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.

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…

Six Simple Ways to Help Volunteers Make Successful Asks

Remember the movie Jerry McGuire? There's a famous line in it where sports agent Jerry Maguire, played by Tom Cruz, says to his player client Rod Tidwell, “Help Me Help You.”  This is a guest post by our consultant Dan Bruer -…

5 Tips To Ask Face-to-Face for Big Gifts in 2023

"What are the best practices in face-to-face asking?" One of our Major Gifts Intensive organizations asked us this question last week. They were ready to dive into person to person Gift Conversations. Today we're sharing a summary of what…
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Report: Biggest Challenges to Major Gift Fundraising Success

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Nonprofits clearly see the potential that major gift fundraising success might offer. Now, we have over 550 nonprofit leaders sharing their personal challenges in major gift fundraising. The floodgates have opened here, folks. Read on for hopes,…

How to Create a Donor-Centered Fundraising Letter

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Are you wondering how to really nail a donor-centered fundraising letter? Are you trying to create a letter for your annual campaign that can grab hold of your donor's attention quickly? And do you want to write a letter that just makes…

3 Tips for Improving Your Next Fundraising Appeal Letter

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Can you write an amazing fundraising appeal letter? It's one of the most basic skills for every fundraiser. But are you getting your letters right? Or wrong? Here's how to nail your next fundraising appeal letter: 1. Make it all about the ask. That's…

How Introverts Can Be Very Successful Fundraisers

Here's the cliche - it takes a gregarious, extroverted person to enrapture donors and secure large gifts. But this is clearly NOT always correct! Introverts actually bring special skills that can be fabulous for major gift fundraising success. Our…