Tag: Asking

‘But We Don’t Actually Do the Work’

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Middleman.

Earlier this week I wrote about focusing your fundraising to individual donors on what their gift will make possible, not on how your organization does its work. 

This advice immediately causes consternation for some organizations, particularly community foundations and what we might call “middleman organizations” that raise funds primarily to help other organizations.

For instance, I recently emailed with a woman who works for a local nonprofit that a) raises money to pay for the admin costs and staffing of a national program that runs in her state, and b) that national program engages the local community to c) utilize support provided by other nonprofits. 

Local foundations and organizations like the one above will say things like, “Well, we can’t tell donors that their gift will do anything specific because we don’t do the work.  We just make it possible for other nonprofits to provide their services.” 

However, I believe community foundations and middleman organizations can absolutely tell donors that their gift will make specific services happen.

I think what happens is that these nonprofits get too caught up in the difference between “what we do” and “what we make possible.”

As I wrote last week, individual donors are much more interested in what your organization makes happen than they are in exactly how your organization makes it happen.

There are lots of instances of this being true and completely above board.  For instance, international relief & development organizations usually have local/indigenous partners who “do the work” of feeding children, providing education, digging wells, etc. 

Medical research charities often outsource significant portions of their work, from bloodwork to testing to actually working with patients. 

My recommendation: don’t artificially limit what you say in your fundraising based on a belief that donors only fund your activities (how you do your work).  In our experience, donors tend to be more motivated by the outcomes your organization creates – what your work makes possible.

Your organization can absolutely make clear asks around providing specific services, even if those services are provided by another nonprofit/entity, as long as the donor’s gift provides funding that makes those services possible.

Embrace the ‘In Between’

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Waiting.

The time in between when you make a fundraising ask, and when you start to receive gifts, is tough. 

You’ve completed your work.  You’ve thought it through.  There’s nothing you can do to make it better and then of course you start to worry.  What if there’s a typo?  What if the link goes to the wrong page?  What if, as the people at your event pick up their giving forms, they aren’t inspired?

But also, it’s a time of excitement and expectation.  You can’t wait to have people react to it, to hear what questions they have, to see the money start to come in.

And you never know whether it’s going to work.  (Well, when it’s the 15th time you’ve done a Back To School campaign and they all work great, you are pretty sure.  But you still don’t know.)

And after the “in between” tension of waiting, there’s the first gift that comes in 3 minutes after you send the e-appeal.  There’s the long-lapsed major donor who calls after receiving your letter.  And sometimes it’s middling results and a realization of what you could have done better.  Every once in a great while it’s just mostly silence.

Always exciting.  Sometimes a little stressful.

This tension and expectation “in between” will always be a part of trying to grow your impact.  Because if you want to grow, you need to talk to more people than you can talk to one-to-one.  Which means that for the life of your organization you’re always going to be making asks of groups, and sending out letters & emails, and then experiencing the “in between.”

Embrace it.

Events are Part of Your Donor Cultivation Cycle

Samantha Swaim  |  Repeat
Gala event.

The following is a hand-picked guest post from Samantha Swain. Enjoy, and you can read more about Samantha below.

***

In the nonprofit world, events often get a bad reputation. They’re seen as expensive, time-consuming, and not always worth the return on investment. But what if we reframed how we think about events? What if, instead of viewing them as standalone parties, we integrated them into our broader donor cultivation strategy?

The team at The Better Fundraising Company has long advocated for the cycle of “Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat” as the cornerstone of effective fundraising. Today, we want to explore how events can strengthen each part of this cycle – and why they should be an intentional part of your donor cultivation continuum.

Events as an Extension of Your Mission

Before diving into the cycle, let’s establish an important premise: the best nonprofit events are those that allow donors to experience your mission firsthand. When a donor attends your event, they should walk away with a deeper understanding of your work, the people you serve, and the impact their support makes possible.

Think of your events as windows into your organization’s soul – opportunities for donors to see, hear, feel, and connect with the work they’re funding. This experiential element is unique to events.

