Earlier this week I wrote about donor-centered solicitation plans. Today I want to talk about a plan that is solicitor-centered. In writing a solicitation plan, don’t forget to consider who is doing the solicitation. If you are doing the solicitation, you will already write from your perspective. You will write a plan that speaks in your voice, uses your strengths and allows you to speak to areas you are passionate about. However, many solicitations include more than one person, and you will not be there every time. So it’s important that we write a solicitation plan in such a way that uses the strengths of the solicitors.
What areas do your board members have the most knowledge and speak about with the most passion? Use the traditional rules (giving level, friendship, etc.) of using solicitors with a link to the donor who have given at similar capacity. This means that there are already connections between your donor and solicitors. Talk about and use those connections whether they are relationships, topics of interest, or gifts they have already made. Allow your solicitors to talk about areas of the organization and stories with which they are familiar (and fit the donor’s interest).
Make sure that you have given equal speaking time to all solicitors so each has an important role. If you have a board member who is really good at making the ask, then put him with someone who is really good at telling your story or building your case.
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This and the posting on donor-centered plans speak to two of three important questions in fund-raising: Why you? Why me? It’s necessary for both donor and recipient to address those questions from their perspectives as part of the discussion. The third question is, Why now? Why is now the time both to ask for the donation and to make one? What is propitious, what is the opportunity, whether in the short or long run, that demands action now? That also gets to the importance of passion and conviction in the presentation and response.
Bob, great comment. You make a great point I was intending to illustrate in this post how easy it can be to forget to take into account everyone in the room when we create a solicitation plan. What you’re speaking to is urgency. I absolutely agree. There needs to be a reason why the donor is being asked for money right now.