Elementum

The Ask Meeting Guide.

Prepare and make the in-person ask, because the most common reason organizations do not receive major gifts is that no one ever directly asked.

Part A. Prepare

The specific amount you will ask for

The specific purpose it funds

Who makes the ask (the relationship owner, sometimes with the ED or a board member)

The two or three questions they are likely to raise, and your honest answers

Part B. In the meeting

Reconnect and thank them first. Make the case briefly. Ask for the specific amount, out loud. Then stop talking and let them respond. The silence after the ask is theirs, not yours to fill.

Part C. Record and follow up

Amount asked

Response (yes, not now, no, a different amount)

Agreed next step, whatever the answer

A yes gets a thank-you and stewardship. A not now gets gratitude and a preserved relationship, because today's no is often tomorrow's yes if you do not sour it.

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A yes moves the donor into the Major Donor Stewardship and Upgrade Tracker. Back to the guide, or start over.