Let’s Build Events into “Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat”

The Ask

Events provide unique asking opportunities that complement your direct mail, digital, and personal solicitation strategies:

  • Public asks at events can create momentum and inspire others to give
  • Peer-to-peer giving happens naturally when enthusiastic supporters bring friends
  • One-on-one conversations during events can lay groundwork for major gift solicitations

Remember: an event without a clear ask is a missed opportunity. Every event should include at least one moment where attendees are invited to support your work. Then in the moment, when they give via a paddle raise or text to give, they should be thanked.

The Thank You

Events allow you instant, in-the-moment donor stewardship and thank you.

  • Publicly recognize donors and their impact
  • Applaud paddles going up
  • Print bid names on the paddles so that fundraising hosts can use first names
  • Use technology like a text to give platform that allows a name to appear on the screen

The Report

Events are powerful reporting tools as your event is a story of your work:

  • Share impact stories through video, presentations, or testimonials
  • Have program participants speak directly to donors about how their lives have changed
  • Display visual representations of your impact (photos, infographics, exhibits)
  • Create immersive experiences that demonstrate your work in action
  • Take photos and share them on social media to demonstrate that folks were a part of your work
  • And most important, similar to a report after a direct mail appeal, be sure to report out the results and impact of the event

The emotional connection formed when donors witness your impact firsthand is invaluable – it creates memories that last far longer than a written report. But don’t forget the written report too.

Repeat

Events build anticipation for the next engagement:

  • Use events to announce upcoming initiatives that will need support
  • Create event series that naturally lead donors to the next opportunity
  • Follow up with attendees to continue the conversation
  • Use event interactions to inform your understanding of donor interests for future communications

Building Your Event Strategy Within the Donor Cultivation Continuum

To truly integrate events into your donor cultivation cycle:

Map your donor journey. Identify where different types of events fit within your cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship pathways. There are different event models for awareness, acquisition, engagement, stewardship, and legacy giving. Pick the model that works best for your current donor needs.

Segment your audience. Different donor segments should be invited to different types of events based on their giving level, interests, and relationship stage.

Create a year-round calendar. Plan events that complement your other fundraising activities and provide regular touchpoints throughout the year. Events are a big labor lift so 1-2 big events a year is often the best-case scenario.

Measure what matters. Look beyond net revenue to evaluate events. Consider metrics like new donor acquisition, donor retention, increased giving from attendees, and relationship advancement.

Follow up intentionally. An event is never the end of the conversation—it’s an inflection point that should lead to the next meaningful interaction.

Events as Part of the Bigger Picture

The true power of events comes when they’re viewed not as isolated fundraising activities but as integral components of your overall donor engagement strategy. Each event should move donors forward in their journey with your organization.

By thoughtfully designing events that enhance your Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat cycle, you’ll create more meaningful donor experiences, deeper relationships, and ultimately, greater long-term support for your mission.

Remember: the goal isn’t just to hold successful events – it’s to use events successfully as part of cultivating lifelong donors who are passionate about your cause.

***

Steven says, “Samantha Swaim has more than 20 years of event planning and fundraising expertise. She is the co-author of Planning a Successful Major Donor Event, is the founder of the annual Elevate fundraising event conference scheduled for March 3-4, 2026 and is the co-host of The Fundraising Elevator podcast – which I recently appeared on: check it out!”

They’ll Fund the Playground. Will They Fund the Plumbing?

T. Clay Buck, CFRE  |  Ask
Leaky plumbing.

The following is a hand-picked guest post from Clay Buck. Enjoy, and you can read more about Clay below.

***

The hardest story in fundraising – and the one you have to tell.

Let’s start with a truth you probably already know:

Raising money for a new playground? Easy. 
Raising money for snacks at the staff meeting? Yikes. 
Raising money to keep the lights on, update the printer, and pay your brilliant-but-underpaid program staff?

Well… that’s the hard one. But it’s also the most important one.

This is the story fundraisers often *don’t* tell well – the story of unrestricted giving. 
It’s not flashy. It’s not always tied to a single heartwarming moment. 
But when you get it right? You raise the kind of money that makes *everything else* possible.

