Asking for donations is a crucial step in organizing a successful fundraiser or raising money for charitable causes. It is important to approach potential supporters and donors in a thoughtful and effective manner to maximize fundraising potential. There are various strategies and techniques that can be employed when asking for donations. One popular way to raise funds is through fundraising events.

Find below our articles about Asking for Donation best practices.

Step Up Your Ask With These Proven Strategies

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We are coming up on year-end and, as usual, there is one thing on fundraisers’ minds: “How can I effectively use this season to ask for gifts?”  I hope you are not thinking of using these themes or phrases in your appeals:  “Please…

Advice for a New Major Gift Officer: Raise Money the Minute You Hit the Ground

This week on Facebook LIVE we discussed common mistakes that a new major gift officer often makes.  Now we’re following up with ideas to help you get started quickly and see some quick fundraising wins.  Being new can be daunting,…

How COVID Times Provide Unique Opportunities for Fundraising

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Yes, COVID times are hard for everyone to handle.  But don’t despair: We are finding that these times offer some pretty interesting and unique opportunities for fundraising.  Unusual times often bring up unusual opportunities…

What’s the Right Time to Ask for a Gift?

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Today, we want to help you with one of the thorniest questions of major gift fundraising: What's the right time to ask for a gift? When should you ask your donor? We all struggle with this issue. And when we are unsure about timing, we…

The New Three-Part Fundraising Ask for Times of Crisis

It's time to shape up your fundraising ask. Successful nonprofits are approaching donors differently these days - with a different type of ask. It's much, much more personal, authentic, and quite transparent about money. Unusually so! Here's…

Step-by-Step Guide to a Major Capital Campaign Ask

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What does it take to close a major capital campaign gift? Clearly such a major undertaking takes a skilled, nuanced approach to the donor. Here are the step you need to follow, if you want to close major gifts and capital campaign…

Five Strategies that Will Motivate Donors

How do you motivate your donors to give? It's a question I get asked a lot. Especially with the numbers of donors in decline, we have to do a better and better job at fundraising. If fewer people are giving, our appeals need to be…

Small Donors are Disappearing . . . and What You Can Do About It

One of the most disturbing trends in fundraising today is that small donors are disappearing. I interviewed Roger Craver of the Agitator/Donor Voice Blog this week. (Roger is one of the direct mail/multi-channel gurus of our field, and I read…
asking conversation with donor

The Asking Conversation: How to Ask for “Permission to Ask”

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So much of fundraising comes down to the Asking Conversation, doesn’t it? It’s inevitable -- because we are simply in the business of raising money. But asking can be tough: in worst cases – it’s full of fear and trepidation. Other…

Strengthen Your Fundraising Appeal With the “IPM” Formula

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  Here’s a very smart, efficient way to present your fundraising appeal. It forces you to be crystal clear about the three fundamental parts of any formal Ask: What impact it will make (I) What project it will fund…

Fundraising’s Not About Money (What???)

Fundraising's not about money - what did I say? What's more - fundraising is NOT about asking, either. Why? Because if you just focus on the money, you'll drive your donors away. In fact, if you make it all about money,  you probably…

Major Gift Series #9: Romancing the Ask – 6 Steps To a Perfect Major Gift Ask

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Here's the last in our series of 9 topics to help you raise many generous major gifts for your cause. Fundraising always comes down to asking, doesn’t it? “The Ask” is something we study, prep for, script, dream about, love and sometimes…

Don’t Make These 5 Mistakes In Your Fundraising Appeal Letter

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  Fundraising appeal letter mistakes - 5 key items to avoid Your year-end appeal letter just might be missing the boat. Here are some common fundraising appeal letter mistakes I see so very often:  1. Your call to action is weak. Lots…

#1 Tip to Create a Donor-Centered Appeal Letter

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Wish you could have been there: Sue was at her computer, struggling once again. She was trying to get the wording right in her fundraising appeal letter. "Dang, this is so hard," she thought. Trying to make it donor-centered was a serious…

Creating a Donor-Centered Appeal Letter: A Makeover

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Want to create a donor-centered appeal letter? It's more difficult than you think, it's not very intuitive.  It doesn't come naturally. When we actually sit down to write a letter, our natural inclination is to remind our donor how worthwhile…

What are the 3 Most Boring Words in Fundraising Appeals?

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What fun! Today I'm ranting a bit about what goes wrong  with so many fundraising appeals. I’m sharing my thoughts on the most overused, most boring and least useful words ever to be used in fundraising appeals. And I want to know yours! What…