What are you thinking about as you prepare to go on a visit to make a major gift ask?
“He will probably not say ‘yes’ to this. There are just so many organizations after him to give.”
OR
“People love to give me money. I’m grateful to have this conversation!”
As we journey with our major donor prospects from “Creating a Joyful Giver” to “Making an Artful Ask,” we are crystallizing the details we need to speak an effective ask. I believe we can experience more success, and certainly more enjoyment, if we take a few moments to consider these 5 mindset steps before we meet with our prospective giver on this important call. This is not a big process, but rather a practice of getting a clear mindset about what we expect to happen on this call.
Ask yourself…
- Who do I want to be on this call?
- How do I want to feel going into the call?
- How do I want to feel at the end of the call?
- What is the best-case scenario for the outcome?
- What is my next step, regardless of the outcome?
Let’s look at these more deeply.
1. Who do I want to be on this call?
Honestly, none of us wants to be defensive or pushy. We become those things when we feel unsure of our role or reactive. Our role is to present an opportunity to invest in something we believe in, and feel our prospective giver also believes in. Define who you want to be. “I am a confident, prepared professional. I am comfortable, proud of my organization, sincerely respectful of this donor and eager to serve him/her.”
2. How do I want to feel going into the call?
You want to intend positive feelings about the outcome. “I’ve been talking about this with Sue over several visits and I believe this is the right fit for her giving and our organization. I will communicate with genuine warmth and integrity how this gift will help and make her feel.” This versus, “I’m not sure we have the right options for her to consider.” or “I hate these calls. It’s just hard to ask.”
When you tell yourself how you want to feel, you are the one who can generate your feelings of comfort and confidence as you approach the visit.
3. How do I want to feel at the end of the call?
How do you want to feel as you walk away from the visit? Choose that before the call happens and you step away from reacting to the outcome of the call, whatever that is. Many things impact donor’s reactions to our ask. And, often we DO need to be prepared for additional conversations before they are comfortable saying “yes” to our request.
Choose to be pleased with the outcome of the call as part of the relationship-building process.
4. What is the best-case scenario?
What you think about, you bring about.
If you are thinking the answer will be some form of “yes,” you are attracting that result. While you can’t make an outcome happen, you can have the best-case scenario in mind. Then, your words, actions and tone will reflect your commitment to this result and your donor will feel your relaxed confidence in his positive decision. If the outcome is different, you can more easily appreciate that these obstacles are simply steps to be worked out.
5. What is the next best step?
Whatever the outcome, be clear on your next step. To serve best, manage the next step – You will call, or stop by or send a note…whatever is best for this donor. Remind yourself it is an honor to have this donor to work with. Have a next step in mind to complete the ‘yes’ or to manage a ‘maybe.’ “I believe this is a good match from the visits I’ve already made, but if not, I’ll work out what we need to make this an even better fit for my donor.”
Ways to use the 5 Mindset Steps
With some practice at this, you can set up your mindset in a flash. This is helpful for many other situations, personal or professional, including before staff meetings, before you go to work each morning, before you have a play-date with your kids, before an event, and so on.
As you practice these steps, you’ll begin to notice how powerful you are…and how much happier you are. I assure you, this process works!
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© 2012 Marcy Heim and The Artful Asker LLC.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? Please do! Just be sure to include this complete blurb with it:
Marcy Heim is a sought-after coach and trainer to fundraising leadership, staff and key volunteers who are transforming the world by encouraging philanthropy for their missions. She is a trusted authority in the development profession, who helps organizations and educational institutions uplevel their major gift programs through artful, long-term relationship building that dramatically increases fundraising success AND promotes increased staff job satisfaction. Her monthly Artful Action newsletter inspires leadership and staff to embrace the real power and joy of philanthropy. If you are ready to take your development efforts to the next level, you can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription at www.marcyheim.com.