Why Unrestricted Gifts Matter More Than Most Donors Realize

Most donors don’t think in a chart of accounts.

They don’t wake up wondering whether their $100 will be categorized under “program services” or “general operating expenses.”

What they care about is this:

*Are you making the world better in a way that aligns with the kind of person I believe I am?*

That’s it.

But too often, when we lead with *programs*, we accidentally steer donors toward restricting their gifts. We hand them a menu instead of inviting them into the kitchen.

So they say, “I’ll support the literacy program,” not realizing that it’s the unrestricted dollars that buy the bookshelves, cover the training, and pay the rent on the room where the program even happens.

Unrestricted dollars are not *extra* – they are *essential*. They are the fuel, the oxygen, the infrastructure that makes the impact *possible*.

Why It’s Hard to Tell This Story

It’s hard because it’s abstract. 
It’s hard because it doesn’t sound inspiring when you say, “Help us cover our budget.” 
And it’s hard because we’ve trained donors – unintentionally – to give to “things” instead of *change*.

But here’s the secret: the best case for unrestricted support isn’t about overhead or admin or general operating. 

It’s about the mission. It’s about the vision. It’s about the *promise* of what’s possible.

Mission Brings Them In. Vision Keeps Them Engaged.

Let’s take a breath here and go back to something I say often (because it’s true):

*It’s the mission that brings them in, but the vision that keeps them engaged.*

Mission is what your organization *does*. It’s the hunger you fight, the dogs you rescue, the students you serve.

Vision is what the world could look like if you do your work well – and keep doing it.

  • No more hungry kids. 
  • No more lonely seniors.
  • No more wayward wombats. (We support alliteration here.)

And donors give because they want to be part of that vision. They don’t want to *buy a service*. They want to *fund a future*.

So your job is to show them how unrestricted giving is the rocket fuel that gets us there.

Can You Say Your Mission in One Sentence?

Here’s a challenge: Can you describe your mission in *one clear, compelling sentence* – one that a donor could read and say, “Yes. That’s me. I believe in that.”

Not a paragraph. Not a five-point plan. One sentence.

Let’s say your nonprofit is called *Rescuing Wayward Wombats*. Here’s a version you might find in a strategic plan:

“Our mission is to provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary rehabilitation and long-term rehoming services for marsupials experiencing habitat displacement and trauma-related behaviors in a geographically diverse ecosystem.”

Technically accurate? Sure. 
Inspiring? Not exactly.

Now try this instead:

**“Helping displaced wombats find safety, healing, and home.”**

That version speaks to identity. To shared values. To a vision we can all believe in.

And when donors see themselves in your mission – they’ll give to the whole thing. Not just the piece with the cute photo.

How to Make the Case (Without the Jargon)

You don’t need a PowerPoint presentation with pie charts. You need a few great sentences that help people see – and *feel* – why unrestricted support matters.

Here are some ways to get there:

1. Talk about the Whole, Not the Parts
Instead of saying: 
“Please give to our after-school tutoring program…”

Say: 
“Your gift helps us create a community where every child has the tools, support, and safe spaces they need to succeed – inside and outside the classroom.”

Then make it clear: unrestricted support lets you do *all of it*. Not just a sliver.

2. Paint a Picture of the Dream
Use your vision boldly.

“We imagine a city where no family goes without food, where no senior is forgotten, where every child has access to learning – and your gift brings us closer to that world.”

That’s a lot more compelling than “Support our annual fund.”

3. Explain the Trust, Not the Transaction
People don’t give unrestricted gifts because they *love* accounting flexibility. 
They give unrestricted gifts because they trust you to use their dollars where they’re needed most.

So say that. Out loud. Directly.

“When you give without restrictions, you’re saying, ‘I believe in you. I trust your team. I know you’ll put this gift to work where it’s needed most.’”

It’s not a technical choice – it’s a *relational* one.

