The “ambush ask”—luring donors to meetings under false or veiled pretenses, then asking for “a gift”—has done significant damage to donor trust and the credibility of fundraising. The underhandedness of some has made it more difficult for sound practitioners to secure appointments with donors. They have to overcome suspicion and mistrust engendered by shady practices if they are even afforded the opportunity to establish themselves as honorable fundraisers.
As with so many fundraising practices, one is left wondering why anyone would attempt something so short-sighted, especially when the inverse of the ambush ask—the completely transparent fundraising process—produces better results, builds trust, and leaves donors receptive to future meetings and requests.
Two critical elements of a transparent process are asking permission and previewing material. When material is shared before each request to meet with a donor, the donor is more apt to respond favorably to the request, feel adequately informed to discuss the topic at hand, feel fairly treated, and develop a higher opinion of the fundraiser and the organization he or she represents.
The principles of preview and permission, which work hand in hand, can be applied to every type and level of fundraising. For instance:
- Ask permission of current annual donors to send them a preview of the next year’s annual giving objectives to see if they resonate and, if so, which ones, which allows them to be heard, to think about which options are most appealing, and predisposes them to respond favorably to the appeal
- Ask permission of midlevel donors to send them a preview of brief impact projections to see which they find most relevant and inspiring, and when they share which ones they do, follow up with an expanded description of the project, and ask permission to seek their reaction either in person or on a virtual platform
- Ask permission of a major gift prospect to send a draft concept paper; if they say yes, send them a hard copy or an electronic version, asking them to suggest ways that the content, logic, and wording could be improved; if they do, ask permission to provide them with a list of ways they could learn more about the initiative
- Ask permission of significant estate donors to send them a copy of Charles Collier’s “Wealth in Families” (thank you, Philip Cubeta, for this suggestion), so you might discuss with them questions Collier poses in that book; if they do, ask permission to meet with them to explore which questions they found most meaningful and how you could help answer them
Sneaking up on donors is dumb and destructive. Being explicit about what we are asking of them, and previewing material in advance, leads to better results and promotes long-term partnership building.
Jim Langley is the president of Langley Innovations. Langley Innovations provides a range of services to its clients to help them understand the cultural underpinnings of philanthropy and the psychology of donors and, with that knowledge, to develop the most effective strategies and tactics to build broader and more lasting communities of support. Jim has authored numerous books, including his most recent book, The Future of Fundraising: Adapting to New Philanthropic Realities, published by Academic Impressions in 2020.
