Four Questions to Ask Reluctant Donors
By Jerry F. Smith, CFRE
I just read an article written by Jerry Panas, who I believe to be the leading authority in fund-raising today. He tells the story of a solicitation he made recently. Jerry asked the prospect for a $100,000 gift, in support of a new cardiac center, which will undoubtedly save lives for a generation to come.
After the request was made, there was the usual pause (you know the first person to speak loses!), and then the prospect said, “No, I don’t think so. I don’t think I can give that much--not at this time”.
At this point most fund-raisers would just pack their bag and say “thanks” and leave. But as Jerry Panas says that is absolutely the wrong decision.
As a fund-raiser (depending upon the prospect’s answer), there are four questions you MUST ask. If you don’t, you will never know where you stand in the mind of the donor.
Remember--information is vital in this business.
These four questions will tell you whether:
- The donor has no great feeling or involvement with the institution
- The donor lacks interest in the specific project
- You asked for too much
- Timing is a factor
After the prospective donor has answered these four questions, you should always thank them for their response then follow-up by saying “do you mind if I ask you just a few more questions?”
1. Is it the institution?
You’ve been a supporter for so long and have done so much, I was certain you felt positive about our work and vision.
Prospects answer:
“Oh yes, I do. I think they’re doing a great job.”
(So far so good – you’re past the first hurdle.)
2. Lack of interest?
“I felt you and your family had strong interest in the New Cardiac Center. Is there something about the project that makes you hesitate?”
Prospects answer:
“Oh no, certainly not the center is something I feel is very important.”
(Now you can cross out the question “Is it the project?”)
3. Did I ask for too much?
“I need to know. I honestly felt that based on your previous support that $100,000 was just about the amount you would want to give.” (For the past 10-12 years this donor has been giving $5,000 to $10,000 per year. One rule of thumb you can follow is to multiply the donor’s annual gift by somewhere between 10 and 20 times there regular annual giving.)
Prospects answer:
No, you were about right – that is the amount I would like to give this project.
4. Is it the timing?
Prospects answer:
“That’s it exactly,” said the donor. He went on to say he could not even make a smaller gift at this time because he was so committed to a few other projects that there simply weren’t funds available.
How would you respond?
“Don’t worry about the timing we can work that out. The important thing is that you are included in this program. Could you make your first payment in a year or so or do you need more time than that?”
Prospect’s answer:
The donor felt he could make a small payment a year from now and then make equal payments for the next three years and fulfill his commitment.
This particular visit followed the script, but it’s not always as easy as this story sounds. Regardless, you must ask those four probing questions and this should help get you through most situations – that is if you’re to be successful in this business.