4. Tell a Story That Shows the System
Instead of a single program story, tell a *systems* story.

“Last year, Emily joined our food access program. But what kept her coming back was the community garden our unrestricted donors helped us build, the transportation we could offer because of flexible funding, and the new staff we hired to support her family in other ways.”

One person, one story – but a whole *web* of impact that only unrestricted dollars made possible.

Practical Tips to Strengthen Your Case for Unrestricted Support

Ditch the jargon. Say, “the gift that fuels all our work.” 

Use identity-based language. “If you believe every child deserves a chance…” 

Include unrestricted giving in your default ask. Normalize it. 

Name the value of flexibility. Show how fast you can respond. 

Show the donor in the outcome. “Because of you, another student graduated.”

A Final Thought (Because This Is the Hard One)

Unrestricted fundraising is hard because it requires clarity, confidence, and trust.

You have to believe in the value of your whole mission – not just the pieces. 
You have to be able to articulate it in human words, not internal budget codes. 
And you have to remember: the best donors don’t want to sponsor a line item.

They want to believe in a better future. And they want to help build it.

So show them that future. 
Speak it boldly. 
And make it crystal clear:

Unrestricted giving isn’t boring. It’s transformational.
It’s the kind of giving that fuels your mission, strengthens your vision, and builds a world worth believing in.

***

Steven says, “Clay is the founder and principal of Next River Fundraising Strategies, creator of the Fundraiser’s Planner, and co-host of the #1 ranked fundraising podcast Fundraising is Funny. He’s a wide-eyed optimist about the power of generosity to change the world and focuses primarily on individual giving, strategic planning, and building the systems and storytelling that support and empower successful, ethical fundraising.”

What KFC Can Teach You About Donor & Customer Communications

Simon Scrivner  |  Repeat

The following is a hand-picked guest post from Simon Scriver. Enjoy, and you can read more about Simon below.

***

People talk a lot about how often you should be mailing, e-mailing and phoning your donors. Charities often ask me how often they should be contacting their donors. And whenever they do I always think about the Chicken Variety Meal at KFC.

Yes, KFC.

If you’re my age or older you might know them as Kentucky Fried Chicken. But they rebranded in an attempt to hide the word “fried” (or, as some might have you believe, to hide the word “chicken”). KFC is my secret shame. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I’m generally a good person. But, despite myself, I love KFC and have had to manage my addiction to the point where now I can proudly say it’s just a “special treat.”

Every time I go in to KFC and order my meal they ask if I want to give them more money to Go Large. And every time I say yes. And I never get annoyed.

Even if I went in there every meal of every day they would continue to ask me to give them more more money. And I would never get annoyed.

Why not?

Because I love their chicken, I love their fries, and I love their Pepsi. I crave it. Every bite is a euphoric journey to a salty land of nostalgic love. KFC and The Colonel are giving me exactly what I want, when I want it. And when they offer me more, I’m grateful.

You see, junk mail is only junk if it doesn’t apply to you. I get pizza menus dropped in my mailbox every day… and they annoy me every day that I don’t want a pizza.

I hear anecdotal evidence on Donor Communications all the time: People don’t want to get mail, don’t want to get e-mails, don’t want to get phone calls. And people don’t want to be asked for money.

That’s simply not true.

People don’t want to receive bad mails. They don’t want to receive bad phone calls. They don’t want to receive bad e-mails. And they don’t want to be asked for money… badly.

If people don’t want to receive your updates and your appeals it’s not the donors fault and it’s not the medium’s fault. It’s your fault.

The public want to hear from you as often as you have something interesting and relevant to say. How often should you be contacting your donors? Well, ask yourself: how often have you got something good to say?

And ask yourself, honestly, how good is your fundraising-chicken?

[You can read more like this at www.changefundraising.com]

***

Steven says, “Simon Scriver is one of the co-founders of Fundraising Everywhere.  If you’ve not heard of Fundraising Everywhere, it’s an online community that provides professional development and peer support for fundraisers. And if you’ve not heard Simon speak, make it a point to go to a session of his at a conference; he is fun, funny, and helpful!” This blog post originally appeared on the excellent Bloomerang.co.

