How to Ask: Making Fundraising Magic Happen

Great fundraising doesn’t happen by accident—it happens in the ask.

In this episode of Auction is Action, we break down how to turn a simple request into a powerful, emotional moment that inspires generosity and drives real results. Whether you’re on stage leading a paddle raise, sitting one-on-one with a major donor, or guiding your board to make meaningful connections, the way you ask changes everything.

You’ll learn how to:

• Frame your ask so it feels like an invitation, not a transaction
• Tap into emotion using proven Neurogiving principles
• Build urgency and clarity without pressure or discomfort
• Avoid the common mistakes that cause donors to hesitate—or disengage

This episode is for nonprofit leaders, development professionals, and fundraising auctioneers who want to create deeper connections and unlock more giving—without feeling salesy.

Because when the ask is done right… it’s not just fundraising.
It’s transformation.

Recommended For

Nonprofit leaders
Development directors
Board members
Event planners
Fundraising committees
School, hospital, and foundation galas

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

All right here. What are you going to give on a minute? You want to listen to the Auction of Action UN podcast we've done by call to auction, where our favorite form of the word is S-O-L-L-D. No, no, no, no. Does everybody have a cup of coffee?

unknown 0:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 0:17

Okay, all right. Well, what we're gonna do is we're gonna do what we call a family photo. Because this is a monumentous occasion, second annual, the most ever, tripled the number. And uh everybody sees the world's largest business card in front of them, right? Okay, everybody grab your world's largest business card, also known as a bid paddle. I'm sure many of you know what to do with these, right? There you go, you've got it. You've got it, you've got it. We're gonna take our family photo. So everybody take those paddles and hold them way up, hold them up, hold them up, hold them up. We gotta get this energy going here today. Look at that, all right. Photographers getting that. Look at that, all right, all right. We're gonna see how well you follow instructions. Okay, everybody, put them down. Put them back up, put them down, put them back up to the left, to the right, wave them around like you just don't care. Get those wiggles out this morning. There you go. Look at that, look at that, there we go. And you know what? You you can't have an auctioneer on stage without expecting an auction, right? Well, we're gonna have a little auction. We're gonna do a mock auction. This is just fun, and we're gonna have a good time. I've got my associate, my left-hand man, the one and the only Dusty Clinks. I had a Dusty. Hey, Dusty! Dusty will be back at the table all day today. So, what we are gonna auction off right here this morning is the most important ingredient of a fundraiser's day. A cup of coffee. All right, so here we go. Let's get going. We're gonna start it. Who wants to go for a dollar bill? And I'm gonna give a dollar. Just raise this paddle, two dollar, three, and I'm gonna get three, and I'm gonna give five, five, five, and then ten, twenty, thirty, fifty. What? A hundred dollars? A hundred for a cup of coffee? Two hundred, three hundred, and I'm gonna get three, five, a thousand dollars, two thousand, five thousand, and I'm gonna give ten thousand, twenty thousand, a hundred thousand right there. They're gonna give them a one, two, three, and I'm gonna get three, four, five hundred thousand, six hundred thousand, seven hundred thousand, eight hundred, nine hundred, a million dollars right there. Everybody, you all know my favorite four-letter word, right? It starts with an S. S-O-L-D, everybody on the count of three for a million dollars. We're going once, we're going twice. One, two, three. You got it, all right. Everybody understands. I can love this, I love this. Here's your um cup of coffee. I'll give it to you a little bit later with free refills. All right, all right. So we're gonna get started with our presentation uh right here today. So there it is. We're gonna be talking about how to ask. Show of hands, who loves to ask? Ooh, I love this. I love professional fundraisers who are willing to ask those hard questions. I want to ask a question. What what is standing between, what if what was standing between you, your mission, and a million dollars? Just one question, right? That's all it is. It's just one question away from that that next transformational gift, from that gift that really could transform your organization, that gift that could transform so many lives. And the power is in your hands and within your heart. And we're gonna be unlocking confidence and connection and clarity today with every ask. And I am an ask every day that I am on stage. I am asking people to do things that they don't want to do. They want to go to a gala and they just want to hang out with their friends and have a good time. But like you saw, we did the auction and then we also do uh our call to action paddle raise where everybody gets to be involved within that. But it's really asking uh individuals to do things that they might not want to do, or maybe to stretch a little bit further. So I want to invite everyone to stretch a little bit today and be in that uncomfortable zone because that's where growth happens, is in that uncomfortable zone. Because you think about it going to the gym, you're you're working those muscles out, you're on the treadmill, you're lifting those weights, and it's that soreness, it's that uh discomfort is what really changes everything. All right, we're gonna see how good technology works today. All right, here we go. Again, my name is Bobby D. You heard the wonderful introduction, and uh, these are all the things that did over a billion dollars raised hundreds of clients nationwide. We have a wonderful team of auctioneers all across the nation. We can serve nonprofits anywhere, anytime, for any reason, with any budget, which is so important. So here we are. Uh, and uh the most important number that's up here is that 100% engagement. I want to see a show of hands. Who has ever had a hundred percent engagement at your event? Everybody made a donation. Am I the only one? Oh my god, it is absolutely possible. I've actually seen it where we've had 110% participation, and what that means is some people gave twice or more times than that, which I absolutely love. So, yes, you can please follow me, all types of great resources and podcasts, and webinars, and videos, and all the kinds of stuff that go out into the world. All right, here we are. So, today is gonna be a little bit of an interactive uh piece here. So, we're uh gonna invite you to uh you know adjust your mindset from fear to flow. Why does it why why is asking hard? I wanna I wanna see. Who who is has a hard time with asking? Raise your hand. My friend in the front of the Sparkle Jacket, I love it. What about you? What what is the hardest part about asking?

