It is most important to realize that this
process is designed to get more than a gift. Whereas the annual
fundraising is primarily about raising money, capital campaigns
succeed ONLY if additional community leaders can be continually
recruited to help expand the reach of our organization into new
prospect sources. Even if you can call and get a gift, that is
only a small part of the effort.
Before engaging in this process, it pays to do
a little homework.
FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE BROCHURE/VIDEO. It
is important that our "case" be presented consistently to all of
our potential donors and leaders. It is certainly acceptable to
add to the case (brochure and video), but we want to remain
consistent in our message
NEVER ASK FOR A GIFT OVER THE PHONE. Even if
successful, it diminishes the importance of the campaign and
pretty much precludes the possibility of cultivating the
potential leader and getting them to help open doors to other
community leaders. Only by continually recruiting new leaders
will the campaign reach new levels and new prospects.
CALL PERSONALLY – DO NOT DELEGATE THE REQUEST
FOR AN APPOINTMENT. This campaign must be a priority. Having a
secretary call to set up the appointment diminishes the
importance of the call and the meeting. Personal connections are
very important.
BE ENTHUSIASTIC - YOU ARE DOING GOOD WORK ...
NOT BEGGING. You have a chance to do something special – secure
the financial future of a great organization and serve tens of
thousands of people. To do this, you need to share the story
with people you know. In its finest form, this is all that
fundraising really is.
Getting the Appointment
Call to set the appointment. When making the
call, the only purpose of the call should be the capital
campaign and your desire to meet in person. Don’t combine it
with other items. Combining the purpose of the call cheapens the
campaign and fails to convey the urgency required.
Do everything possible to avoid a
detailed discussion over the phone. The more you say over the
phone, the less reason there is to meet! Remember, the phone
call is to get an appointment, not a gift. Since
we want more than a gift – we want them to lend their name and
open doors as well – asking for a gift over the phone should be
discouraged. Arrange ample time for your visit (usually 30
minutes or so).
Always work with a partner, usually a cabinet
member or staff person. It’s just easier to have someone who can
help with the process.
• Ideally, when asking for a gift from an
individual, set the appointment in the prospect’s home, with the
spouse present. If you are looking for a corporate or business
gift, the appointment should be with the owner or high-level
executive. Talk directly to the decision-maker to avoid the
dreaded "submit a proposal" process. Additionally, remember we
want help, not just money, from our leaders – as such, the
higher in a corporate structure you can go, the better the
leader.
Avoid restaurant meetings, unless the
meal is at the office and includes a tour. "Lunch" meetings
usually bog down and lessen the importance of the work you are
doing.
If the prospect is reluctant to meet,
be firm but sympathetic. You might say something like:
"I understand how busy you are, but this is
very important to me. I guarantee you that after 30 minutes,
you will learn some very interesting things about our
community. I feel so strongly about it myself, that I am
personally visiting with key community leaders myself. If I
promise it will not take more than 30 minutes, would you agree
to an appointment?"
The Visit
(While board members will probably NOT have to actually ask for
a gift, it is useful for each board member to know what should
happen in the visit and to be prepared accordingly)
Every meeting will be a little different, and board members are
encouraged to personalize the presentation to fit their own
styles. There is no one perfect way to conduct a meeting. Keep the
overall objectives in mind and make each meeting meaningful and
you’ll find that most people will respond positively.
MAKE PERSONAL VISITS ONLY. WORK WITH A
PARTNER.
USE THE BROCHURE, PAGE BY PAGE AND SHOW THE
VIDEO.
ASK FOR A SPECIFIC GIFT OR GIFT PLAN.
ESTABLISH FOLLOW-UP PLAN AND/OR TIMETABLE.
THE MEETING
Open the meeting with small talk and then
give a brief personal overview of the case.
Use the brochure. It is specifically
designed to cover all the details. Walk through the entire
brochure. Take the time to talk about the project and the
benefits it will bring to the community. Do not rush through
this portion and then quickly ask for the gift. Let the
prospect come to understand and accept the project, and its
importance to the community.
Show the video. The video is a great
summary of the case – and does a great job of selling the
campaign. After the video, it is an easy segue way into the
"ask".
Tell the prospect about the fund raising
success to date. Keep updated as progress is achieved.
Asking for the Gift
Once you have fully explained the
objectives of the program and shown the video, your next step
will be to request a specific gift and participation in the
campaign. It should be clear which of the visitors will
actually ask for campaign participation from the prospect. It
really doesn’t matter whether it is the board member, a staff
person, or a professional fundraiser. What counts is to make
the request in a clear manner.
Using the gift plan card in the back of
the brochure, ask for the gift and leadership as follows,
"(Name), we would like to ask you to help
us in three ways.
First, we would like you to lend your
name to the campaign. People respect your judgement. By
including your name in our leadership group, our campaign will
gain credibility.
Secondly, we would like to ask you to
help open five doors to people at your peer level. We know
that people will respond to our message IF we can get
to see them face to face. That’s where we need your help.
And finally, we know we have no way
of knowing what you might be capable of giving, but we would
like to ask you to consider a leadership gift of $x,xxx per
year (or monthly amount) for each of the next five years, a
total gift of $xx,xxx.
Does this sound like something you can do
to help us?
NEVER, EVER apologize for asking for a
gift or leadership. You are doing good work and are simply
asking someone else to support something that you believe in
and have supported in a similar manner.
After you ask for the specific gift, let
the prospect respond to your request, then you can respond to
the prospect’s answer.
RESPONDING TO THE RESPONSE
The response will be one of four answers.
a) If yes ... thank the donor and ask
him/her to complete a gift intention form.
b) If no ... politely thank the prospect
and leave as quickly as possible.
c) If he/she requests time to consider
the request ... this a positive answer and means the
prospect is seriously considering your request. Graciously
grant the time, but set a return appointment before
leaving. It is best to set the return appointment
for within one week of the initial visit.
d) If he/she offers a lower amount ... if
you believe this may be the most the donor will ever give,
accept the gift and complete the gift intention form. Many
donors will actually give more if given a little time, and
rarely will they lower the gift if given time. You may
consider offering the donor some time to think about it. A
good response is ...
"I really wasn’t prepared for you to make
a decision right away. I’d like you to think about your
involvement and I’ll come back to see you."
(Then set a firm appointment!)
Some Final Tips . . .
Arrange for an appointment in a personal
setting.
Never mail the brochure or materials.
Always make a personal visit.
Always make a solicitation with another
person.
When you begin the visit, be a good
listener and relax!
Do not mention money until everything
else has been said.
Arrange for a second appointment
during the first meeting, if necessary.
Control is essential for
good fund raising -- you must keep control of the relationship
with the prospect. The final answer regarding the prospect’s
participation must be made to you in a personal manner and not
over the phone or by mail.