Deadlines and Consequences

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Deadline.

When I’m reviewing an appeal or e-appeal, one of the simple questions I ask is:

“Is there a deadline or consequences?”

Deadlines focus people’s attention – and cause more people to take action.  Consequences help people know what’s at stake – and cause more people to take action. 

So the next time you’re creating or reviewing an appeal or e-appeal, be sure to include a deadline or consequence.  You’ll help donors see how their gift to you is important and timely. 

And ultimately, it’s pretty simple: if you don’t give your donors a reason to give a gift today, you’ll get fewer gifts today.

Two Questions Never to Ask About Fundraising

Jeff Brooks  |  Repeat

The following is a hand-picked guest post from Jeff Brooks. Enjoy, and you can read more about Jeff below.

* * *

In fundraising, it’s smart to get more than one pair of eyes on anything you plan to send out.

But not everything you ask people will give you useful or accurate information.

Here are two questions fundraisers often ask others that often lead to fundraising failure:

  1. Do you like this? Fundraising isn’t meant to be liked. It’s meant to connect and persuade. Those are not at all the same thing. In fact, it’s common for the most effective fundraising to be disliked. And when nonprofit staff “like” the message, it is very likely to do poorly with donors. They are the wrong audience entirely. Good fundraising will often rub them the wrong way.

  2. Would you give to this? This might seem a more on-target question. But it’s not. Because rationally thinking through whether or not you’d respond is radically unlike encountering a message, paying attention to it, and following through with a donation. Those two situations are so different, there’s no correlation between the two. If there’s a correlation, it’s the strong negative correlation between insiders saying they’d give and donors actually giving.

If you’re hoping to improve your fundraising, don’t ask anyone either of these questions.

* * *

Steven says, “Jeff Brooks is the brilliant author of Future Fundraising Now (which you should subscribe to).  I’ve been lucky enough to know Jeff since we both had hair that was longer and browner.  He’s the best, clearest voice on direct response fundraising that I know of.”

Are you looking for your “lucky duck” fundraising stories?

Julie Cooper  |  Ask
Lucky duck.

The following is a hand-picked guest post from Julie Cooper. Enjoy, and you can read more about Julie below.

* * *

Keep your eyes open for story moments that can create powerful, unexpected emotions.

There’s a very cool-looking Jeep that Brett and I often notice during our neighborhood walks. On its dashboard are a bunch of cute little rubber ducks.

Eventually, driving around, we noticed other Jeeps with ducks on their dashboards.

Finally we got curious enough to ask the Internet.

Yep, it’s a thing.

It’s called “Jeep ducking.“

According to this article from Sleep Hollow Auto Group, the trend kicked off in early Covid days:

In July 2020, Allison Parliament had recently moved to a new town and purchased a Jeep Wrangler. After a tough day, she was out shopping and spotted another Jeep Wrangler in the parking lot of the store. Wanting to spread a little positivity, she took out a marker and wrote “Nice Jeep” on a rubber duck she’d just purchased, and she left it on the vehicle for the owner to find.

As she was finishing up, the owner of the vehicle – who she described as a “burly, scary-looking, 6-foot-5 guy” – asked what she was doing. She showed him the duck, and he loved it! He told Allison she should post it on social media.
​

She posted the photo that day, and her unique act of kindness spread like wildfire under the hashtag #duckduckjeep. People started buying rubber ducks and leaving them on Jeeps across the nation, inspiring a fun tradition among Jeep owners and enthusiasts alike.
​
Soon, people were buying ducks in different colors, ducks of different sizes, ducks in outfits – all with the intention of giving them away to make someone else smile. And as people collected them, Jeep drivers displayed them on their dashboard – in what’s now lovingly known as a “duck pond.”

I love this. You can build a vibrant community based on true kindness.

Sounds a lot like fundraising, right?

Are you looking for your “lucky duck” fundraising stories?

Jeep owners are “lucky ducks.”

They’re lucky when they give.

And when they receive.

It’s a virtuous circle.

