Are you using the hierarchy of fundraising asks?

The first is an ask for money... you are asking them to make a gift to your organisation. If they say yes, you steward them properly, and then at a later date, make a second ask. This ask is an ask for referrals... you are asking the person to open up their network to you and to serve as an ambassador for your organisation by introducing you to others who might be interested in your work.

The 2-Ask Process is a good framework for approaching your individual fundraising programme, and using it will put your non-profit ahead of the 99% of organisations that never ask their donors for referrals.

Once your non-profit is making asks for referrals, you’re ready for the real fun to begin... that’s when you’re ready to tackle the full hierarchy of fundraising asks.

Here is my complete hierarchy of fundraising asks that you should be making at your organisation, in the order they should be asked. Not every ask will fit into your non-profit’s development strategy. In general, though, this is the order that you should be using as you approach your donors. In between each ask, of course, you should leave sufficient amount of time for thanks, recognition, and stewardship:

This is an ask you should be making of your donor every year. This ask should be made whether or not your donor agrees to make referrals.

This ask should only be made to donors who have demonstrated strong support for your non-profit through a multi-year series of gifts or pledges to your organisation. 

Is your non-profit using the entire hierarchy of fundraising asks as part of your individual giving programme? If not, now is the time to start thinking through your current donors and prospects to see how you can make these types of asks in a systematic way.

For example, many non-profits will find and cultivate prospects and then, when the time is right, ask for a gift. Then, they set a goal of asking for referrals approximately 4-6 months after the donor makes the gift. They also set a process in place of asking for upgrades every year and new referrals every other year, and set up a meeting to solicit a planned gift after the donor makes his or her fourth gift to organisation.

The process looks different for every non-profit, and depends on the size of your staff and fundraising budget and the sophistication of your development programme. The important thing is that you think through this hierarchy and see how you can be making different kinds of asks at your organisation.

These are asks that are made through mass-communication or as part of an individual fundraising tactic, such as asking for an event sponsorship, mailing out your annual appeal or other direct mail letter, sending out an e-mail solicitation to your list, etc.

These tactical asks should be made in addition to the asks spelled out above. Thus, you should still be making an upgrade ask each year to your current donors, even if those donors will also be getting an invitation to your annual gala and a letter about your annual fundraising appeal. Be mindful of the timing of your asks, but remember that just because someone sponsors your event this year it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be asking them for a planned giving commitment as well.