unknown 5:24

They say no.

SPEAKER_00 5:25

They say no, I hate it when they say no. But no is one of two answers that you're gonna get. You're probably gonna get no more times than than than other. What else? Who else who else is is kind of hesitant? I and I know this is asking introverts to raise your hand. Yes.

unknown 5:42

I don't think overuse the pool, right? Asking too much of the same pool.

SPEAKER_00 5:49

Of the same people. That's yeah, asking too much of the same donor pool, which is very common. Very common. I think I'm sure there's some some nods that are going on around that. What else? What are some other uh fears that we have with asking? Yes. Say it again? Embarrassed? Yes, it's scary to make that ask. Especially we're asking for a major sponsorship or we're asking uh a major donor for a big gift, um, or even inviting those to be a part of an event. It's a little like, ah, it's it's you don't want to look silly, right? You don't want to have egg on your face, which you don't, by the way. All right. So asking is hard. And again, like I said, this is this is an uncomfortable topic uh to be able to talk about, but I love uh talking about this. So we've got fear of rejection. Who's scared of rejection? Yeah, yeah, show of hands, yes, yes, yes. Um, what if they say no? Yes, there we go. Um, one thing I want you to help you to reframe is you're not taking, we're not taking anything from anyone. We are not taking donations. We are giving an opportunity to the donor to give them a chance to matter, to make something amazing happen in the world. And again, we're only one question away from that next million dollar donation. And the magic phrase that I have is again, we are not asking for money. You are asking for meaning. You're asking for that connection, you're creating an invitation. So if you can think about that, that we are just giving an invitation or providing an invitation for whoever wants to be a part of your nonprofit, whether they are volunteers or donors or sponsors or whatever they are. Now, the psychology of generosity is that people want to be a part of something bigger. And by you all being here today, you are showing that you are a part of something bigger. You are part of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. And I love National Philanthropy Day because this is a chance to really recharge our batteries. This is a part to be, you know, a part of a room that is filled with like-minded individuals that have a passion for fundraising, that have a passion to be able to make a difference in the world. And you are all a part of this collective good for that very reason. And you could do this by yourself, and fundraising and development work is very, very hard, and it's also very lonely because, like, show of hands, who feels like they're in a silo sometimes? And they're the only ones, yeah, yeah. But you are surrounded by good people today, and you're surrounded by good energy, and you're surrounded by good tactics, and you're surrounded by future colleagues and future friends. So please, as you are mingling in the halls today, uh, make friends and make those connections, because it's all about those connections. And one thing that I want you to just think about right now is think of a time that you said yes to something, and how did that make you feel? Make you feel good, right? Yeah, yeah. You want to go to the game on Sunday? Yeah. You want to go out and see a show? Yeah. Do you want to come over to our house for a night of drinks and food? Yeah. Do you want to go out and make a difference in the world? Yes. And how does that feel? It feels really good. So that's all we're doing with asking is we are just giving that opportunity for a donor to say yes. And we are giving them that opportunity to feel good. So if everybody wants to feel good on the count of three, I want everybody to yell yes. One, two, three. Yes, see, doesn't