What would happen if you could motivate your board members to get out and ask?

Imagine that in the first year, 3 board members each closed 3 new gifts through their individual asking efforts. That’s 9 new board-solicited gifts.

Now imagine that the next year you can motivate 3 more board members to do the same. Assuming the first year’s donors gave again, you’d have 27 additional gifts over 2 years.

And if you continued for a third year, you would have added 36 donors to your support base.

Now consider the fact that personally solicited gifts are usually larger than gifts solicited by mail, and with just 3 board members soliciting 3 new gifts each year for 3 years, you’ve made a significant impact on your fundraising results.

You will have

• increased your number of donors
• made personal solicitation part of your development culture, and
• have 9 board members who are becoming comfortable asking for gifts.

You may find that the board members who have stepped up in year one will do so again in years two and three, increasing even more the net result of your efforts.

So start this year. Recruit some board members. Find out their Asking Styles and provide the support they need to get out and ask.

Take a look at our list of New Year’s resolutions to get more fundraising ideas for the coming year. 

Also try our Making the Case Exercise to evaluate your ability to make the case to a donor. Note, this is a members only part of the site. Not a member yet? Join NOW.