April 2021

Register for tomorrow's FREE webinar below!

 plus in-person training this summer, a new blog post, the next Jerry Panas recording, and best board practices blog series

Dear [First Name],

Imagine: Your Board or Staff Gathering In Person to Learn to Fundraise!

I am excited to offer LIVE, IN-PERSON, OUTDOOR board and staff fundraising trainings around the country this summer. Imagine gathering in someone's backyard? Or outdoors at your program? Or at a restaurant?

Since all adults will be vaccinated by summer, all board and staff should be vaccinated. That means we can safely gather, without masks, while being respectful about distance. This might be the first time your board members are excited about fundraising!

If you're interested in training between June and September, please reach out to me at brian@askingmatters.com

Are your fundraising events really making money?

It's time to figure that out.

free webinar on april 8th!

I hope you’ll join me for this hands-on session to figure out what your events are really costing you and whether they’re as helpful monetarily as you thought.

Yes, events are helpful in many ways, but do they have to be fundraising events? Is the money and time you sink into them really paying off? Or are you just doing them, as so many tell me, “because we’ve always done them.”

COVID has certainly helped us rethink events, come up with amazingly creative solutions, and in many cases spend less to make the same amount. But what happens post-COVID when we’re mostly back in person?

Join me to dissect your events so that you and your fellow staff and board members can fully understand the economics and can make informed decisions next time around. Please come prepared to use the figures from one of your fundraising events – maybe the one you’re most concerned about. I’ll be providing a worksheet to fill out as we go along.

This webinar will take place on Thursday, April 8th at 2:00pm ET.  All registrants will get a link to the recording as well as bonus materials, so be sure to sign up even if you can’t attend!

Video Chats are #2 in the New Hierarchy of One-to-One Cultivation & Asking Meetings

new post on the asking matters blog

Every cloud has a silver lining. Even a horrific cloud like COVID. For the fundraising world, it’s the widespread acceptance of video chats.

While the gold standard is to see our major donors in person, for the past year we haven’t had much in-person meeting and that’s been incredibly challenging. Here and there we’ve had a socially-distanced walk, or a visit in someone’s backyard. At times we’ve shared a cup of coffee on someone’s porch. Mostly, however, we’ve been unable to meet that gold standard.

So how do video chats compare as the next-best option?

The Jerry and Brian Tapes: Asking Styles

Recorded April 8th, 2018

Though Jerry and I had worked together for a number of years, I finally got Jerry to take the Asking Style Assessment during one of my visits.
You might be surprised by Jerry’s results, as was I, though that was due to my falling back into the same stereotype of a fundraiser our field needs to dispel!

Train Your Board to Fundraise…So They Can Do It Right

asking styles trainings for the entire board

It’s more important than ever for board members to work with staff to develop resources for your organization. And they can and will do it, but only with training and only if asked to do smart, strategic fundraising.

Asking them to fundraise without training will only make them push back or do it and feel anxious and inadequate. Asking them to hit up everyone they know stinks for them and won’t get you anywhere in the long run. Learning about the Asking Styles and how to apply them to fundraising will strengthen your entire board, which is why we've developed this fundraising package:

Asking Styles Training for Boards

  • Your organization gets a permanent customized, branded landing page.
  • Each board member has direct access to watch the 35-minute recorded training for their Style and complete a worksheet.
  • Board members can watch any and all trainings as often as they like.
  • Each time you bring on a new board member, watching their training can be part of your onboarding process.
  • Package includes three step-by-step exercises to conduct with your board at virtual or in-person board meetings.

You can preview a sample landing page here!

Where are you at? How can I help you help your board?

Any questions, please reach out to me at brian@askingmatters.com


Here's to spring and what we hope will be light at the end of the tunnel.
 


Brian

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