Boost Your Confidence: Make a Major-Gift Ask

Many of the nonprofits that we work with have little or no capital campaign experience, which means they also lack major-gift fundraising experience. The two are not exclusive.

If you know how to make a major-gift ask, then that experience can be translated to solicitations for planned gifts, endowments, overhead, or capital improvements.

In general terms, a major gift is five-plus figures, usually starting at $25,000. Below are the steps we take our clients through in preparation for making professional and successful major-gift solicitations.

Prepare for the Ask

Your first step is to identify your major-gift prospects. Review your database to identify which donors have great affinity for your nonprofit and are capable of making a major gift. You’ll be looking for frequency of giving, size of gifts, and the donor’s areas of interest. You’ll also assess whether you have access to them through a personal relationship or a board member.

You also might consider wealth screening to identify whether your prospects that have the desire to give also have the capacity to give. These wealth assessment services may be included in your donor database. If not, you can purchase them through a separate vendor. Wealth screening may also help you find additional donor prospects, so this can prove to be a worthwhile investment.

Finally, you might ask your board to take a confidential look at the list of major-gift donors you have identified. They may have insight on appropriate ask amounts or projects for specific donors based on their personal knowledge of that person. Your board members also may have ideas of other donors to consider adding to the list. This process should bring you a list of major-gift donors to consider reaching out to.

Once you’ve compiled your list, prepare an ask letter for each prospect on the list outlining the effort and a specific amount that you would like the prospect to consider. You could also develop a gift plan range, so that instead of asking for $25,000, you ask for a gift in the “Silver Range” of $25,000 to $35,000. You’ll use this letter, and gift plan range if you decide to use one, during your in-person meeting to present the opportunity and make the ask.

Call to Set Up the Appointment

Major-gift solicitations are made face-to-face, so your next step is to call your prospects to schedule an in-person meeting. Prepare for the call by reviewing your organization’s case for support (a description of your organization’s needs and how meeting them will benefit your community) and any materials you plan to share during your ask. In a capital campaign, we typically have a video to share with the prospect. You may have a brochure or other tools that depict your organization’s impact. Use this review to remind yourself why you are committed to this project or organization and why you’re asking others to participate.

It is important that you call the prospect personally. Don’t delegate this task to anyone else. Your personal connection to the prospect is important. When you make this call, be enthusiastic. You are doing important work that is worthy of this personal time and attention. Approach the call with that fact in mind.

When you make the call, the organization’s current fundraising effort and your desire to meet are the only purposes for calling your prospect. Don’t combine the call with other items. Doing so fails to convey the urgency of the fundraising effort and lessens its importance. If it is important enough to ask, it is important enough to visit in person. If you are too busy to visit in person and explain the case fully, chances are the prospect won't take it seriously either.

Do not get into a detailed discussion about the case for support over the phone. The phone call is only to get a face-to-face appointment, not a gift. You’ll need to plan for a minimum of a 30-minute meeting, but you could need an hour or more.

Plan to meet with the prospect, and their spouse or other decision maker if possible, in the place of their choosing. Their home or office is best, but you can also schedule an ask at your facility. Avoid restaurant meetings as they are noisy and can distract from the importance of the discussion.

In our capital campaigns, we ask campaign leaders to work in pairs. Face-to-face fundraising can be daunting and is accomplished more comfortably and professionally in pairs. This serves multiple purposes: it heightens the importance of the ask; it ensures that most questions can be addressed during the ask (Two brains are better than one!); and it makes the solicitation team more accountable to following best practices. Including a second person may also allow you to have a person with a stronger relationship with the prospect involved in the ask.

Lead the Meeting

When it’s time for the meeting, open with small talk and then give a brief personal overview of the case. At this point in a capital campaign solicitation, we show the video. Plan ahead on how you will share your own view or present the highlights of your brochure.

Assume the prospect knows nothing about your case for support. Take the time to talk about your organization and its services or the specific project you’re fundraising for and how it benefits the community. Let the prospect absorb and internalize the project’s importance and let them ask questions. Anticipate what those questions might be and be prepared to answer the tough ones. Answer briefly and honestly. Use your answers to explain how this investment in your organization brings the return of an improved community. Also talk about the fundraising success to date to demonstrate community support.

Make the Ask

Once you have fully explained the organization’s needs and how filling those needs benefits the community, the next step is to request a gift. Capital campaigns typically seek large gifts or pledges that can be paid out over time. Using the ask letter that has been prepared in advance and a campaign brochure or gift range chart, capital campaign leaders ask for the gift like this:

“There are three ways we hope you will support our effort. First, we hope you will champion it. Our community members will want to know that respected leaders like you support this project. Second, we need help opening doors to more donors. Your friends, family, and neighbors might be valuable to our success, and we’d like you to share their names with us if you feel they would be interested in supporting this project.

“We recognize the valuable contributions you make to our community, and we’d like you to make an equally valuable contribution to this effort. We have no way of knowing what you might be capable of giving, but would you consider a gift in the Silver Range (or a pledge of $25,000) to support our project?”

Then, and sometimes this is the hardest part, you stay silent and wait for the prospect to think and to respond to your request.

Respond to the Donor

The prospect's response will be one of four answers. Here is how you approach each of them:

• Yes: Thank the donor and ask him or her to complete a gift intention form.
   
• No: Politely thank the prospect, conclude your conversation, and leave.
   
• I need time to think about it: This is 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 an in-person return appointment for within one week of the initial visit. Meeting in person will allow you to have the prospect complete the gift intention form and close out the solicitation.
   
• I can give 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. 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.

Your organization and its fundraising efforts are important. You are doing good work to improve your community and the lives of people in it. Never apologize for asking for a gift or leadership.