In the fundraising profession, the act of
requesting funds from a donor is called “the ask.” When you are writing
a fundraising letter and you arrive at the place where you must
actually, ahem, request a donation, you have arrived at the ask. And the
ask, as you probably know, is one of the toughest things to get right in
fundraising.
Where in the letter should you mention money?
Early on in your letter you should let your reader know why you are
writing. Somewhere “above the fold,” usually in the second or third
paragraph, describe the reason for your letter. Here is an example:
“The people of Afghanistan have already suffered 20 years of conflict
and three years without rain. One and a half million are dead. Two
million are disabled. And now this: the UN is predicting that “the
number of Afghans facing hunger and deprivation will soon reach 7.5
million.”
“Something has to give. Or someone has to give. That’s why I’m writing
to you during this crisis. Will you give? You can save lives and avert
disaster by sending a donation to Doctors Without Borders right now.”
How much should you ask for?
Ah, the perennial question. As fundraising letter expert Mal Warwick
would say, “that depends.” How much money you request of each donor
depends on many variables, including:
size of the donor’s last gift
size of the donor’s average gift
amount that most organizations like
yours ask for
specific need that you are
presenting to the donor
size of your donor base
donor’s capacity to give (assuming
you know it)
donor’s affiliation with your
organization (is the donor a brand new supporter or one of your
board of directors?)
length of time the donor has
supported you (is it one year or ten?)
As you can see, the amount of money that you
request in your direct mail fundraising letters depends on too many
variables for me to give you an average figure to aim for in every
appeal.
How many times should you request a donation?
Ask for a gift more than once in your letter. At a minimum, bring up the
topic early on, and ask again for a donation in your conclusion. Another
good place to request funds is in your postscript (your P.S.). Some of
your asks can be hard asks (“Give today”) and others can be soft asks
(“Your gift will make a difference.”).
What’s the best way to actually ask for the gift?
Here we come to the topic of this Handbook. As you will discover, there
are at least one-hundred and one ways to make your ask on paper. Some
are forceful, others are subtle. Some are for capital campaigns, others
for endowment campaigns and still others for year-end appeals. I
recommend that you read all of the asks, putting a checkmark in the
margin next to the ones that will work for your unique organization,
your unique donors, your unique case for support and your unique writing
style.
About the author
Alan Sharpe is a professional fundraising letter writer, instructor and
mentor who helps non-profit organizations raise funds, build
relationships and retain loyal donors using creative fundraising
letters. Learn more about his services, view
free sample
fundraising letters, and sign up for free weekly tips like this at
http://www.RaiserSharpe.com.
