letter of intent pledging when payments will be made. Such letters are not legally binding but when executed usually result in gift fulfillment.
The most popular deferred or planned giving options are charitable bequests, retirement plans, and life insurance policies that postpone out of pocket expenditures. Most people can be much more generous giving from their estates than from their income.
Is the project the best fit with the donor prospect? If not, you might want to discuss other funding priorities that might provide a better fit.
A tricky problem can be when the donor prospect simply doesn’t get along with the CEO, executive director, or board chairperson. In this case the ask will be more fruitful if leadership steps aside and lets the request be made by the director of development or another board member who gets along better with the donor prospect.
Of course, it makes sense to have that individual engaged in the solicitation process.
You want to be genuinely grateful for their current gift, but be sure they’re enthusiastic about the nonprofit’s momentum and are aware of the growing needs to be met.
If you’re turned down, thank the prospect for their time and ask for permission to share communications about future opportunities and challenges facing the nonprofit. With change being the only constant in the world, a year or two later the donor prospect might be in a very different position to consider a request from your nonprofit.
Finally, it could be possible that your nonprofit won’t receive any support from this individual. Think of it this way: your current donors aren’t going to be receptive to every other good cause.
There’s nothing wrong with being turned down, especially if you understand the donor prospect’s rationale for doing so. It’s very difficult to be a donor who has to make choices about their finite resources, not between the good and the bad, but between the good and the good. Fundraisers can’t control outcomes. The best we can do is nurture friendships, engage donor prospects, and make our best efforts in asking for gifts of time and money. If we consistently apply the principles of the art and science of fundraising, present a compelling case, follow through on best practices — and ask — our solicitations will succeed enough of the time to move our nonprofits’ mission forward.
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This article originally appeared in Bloomerang. See the original article here.
In this post, we talk to Cait, a hospitality manager and athletic instructor, in New Orleans, LA, who donates $10 each month to WWNO, the New Orleans Public Radio station.
The Cause: WWNO, New Orleans Public Radio | See how public radio stations use Bloomerang to move their missions forward.
The Donation: $10/month
WWNO has been a huge part of my life since I was a child. I’ve been listening to NPR* since I was a teenager, and it’s my constant news source as an adult. I am a firm supporter of public radio since it often provides local updates like emergency services or breaking news and connects us to international issues.
*Editor’s note: WWNO is an NPR member station
Very familiar.
I wanted to donate monthly but never had the financial means to do so. During their last fundraiser, I decided there was no time like the present. The $10 monthly donation felt sustainable, even if there was a crisis and I was a little more strapped for money.
Nothing.
For example, if the receipt confirmation email arrived immediately, you might have felt confident that you gave to an organization that operates efficiently.
I did receive an email immediately thanking me for my donation, but that was about it. It was automated for sure. I don’t really get any updates about the organization or how the money is being spent. I actually sit on the board for a nonprofit, and we make it a point to let people know where their donations are going so I do find that a little unusual. That said, it doesn’t take away from my love and passion for the organization itself. I will continue to donate and support them.
Absolutely.
I often donate to nonprofits for yahrzeits (the anniversary of a death). For example, I’ll be making a donation to the American Bird Conservatory in memory of my grandparents this year. If I find an organization that supports something I’m passionate about, I will make a donation. My husband and I often donate to Doctors Without Borders because they partner with a speedrunning community we are part of. We also try to find organizations that align with our Jewish values.
If I had the funds to do so, I would increase a donation amount or I would make another donation if the organization had a goal they were working towards. For example, I would make a separate donation if they needed $1,000 for new equipment.
It takes a small amount of time to reach out and let your donors know, no matter how small their gifts, how much you appreciate them. I get examples of where my money is going by public radio still existing but for most nonprofits, showing what your donation goes to is really helpful.
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This article originally appeared in Bloomerang. See the original article here.
You’re a nonprofit leader navigating your organization through uncharted waters. In many ways you need to think like an entrepreneur.
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