Asking for Donations with Ease is a 4-part series that will help you overcome your fear of asking and gain so much confidence that asking will become rudimentary.
In part two of this series, we compared the fear of asking to your initial fear of learning to drive. Today, driving a vehicle is practically effortless. Some of us even multitask while we do it (perhaps against our better judgement).
But think back… it wasn’t always that way. You had to overcome your fear and then practice, practice, practice to make the skill become second nature.
And it wasn’t just practice that made driving as easy as it is today. It was also understanding the system — the rules of the road. Everything from braking at a STOP sign to signaling when you turn.
The system gave you a set of rules and a framework with which to practice, and more importantly, this tried-and-true system greatly reduced your risk of getting into an accident. So once you learned the system, it wasn’t long before you could drive with the utmost confidence.
So why isn’t there a system for asking?
(Drum roll, please…)
Introducing a System for Asking
Having a system and knowing how to use it is the perfect way to crush your fear of just about anything.
But when there’s no system, you have to learn by trial and error. And that’s nerve-wracking.
For over a decade, I’ve watched development directors and executive directors just like you struggle with a fear (or multiple fears) of asking. Often that fear becomes overwhelming and even paralyzing.
And yet, when we take a look in their database, they have dozens of donors who could really make a difference at their organization. Fear is the only thing stopping them from raising 10, 20 or even 100 times more from those donors than they are right now.
Fear is an insidious self-saboteur. Left unchecked, fear might even be the greatest threat to your nonprofit.
So, I’ve developed a tried-and-true system called Power Asking to help you crush your fear so you can get out there and ask with confidence, and start raising significantly more money.
The process that Amy uses to build confidence is amazing. We are in the beginning stages of a nearly 12 million dollar capital campaign. I can now “speak the language” of big time donors and I have found myself setting up meetings with people that I would never have been comfortable in approaching for money.
— Diana Wooley, CEO of LAMB Arts LTD – LAMB Arts Regional Theatre
Breaking the Process Down into Simple Steps
Every step in the Power Asking system is easy. It’s putting them together and following through that becomes daunting.
So what Power Asking does is to break the process down into quick, doable steps. Each step is like learning another rule of the road. Best of all, most of the steps in the Power Asking system only take a few minutes to do.
But here’s the kicker…
Consistency is key!
You need to be consistent in how you apply and follow the Power Asking steps — just like every driver needs to be consistent in how they follow the rules of the road. When the rules are followed, everyone makes it safely to their destination.
In other words, you can’t expect to get into the car one day and ignore the STOP signs. The rule states that you need to come to a full and complete stop, each and every time. The rules and steps in Power Asking require the same commitment to consistency.
And when you commit to consistency, you’ll succeed.
I had my first ask meeting today. I followed your recommended agenda for the meeting, led the donor to ask ‘how can I help,’ made the specific ask amount, and waited… and I secured my ask of $5,000 from a donor who had been active in attending our events for 10 years but had NEVER given to the annual campaign!
— Katie Cho, Major Gifts Manager – The Victory Center
Effective Asks Can Become Second Nature
With the right system, you CAN learn to ask in a powerful and effective way.
Will you get “no’s” along the way?
Yes!
Might some donors be put out?
Maybe. But not as many as those who rise to the occasion of supporting your organization in bigger and more transformative ways.
The Power Asking system includes steps designed to help you push past your fear, get a meeting, determine the right ask amount, deal with the taboo topic of money, and much more. Every aspect of asking is factored into this system.
The final post in this series, You Can Do It! Here’s How, explains more about how you can implement the Power Asking system at your organization. Not only that, the skills you learn are yours for life. You’ll get to take them with you to all future jobs and organizations.
Stay tuned…
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