You've probably heard that if you ask a donor for a gift within an acknowledgement, the seas will boil, the moon will turn red, and the donor will leave you forever, telling everyone she knows what a mean-spirited schmuck you are.
Reality is not quite that.
In fact, a gift acknowledgement is a really excellent place to ask -- if you do it right.
It's important to remember two related things about donors:
- Statistically, the time a donor is most likely to give is soon after they've given.
- Giving feels good.
There's a population of donors who do all their giving by responding to acknowledgements.
The thing to keep in mind about asking while thanking, is that the primary job is thanking. In fact, there's no asking at all, really. Just a reply device that says something like "My next gift." And a return envelope. That's it. Everything else is pure gratitude for the previous gift.
The last thing you want is for your acknowledgement to feel like it's saying, "Thanks for your gift, but it wasn't enough. Please send more now!" That is what a mean-spirited schmuck would do.
Instead, just make giving easy. Many donors will respond well, because they're still feeling good about the previous gift.
from Future Fundraising Now http://ift.tt/2yIEXYS
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