I’m reminded of a client appeal Brett and I wrote – that performed very well – in which a senior who’d endured terrible trauma later took to calling herself a “lucky duck.”

Can you imagine?

When Brett and I interviewed this woman, who goes by “CP,” we could hardly believe what we were hearing.

CP’s spirit was so incredibly bright, in spite of it all.

That’s why we leaned into the lucky duck aspect of CP’s story. We featured it on the first page of the appeal letter. Below is the version that went to monthly donors. (You can read the full 2-page appeal here.)

I want to call your attention to 2 paragraphs.

“Then I was attacked on the street, twice. My back was broken in 7 places. (I’ll spare you the other details.)

But I’m happy! I’m lucky to be alive and to be living here at Potiker Family Senior Residence. I have a roof over my head and a full belly every day. I really am a lucky duck. Quack-quack!!!”

Talk about powerful, unexpected emotions! 

3 takeaways for you:

  1. Build on authentic story moments — like CP’s “lucky duck” spirit. When someone shares something that strikes you as unusual and makes you feel “some kind of way,” note it and think carefully about how you might honor it in your appeal.
  2. Embrace the unexpected — Who could have guessed that rubber ducks would become a symbol of Jeep community? Or that a woman who survived brutal attacks would radiate such joy? Such unexpected elements are key to creating unforgettable stories.
  3. Recognize that your donors are “lucky ducks” too — Remember that giving can feel as good as (if not better than) receiving, so don’t be afraid to ASK. Every ASK is a feel-good giving opportunity.

The next time you’re crafting an appeal, think of CP’s “Quack-quack!!!” spirit and look for those “ducks on a dashboard” fundraising story moments. Few people can resist the “unexpected feels!”

* * *

Steven says, “This guest post is from Julie Cooper, the ‘fundraising copywriter and donor communications specialist’ who I’m THRILLED to share with you.  Julie’s (and her partner Brett’s ) newsletter and blog are full of fun, practical advice.”

Three Editing Examples

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Editing.

We recently helped a nonprofit create a series of emails to raise money to help them recover from flooding at their facilities. 

The emails raised twice as much as any email campaign they’d ever done.

Because people always like our posts that feature “before and after” examples of fundraising copy, here are three simple edits I made to these emails, along with brief explanations for why…

Before #1:
“I couldn’t sleep last night worrying how the staff at the sanctuary will weather this storm, literally.”

After:
“I couldn’t sleep last night because I was worrying about the staff, the babies, and the equipment.”

Reasoning:
In direct response fundraising, specificity is your friend.  The initial copy was conceptual – about how the staff will “weather the storm.”  But the concept was hiding specifics that were meaningful and valuable!  Share the specifics because they are easier for a reader to understand quickly – and usually more meaningful, too.

Before #2:
“Potable water is especially important right now.”

After:
“Water that’s safe to drink is especially important right now.”

Reasoning:
Not everyone knows what the word “potable” means.  And even for readers who are familiar with it, many will have to think about it for a second to recall what it means.  In direct response fundraising, any time you use words that some readers don’t understand and other readers have to think about, you’ve almost certainly reduced how much money you are going to raise.

Before #3:
“Will you please make a generous gift today?”

After:
“As we scramble, would you please make a gift today to help?”

Reasoning:
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with “Will you please make a generous gift today” – in fact it’s very good copy.  But I have found that in an emergency situation, an email that sounds like a “breathless dispatch from the field” will raise far more money than email that sounds like every other email the organization sends.  

So I made sure the email sounded like it was written by a human (not an organization) who was being clear, but was clearly in a crazy situation. 

One of the ways you communicate to donors that the situation is not normal is by using language that is not normal.

Finally, as a bonus, here’s a subject line I worked on:

Subject line Before:
It’s time for immediate action

Subject line After:
Flooding – please help

Reasoning:
The initial subject line could be written by any nonprofit, anywhere, at any time.  The updated version referenced the flooding – something dramatic, concrete, and unique to this organization at this time.

I hope these example edits – and the reasoning behind them – help you with your next email or letter!