Mar 3, 2024 5 min read Donations

The Craft Of The Ask+Forest: Stay Focused Be Present

1Fundraising Article. 1Productivity Hack. 1PhoneRaise Update. Weekly.
A weekly email for individuals who appreciate fundraising & nonprofit technology.

The Craft of the Ask: What to Ask For and How to Ask It

Diving into effective fundraising means getting two things right: what you're asking for and how you ask. "The Craft of the Ask: What to Ask For and How to Ask It" is your straightforward guide to nailing both. This intro gives you the essentials for making your fundraising efforts hit the mark, blending practical advice with easy-to-follow strategies.

This is the second article of a five-part series on donor solicitation.

The Art of Pivoting from Cultivation to Solicitation
Selecting the right ask amount
The Value of Impact-Based Giving
Including Storytelling as part of your ask
Creating a transparent solicitation proposal

Determining Your Ask: Crafting a Realistic Request Amount

Identifying the optimal amount to request from donors is pivotal to successful fundraising. This section is not merely about numbers; it's a strategic approach to marrying your organization's needs with your donors' capacity to give, ensuring a mutual sense of accomplishment and partnership.

The Art of Balancing Needs and Donor Capacity
Understanding this balance is an intricate process, combining diligent research, a clear grasp of your financial objectives, and a keen alignment with your donors' passions and capabilities. We'll explore comprehensive strategies to help you craft an ask that is both ambitious and achievable.

Enhanced Tips for a Precise Fundraising Ask:

Deep Dive into Donor Research: Extend your understanding beyond basic giving capacity to include the donor’s philanthropic journey, their values, and the causes they are passionate about. This deeper insight allows for a more personalized and resonant ask.
Comprehensive Financial Analysis: Go beyond surface-level budgeting to a granular analysis of your project's needs. Consider long-term sustainability, potential growth opportunities, and how the funds will drive your mission forward.
Dynamic Goal Setting: While you have an ideal ask amount in mind you will want to make sure you have an alternative ask ready if the conversation takes an unexpected path. Your ask should be flexible yet focused, able to adjust to shifting circumstances while staying rooted in your core objectives.
Strategic Donor Alignment: Develop a narrative that weaves the donor’s interests with your mission, illustrating how their support directly contributes to mutual goals. This alignment strengthens the donor's connection to your cause and enhances their commitment to your success.
Impact Visualization: Utilize storytelling to paint a vivid picture of the impact their donation will have. Real-life examples, testimonials, and clear projections can significantly bolster the persuasive power of your ask.
Innovative Giving Levels: Introduce creative and engaging giving tiers that offer tangible acknowledgments or benefits at each level, making donors feel valued and part of a larger community.
Interactive Engagement: Prepare for in-depth conversations with potential donors, equipping yourself with data, stories, and the emotional resonance of your cause to address their inquiries effectively and deepen their engagement.

Crafting the Use Plan: How will the money be used?

"Crafting the Use Plan" is your comprehensive blueprint for outlining the strategic allocation of the solicited funds. This segment is critical for demonstrating accountability, ensuring donor confidence, and maximizing the impact of every contribution.

Developing a Strategic Allocation Framework

A well-thought-out fund utilization plan is essential for transparent and impactful fundraising. It assures donors of your commitment to efficiency and effectiveness, reinforcing their trust and support for your organization.

Advanced Steps for a Detailed Fund Utilization Plan:

Needs Assessment: Conduct a thorough evaluation of your project's financial aspects, considering future scalability, potential challenges, and how each expense contributes to your mission.
Strategic Prioritization of Funds: Implement a prioritization framework that aligns with strategic objectives, ensuring that critical components of your project are funded first and paving the way for sustainable impact.
Transparent Financial Breakdown: Offer a comprehensive breakdown that goes beyond basic expenses, detailing how each dollar contributes to the broader mission, potentially including ROI estimates or historical financial efficiencies.
Develop Contingency Strategies: Develop a contingency plan that is not just a financial buffer but a strategic tool for navigating unforeseen challenges, ensuring project continuity and donor reassurance.
Alignment with Strategic Objectives: Ensure that every aspect of your fund utilization plan is a building block toward your long-term vision, demonstrating how present funding will contribute to future successes.
Impactful Communication of the Plan: Craft your communication to convey not just the logistics of fund allocation but the story it tells, the vision it builds towards, and the change it aims to create.
Dynamic Review and Adaptation: Establish a process for regular review and adaptation of your funding plan, ensuring it remains responsive to new insights, evolving project needs, and ongoing donor feedback.

Forest: Stay Focused Be Present

Forest is an app that helps you stay focused on the important things in life.

Whenever you want to stay focused, plant a tree. Your tree will grow while you focus on your work. Leaving the app halfway will cause your tree to die.
Stay focused whenever, wherever:

Working at the office
Learning at the library
Being Present with the family
Spending time With friends

Forest is an innovative app that aims to combat phone addiction and boost concentration. It operates on a simple yet effective principle: when you need to focus, you plant a virtual tree within the app. This tree represents your commitment to stay off your phone, and as long as you maintain that focus, the tree grows to maturity.

If you succumb to the temptation of using your phone, the tree withers away. The longer you concentrate, the larger your virtual forest becomes, and each session of focused time rewards you with coins. These coins can be used to unlock a variety of tree species within the app, adding a fun and engaging aspect to the experience.

Client Spotlight

We are thrilled to spotlight some of our latest partners who have harnessed the power of PhoneRaise to transform their fundraising efforts.

Each organization, with its unique mission and aspirations, has found success and satisfaction in utilizing our platform. Their stories stand as a testament to the effectiveness of PhoneRaise in elevating donor engagement and streamlining fundraising activities.

From reaching out to supporters through multiple channels to tracking donor interactions with ease, these organizations have leveraged PhoneRaise's comprehensive suite of tools to not only meet but exceed their fundraising goals.

These collaborations reflect our commitment to enhancing the fundraising experience for growing organizations, and we're honored to play a role in their journey toward greater impact and outreach.