Advice on how to learn to love fundraising.

1. How to overcome a fear of
asking for money:
Advice from the
Fundraiser Grrl community

2. Ronand Maryanne Herrema
Be clear in your own mind that you are
asking for the people that are impacted by
your mission. You aren't asking for the
money for yourself. Keep a picture of
those you help in front of you (when you
are on the phone) in order to let them
motivate you!

3. Keels Marie
Stop thinking about it as "charity" , it's
about social justice. The "Ask" then
becomes an invitation to bear
witness to the real work being done.
That work isn't in a database, or gift
announcement, it's at the front lines,
at the grass roots.

4. Heidi Boyd
Know the donor and their passion for your
mission, and practice the ask ahead of time. Tap
into what they love about your org and its work,
and make them feel that you're inviting them to
do that very work with you.
Then, seriously, practice practice practice - out
loud, with a colleague, however works for you.

5. Andrea McKinty
If done correctly with the right
amount of involvement, cultivation
and education, it's really not asking
for money, rather asking for an
investment or impact.

6. Tanesha Ingram-Basnight
At The Star boutique,INC we always say
that the ask is not about us. It is about the
girls that we are serving. They are the
ones in need. Once we get out of the
way, we are reminded that we do this
work for them and we invite EVERYONE
to be apart of that.

7. Sarah Vanessa
Think of it as if you are doing THEM
(the donor) a favor by offering them
the opportunity to be generous, and
to participate in the wonderful work
of your organization!

8. Shannon Isaacs
Someone once said to me when I told them I
was a major gifts officer, "so basically you are a
beggar" and I said no, I invite people to change
the world. Remember that is all you are doing
when you are fundraising! And, giving can be
so meaningful and important, you are giving
space for people to express their altruism with
their means.

9. Siobhan Aspinall
Ask them for permission to ask later:
"If we have an opportunity in the
future that I think would interest you,
would you be open to looking at a
proposal?" The answer is always
Yes.

10. Margaret Clift McNulty
Best tip I heard was from Lorna Somers at McMaster
University - she went off an made a significant (for
her) donation to a local dog rescue and then
whenever she was talking to people about making a
gift she'd remember just how fantastic it felt to make
that donation. Not because of great stewardship (it
wasn't) but just because it feels brilliant, making a
donation. It's giving someone a chance to make a
difference to something they really care about!

11. John Congdon
I do a fair amount of coaching for people raising money for small
religious non-profits, usually parishes. The thing I tell them (especially if
they express reluctance to ask or fear of asking) is, "It's not about YOU.
This is not about whether or not they like you or whether or not you're a
good person. This is about giving them the opportunity to be involved in
making a difference. What's the worst that can happen? They say No?
GREAT! If they say No, that means that you know that they don't want to
support your organization, and you don't have to worry about asking
them any more! But if they say Yes...!"
I then usually add, "Actually, there is one thing that is worse than them
saying No. That's you deciding not to ask them. That means that they
don't get the opportunity to say either No or Yes, and frankly, that's not
your call to make."

12. Joan Hill
Think about you and funders have a
common interest. They are interested in,
say, getting more children to read.
You just happen to have a program that
distributes books to libraries, or teaches
young children to read.

13. Gunes Yildirim
Take out the word 'money'.
We dont ask for money, we
ask for 'support to make a
change.'