Fourteen Questions to Prepare for the Ask

The first of a four-part series in the ASKING cycle

You have come to that point.

You know what I mean. You’ve been there yourself.

You sent the letter to get the visit. You made the call. The time and date are set. You got the appointment. (You have heard me before on this — if you get the appointment, you’re 85% on your way to getting the gift.)

Before you sit down with your probable donor, there are fourteen questions you must answer before the meeting. I think about these before every visit I make. If it’s a really consequential gift I’m after, I write down the answers. That’s how I make certain I’ve covered every item.

1. Do I have all the necessary information and research I’ll need on the person I’m calling on?

2. Have I thoroughly anticipated the probable donor’s needs and expectations for this meeting?

3. If substantive information or a proposal are being presented, have I previewed these in advance of the meeting?

4. Are the right people — from the donor’s side and from our organization — coming to the meeting?

5. If more than one of us from the organization are attending, have we discussed and clearly clarified the roles that everyone is going to play?

6. What are the most prominent messages or ideas that I want to get across?

7. What are the different options for presenting our ideas? A brochure? Video? Proposal? Stories?

8. Is there anything I can send beforehand that will make this meeting more productive?

9. What’s going on in the donor’s world right now? What pressures is he or she feeling — at work and at home?

10. What will my donor’s reaction be to what we have to say?

11. What are the objections the probable donor might pose?

12. What are the 3 or 4 key, thought-stimulating power questions that I plan to ask at this meeting?

13. What do I think will be the important follow-up to this meeting? (You can’t leave a meeting without either a gift or a date for another meeting.)

14. (I consider this last item very important.) How can I infuse this meeting with enthusiasm, new ideas, and WOW!

Download these Questions to Prepare for the ASK