The Ask: How to Ask for Support for Your Nonprofit Cause, Creative Project, or Business Venture

Many good suggestions, but you'd be surprised at how difficult it is for a person to write a short letter asking for a donation, or dailing a 7 digit phone number. The book suggest that everyone on the Board reach out to individuals who could make meaningful donations. Many will, but the problem comes in when staff lack motivation. If I were the President of a non-profit, if there were salaries, it would be base pay plus a % of the money that they were able to have donated to their Foundation. Out with the chair warmers. Furthermore, a college, school, or organization of any type must send out at least a yearly newsletter discussing their organization, recent projects, goals achieved, and a place where donations can be sent. A separate donation card can be sent out yearly with a request of $10, $25, $50, $100, $500, $1000, $5000, $10,000 and ___________ Keep the last numbers big as it implies that people do donate these kinds of sums. Also set up an Alumni Organization with a membership fee of $25-$50 year, and put together a complete Estate Giving Program that's available including Charitable Gift Annuities and Appreciated Stocks and Bonds.

To be a fundraiser takes a special kind of person. If you find yourself with that gift, this book should be your guide. The strategy outlined by Laura Fredericks is the perfect tool to use when trying to ask for money. Written in a conversational tone, Fredericks is actually doing what she is telling the reader to do. She is drawing you in, and you are face to face with a level headed way of thinking, while bringing the human element needed in fundraising. She is showing you, that when you want someone to support you must make an authentic connection. Simultaneously, she also structurally outlines that process—from internal reflection to practical execution. I have never fundraised before and I believe without this book, I wouldn’t have closed as many gifts as fast. It was simple to pick up and remember key things in my mind when talking to donors because of the ease of the read.

This is a must-read for anyone doing fundraising for a non-profit. The author writes very clearly and it is very much a how-to book. She talks about everything involved in asking for money, from what is needed in prospect research, to knowing when to ask, how much to ask for, who should do the ask, and even scripts suggesting what to say and why. She includes everything that must be done in advance and the importance of cultivation and what it entails. She emphasizes the need to spend a good amount of time on the follow-up to the ask and that many organizations leave too much money on the table by not following up appropriately. Then she talks about the need for stewardship and exactly the procedures for ensuring that the giver will most probably want to give again. An indispensable book! I found it extremely helpful and learned a lot that I am sure will make me a much more effective fundraiser for my organization. In addition to fundraising for non-profits, she has interesting things to say to people asking for money for themselves or a business, including how to ask for a raise or promotion!

Extremely well written book with many, valuable, insights for fundraisers. Loaded with examples on how to deal with real-world issues that anyone asking for money will benefit by. I would have given it a five if it had spent more time on personal fund raising for entrepeneurs and new start-up companies.

Okay

I had to buy this for a fundraising class. It is a little less boring than most how-to books since it is written somewhat conversationally.Recommended for anyone who wants to raise a LOT of money. If you are just raising a little money, I wouldn't bother as the book is rather long and tends to stretch out the topics for too long.

This book offers both tactical and psychological advice on The Ask- providing insight for future fundraisers as well as seasoned fundraisers who have asked for thousands of gifts. I promise this book will make you think about your tactics, approach and process.Very insightful and very helpful- I highly recommend!

Very well-written and comprehensive, really love the expansion of information and use of A$K concepts for creative projects, personal needs, and business ventures.

thank you