Face to Face Ask
Got your list of talking points? Got your spear? Good.
Fundraising Calculator says: In 2008, nearly 80% of the gifts raised in the United States was raised from individuals. This was over $250 BILLION dollars, raised in the worst recession in recent memory, with only a 5.7% decrease in giving from 2007. Many of these gifts were major gifts, raised in person.
The quickest and easiest way to ask people for money is to ask them face to face. This has a 50% success rate. This is by far the best way to make fundraising targets.
All statistics from Giving USA Foundation
Over 75% is individual gifts
April 23rd, 2010 at 10:39 am
I think your idea of a fundraising calculator is great, but inconsistent in how you are presenting the data.
While you have a sense of what it takes to do a face to face ask, did you consider that a face to face takes 100 phone calls to get 10 answers and 1 visit – and anywhere to 3 to 8 visits with the same prospect to make “the ask”? In terms of efficiency, return on investment, etc. everything leading to “The visit” itself is time and resource consuming. That is why many NPs reserve “the visit” for higher level donors.
April 23rd, 2010 at 11:38 am
Hi Leticia,
Thank you for bringing up this important point. I respect your experience. We do have to make tons of calls to get one call back. It is a bit disingenuous of me to say that this takes less time if you scattershot phone calls to anyone.
This is why I advocate getting board members to call the people that they know, personally and professionally. These people have much more of a reason to call you back.
After that, you move outward, with circles of influence, and find the threads of connection between you and others.
Thank you for helping me make a better resource, I sincerely appreciate what you shared. I’m open to any more advice you’d like to give about face to face asks.
Mazarine