Is It OK to Ask Donors for Gifts During the Coronavirus Crisis?

We’re several weeks into this global health and economic crisis and I find that fundraisers are still asking the same question over and over. The question is:

Is this a good time to be asking donors for money? Is it inconsiderate to be asking for money?

My answer has been consistent throughout the crisis:

NOW is the best time to be asking your donors for money.

Every nonprofit in this county — probably in the world — is facing a crisis right now. Your organization needs funds.

Should You Ask Donors for Gifts During the Coronavirus Crisis?

Whether or not you’re on the front lines of providing healthcare or providing food, or you have other mission-critical work, you need funds, probably like never before. So, YES, this is the perfect time to be asking your donors for money.

• Is it the perfect time for every donor to be giving money? No, probably not. But you won’t know until you ask.
• Is it inconsiderate to ask for money? My response is that it’s never inappropriate to ask for help.

What you should be doing right now with your donors and supporters is calling them up on the phone. Yes, calling them on the phone!

Checking in on donors just makes sense.

First and foremost, you’re calling check in on them. Find out how they and their family are doing, if they still are working, and if they are able to work from home.

And then, assuming they are okay, hopefully the conversation can segue into what’s going on at your organization. You can discuss the needs of your client, programs and services, and what you’re doing to help the community — and how they can help.

It’s never inappropriate to ask for help.

Does that mean every donor will give? No. But many are giving, and many can give.

Listen to real-world examples of donors who are giving during Coronavirus.

If you haven’t yet joined me for my weekly online Townhall Sessions, I hope you will. Every single week, we’re hearing more and more examples of how donors are giving back to support nonprofits at this time in big, new, and creative ways.

If you are not asking your donors for money right now, you are missing a huge opportunity and the chance to build relationships with those donors. You’re also missing out on giving them the opportunity to give back and do something meaningful with their lives right now.

4 Steps to Raise Gifts from Donors During Coronavirus

I recommend you start with a list of your most recent 500 donors. Yes, you heard me right — 500 donors.

1. Start with your biggest donors, your most loyal donors, and your most recent donors.
2. Pick 10 donors per day. That will last you 2 months.
3. Call those donors every single day, to check in on them, find out how they are doing, if they are able to work and how their business is doing.
4. Then discuss the needs of your organization and ways they can help.

How much should you ask for?

For donors who have given under $100 — your base for support — ask them if they can help with $15 per month and to join your monthly giving program.

From larger donors, ask for between $20 and $50 per month. Explain that you’ll need this to help your organization be able to count on stable income to know that you’ll be financially secure in the difficult economic times to come.

With larger donors, you should also be having conversations about ways they can really step up and make a big difference at your organization right now during this crisis.

Donors may actually have MORE disposable income right now.

Keep in mind… people who are able to work from home still have more or less the same cash flow as they had before this crisis started.

In fact, they may even have a little more in their bank account, because they are not doing their usual going out, spending money on restaurants, going to the theater or activities, or going shopping on a regular basis. So some people may actually have a little more disposable income.

Many Donors Will Give, But Only If They’re Asked

For the vast majority of regular annual fund gifts, people are making those gifts out of their cash flow, not out of assets or stock. While what’s happening in the stock market may be scary, unless donors are making a gift with those assets, it’s not going to affect what they’re able to give, right now, today.

• Should you be asking? Yes!
• It is appropriate and a good time to be asking? Absolutely!
• Will every donor give right now? No — but that’s OK… just ask.

BOTTOM LINE: Do not make assumptions about what your donors will and will not do, or what they can and cannot do. They only way to know is to ask.

So, get out there (figuratively) and keep asking!

If you haven’t joined me yet for weekly online Townhall Sessions where you’ll get regular fundraising advice and support to help your organization through this crisis, you can sign up here. I hope to see you soon.

If you’ve asked for money over the phone during this crisis, how did it go? Did you find success? Did you struggle at all? Tell me about your experience in the comments.