The Magic Number: How to Ask for the “Right” Gift

    Well, it’s official. People really hate to be asked for an inappropriately sized gift. At least, that’s the case according to study released this week about the giving habits of wealthy Americans (see link below). Study participants reported that one of the top reasons they stop giving to a charity is that they are asked for an inappropriate amount, presumably an amount that is too large.

    And, who can blame them? A poorly calculated ask may come across as greedy or overly ambitious. Perhaps even worse, it may appear to the prospective donor that you’re simply not paying attention.

    Let’s imagine you’re meeting with a prospect next week. Even better, make it real. Get on the phone and make an appointment for a meeting right now! Then get ready to frame the ask amount in a way that honors the donor while also raising their sights.

    1. Do your research. Understand if the prospect is philanthropic, see how much they’re giving to other organizations, examine their giving to your own organization. This is not about snooping. It’s about being courteous enough to do your homework.

    2. Present the gift request in the context of what it will make happen. You don’t want to say, “Can you give $1,000 because I think that’s what you can afford.” You do want to say, “With a gift of $1,000 you can provide meals and transitional housing for X number of our clients.”

    3. Position the amount in the context of what others are doing. If this is a friend or business associate, it’s awfully nice to say, “My partner and I decided to give $1,000 because we knew how much could be accomplished with it. Is that an amount you’d feel comfortable giving, too?” Or, if you don’t want to be quite so personal (or if you can’t afford to give as much as this prospect), you could say something like, “A number of other leaders are giving at the $1,000 level. We’d love to include you in that group.”

    4. Make it easy for the donor to give. If the response to your request is, “I can’t afford that amount,” suggest a payment plan. Just think, it takes less than $100 a month to make an annual gift of $1,000.

    5. Realize that sometimes you just can’t specify a number. This strategy is a last resort and one that many other fundraisers may not agree with, but I ocassionally use the “menu” approach. During a capital campaign for a children’s museum, I presented a neighbor with a list of naming opportunities and told her candidly, “I really don’t know the appropriate amount to ask you for, but because of all you’ve done for this organization already I’d love to see something named for you.” She and her husband ultimately chose a naming opportunity at a mid-range gift amount. Maybe I left money on the table, maybe I encouraged her to give more than she had planned. I’ll never know. What I do know is that she felt good about her gift and I felt good about asking. When you live next door to someone, this is important!

    The reality is that only the donor knows the magic number. Your job is to present them with the best possible investment for their charitable dollars and to support them in making a gift that is meaningful to them.

    Front Range Source is hosting a workshop next week called Face2Face Training: How to Ask for the Big Gift. We’ll be focusing on tactics like the ones listed above. Click here to find out more and to register.

    Click here for the 2010 Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy.


    1 Comments

    • Joan Campbell, November 11th, 2010 on 10:30 am

      Ann - - Thank you for the succinct article you wrote. Lots of useful tips.

      I am sorry (again) that I won’t be able to sign up for the Nov. 17 session about Asking for the Big Gift. I have a conflict. But sure wish I could attend!

      Happy Thanksgiving - - and thank you again for your helpful emails. Joan Campbell

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