You know what’s intimidating? Asking for money. Even experienced fundraising professionals feel that way. So how do you feel if you’re a board member or volunteer? Fundraising isn’t even what you do for a living!
In our inaugural episode of our new podcast, Nonprofits Are Messy, fundraiser extraordinaire Seth Rosen (who is also my Senior Associate) and I discuss concrete ways that nonprofit leaders and volunteers can ask for money without panic and fear.
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IN THIS EPISODE
- Why people choose to give money
- Why it’s so hard to ask for money and how to overcome that fear
- How to prepare before making an ask
- The most important thing to tell yourself before making the ask
- How to craft your “pitch”
When I became the Executive Director of GLAAD I was a complete fundraising virgin and right after I started, I discovered the organization was starved for money. There is nothing like a massive financial crisis to make you immediately hone your fundraising skills and learn how to ask for money. Luckily, I got some great fundraising advice (that I share here) and haven’t had a problem asking for money ever since.
Asking for money need not be daunting. There are practical and surprisingly easy things anyone can do to prepare, and then make, a fundraising solicitation. I chose this topic for the first episode of the Nonprofits Are Messy podcast because so many people struggle with asking for money.
