What boards get wrong about asking
Sep 01, 2026The ask is the last step, not the first.
Board members hear "fundraising" and picture the worst moment of it: sitting across from someone they know socially, naming a number, waiting. That moment exists. It is also about five percent of the work, and it is almost never the first thing you should do.
The order matters more than the script. People give to organizations they already feel close to. Closeness is built in small, unremarkable ways — a tour, a thank-you call, an introduction to the program director who can answer the question the annual report cannot.
Nobody has ever been offended by being thanked twice.
Gail Perry, CFRE
Try this order instead
- Thank someone who already gave, with no agenda.
- Show them something — a visit, a class, a build site.
- Introduce them to one staff member they would like.
- Then, and only then, talk about what is needed next.
One thing to do this week
Pick a donor who gave last year and has not heard from you since. Call to say thank you. Do not mention this year's campaign.
