Volunteer solicitors are key to the success of your campaign. Here are six tips that will help you turn your campaign volunteers into effective askers.

• Reframe the solicitation task. The volunteer’s job is to get people to say “How can I help?” Then the discussion of a gift becomes simple.
• Set up practice asks with donors who already plan to give. Make sure both the volunteer and the donor know it’s practice but that the results will be real.
• Develop very clear, simple and brief materials. And make sure you review them with your volunteers and try them out in a mock ask.
• Offer to go with your volunteers the first few times.
• Stay in close touch with them during the entire process—preparing for meetings, setting them up, and following through.
• Celebrate every successful ask by a volunteer solicitor.

What’s Your Biggest Challenge?

Are you in a capital campaign? Planning one? In the middle of one? Finishing one up? Are you stuck? Is your largest donor being recalcitrant? Are your board members hiding out so you won’t ask them to solicit gifts?

If a capital campaign is on your radar, I’d like to know what you are struggling with right now. When I understand your situation, I can write blog posts, send emails, develop webinars and create courses and ebooks that cover the topics you most need help with.

I will so appreciate you if you take three minutes and fill out this brief survey.

What Campaign Challenges Are You Struggling With

As a way of saying thank you for your feedback, if you are among the first fifty people to respond, you’ll receive a 25% discount to the new products we are planning this spring.

But the most important thing you’ll get is more content on the topics that are most pressing and relevant to your situation.

Thanks so very much!

Andrea Kihlstedt
President, Capital Campaign Masters

Andrea Kihlstedt is Asking Matter’s Capital Campaign Expert. To see more from her, visit Capital Campaigns with Andrea Kihlstedt.