01_978566 ffirs.qxd 11/23/05 8:45 AM Page iii The A S K How to Ask Anyone for Any Amount for Any Purpose Laura Fredricks Foreword by Susan Earl Hosbach Jon M. Wagner Andrea McManus 01_978566 ffirs.qxd 11/23/05 8:45 AM Page i The A S K 01_978566 ffirs.qxd 11/23/05 8:45 AM Page ii 01_978566 ffirs.qxd 11/23/05 8:45 AM Page iii The A S K How to Ask Anyone for Any Amount for Any Purpose Laura Fredricks Foreword by Susan Earl Hosbach Jon M. Wagner Andrea McManus 01_978566 ffirs.qxd 12/2/05 6:00 PM Page iv Copyright © 2006 by Laura Fredricks. 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Jossey-Bass books and products are available through most bookstores. To contact Jossey-Bass directly call our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-956-7739, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3986, or fax 317-572-4002. Jossey-Bass also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Fredricks, Laura. The ask : how to ask anyone for any amount for any purpose / Laura Fredricks. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN-13: 978-0-7879-7856-3 (cloth) ISBN-10: 0-7879-7856-6 (cloth) 1. Fund raising. I. Title. HG177.F68 2006 658.15'224--dc22 2005032333 Printed in the United States of America FIRSTEDITION HB Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 02_978566 ftoc.qxd 11/22/05 3:45 PM Page v Contents Foreword ix Susan Earl Hosbach ix Jon M. Wagner x Andrea McManus xi Preface xv Acknowledgments xvii Introduction xix 1 Hesitating to Ask for Money 1 What Fears May Prevent or Postpone the Ask? 3 Knowing the Prospect Well Before Making the Ask 4 Giving Is the Greatest Gift of All 13 Every Organization Has Its Own Sparkle and Is Deserving of a Gift 16 Knowing the Organization Inside and Out 17 Asking Must Be Done in Person 17 Saying No to the Gift Is Not Saying No to You 18 Conclusion 20 Looking Ahead 20 v 02_978566 ftoc.qxd 11/22/05 3:45 PM Page vi vi Contents 2 Judging the Prospect’s Readiness for the Ask 21 Avoiding Common Pitfalls When Judging Readiness 22 The Readiness Profile 27 The Readiness Formula 33 The Match 40 The Pre-Ask Conversation 41 Unrestricted Gifts Are Our Friends 42 Asking for Money on the First Visit 43 Conclusion 44 Looking Ahead 44 3 Selecting the Right Person or Team to Do the Ask 45 Determining Your Pool of Potential Askers 46 Characteristics of a Good Asker 53 Determining When One Asker Can Conduct an Ask 58 Using the Team Approach 61 Conclusion 67 Looking Ahead 68 4 Preparing for the Ask 69 The Right Tone for the Ask 70 The Review Prior to the Ask 74 The Script for Each Ask 79 Conclusion 93 Looking Ahead 94 5 Asking for Special Event or Community Project Gifts and Increased Annual Gifts 95 The Ask for a Special Event or Community Project 97 The Ask for the Enhanced Annual Gift 106 Conclusion 116 Looking Ahead 117 02_978566 ftoc.qxd 11/22/05 3:45 PM Page vii Contents vii 6 Asking for Major Gifts 119 Defining a Major Gift 120 Defining Major Gift Prospects 121 Essentials of Any Major Gifts Program 122 Major Gift Asks 129 Conclusion 137 Looking Ahead 138 7 Asking for Planned Gifts 139 The Importance of Planned Gifts for the Organization 141 The Importance of Planned Gifts for Donors 142 Planned Giving Donor Profiles 143 The Planned Giver Prospect Pool 146 Planned Giving Program Prerequisites 148 Coordinating the Planned Giving Program with All Fundraising Programs 152 Building a Planned Giving Program 153 Marketing a Planned Giving Program 157 Asking for Planned Gifts 158 Conclusion 167 Looking Ahead 167 8 Asking for Complex and Challenging Capital Campaign Gifts 169 Defining the Capital Campaign 170 Phases of the Campaign 174 Defining Campaign Gifts and Prospects 177 Preparing Campaign Materials to Use During the Ask 179 Asking for Campaign Gifts 180 Conclusion 185 Looking Ahead 186 02_978566 ftoc.qxd 11/22/05 3:45 PM Page viii viii Contents 9 Addressing the Prospect’s Response to the Ask 187 Preparing for the Prospect’s Response 188 Responding to the Prospect’s Concerns 189 Analyzing the Responses to the Prospect’s Concerns 198 Conclusion 203 Looking Ahead 204 10 Following Through with Each Ask 205 The Next Steps After Each Ask 206 How to Juggle and Balance Time After Each Ask 211 The Ten Guiding Principles for Any Ask 213 Resource A: Sources for Fundraising Software 215 Resource B: Prospect Research Providers and Web Sites 217 Resource C: AFP Code of Ethical Principles and Standards of Professional Practice 219 Resource D: Thank-You Letter After the Ask 223 Resource E: Notification of Bequest 225 Resource F: Sample Prospect Materials for a Charitable Gift Annuity 227 Resource G: Sample Prospect Materials for a Charitable Remainder Unitrust 231 Resource H: Sample Capital Campaign Marketing Materials 235 References 249 The Author 251