that feel good? Yes, I love it. I love it. All right, so the truth about fundraising. Now, a fundraiser's job isn't about asking for money, right? Right? That's that's what we think we are sometimes, especially our our families. I'm like, you just ask for money. Oh, that's a fun job, isn't it? Well, but no, we're not. All we're, you know, and and it's not just asking for money. What it is, it's about asking for those connections. And as a fundraiser, it's not our job to make people care. Really? No, it's not. Our job is to create opportunities for connection and to attract individuals that have alignment with your mission, that have alignment with the cause, and have alignment with the impact that you want to create in the world. And I want everyone to hear to create that abundant mindset. Who's scared? Show of hands, who's scared that their grant funding's going away? Yes, yes, it's very scary. We are in unprecedented times, for sure. And I know there's a lot of organizations that are out there that are like, eek, what do we do if all of this dollars go away? Like, this is our major uh, you know, these are our major funds that help us to fuel our mission. And it's scary that it's going away, but I have really good news for you, friends. There is more than enough money out there to fund every mission 10 times over. And all the the only thing that's that's holding us back is that opportunity to ask. And there are corporations out there that have millions and millions of dollars that they want to give to you. There are family foundations that are out there that want to give uh to missions like yours that make the impact that they want to see in the world. There are major donors that want to continue to give, and there's a whole new generation that is getting this whole trickle-down uh effect of the transference of wealth that's happening. And all you gotta do is ask for it. And it's so, so simple. Again, it's not about the money, it's about the meaning. What is the meaning of that money? What is this fundraising fuel, and what does it do, and what does it do? Again, people don't give to causes, they give to that connection. Yes, your cause is very, very worthy, but it's that connection of your cause, your mission to the donor that wants to make a difference in the world. And that's, I mean, we all know the definition of philanthropist, someone that wants to make an impact in the world. So we are here to create an opportunity to attract abundance and to be magnetic for it and to it. It's that that abundant mindset, it's that uh it's that uh I like to call it uh magnetism, because we are all uh attracted to people that we are meant to meet. And I've met a bunch of people here already today that I was like, there's a reason that I was here, and there's a reason that we're here to be connected. And again, fundraising is an invitation, it is not an obligation. Uh here's some magic fundraising words that I want you to to use. Uh, is and this is this is something that I do from stage uh multiple times a year, uh, doing our paddle race. Friends, this is this opportunity I want to invite you to give. I want to invite you to be a part of a cause of something that's bigger than ourselves. I want everyone to be a part of this collective giving moment. And that's all you're doing, is you're just creating that invitation. And I want to invite you to consider making a gift that's inspirational to you. Now, did we make a direct ask? No. I just gave an invitation. You know, someone could be invited to a party and they could go or they don't. Or, and with that invitation, I'm just asking you to consider, would you be willing to consider making a gift? I didn't ask, would you make a gift? I just asked, would you be willing to consider? And that's so simple, is using these uh this these terms and using these phrases in your ask sessions or in these different uh connections that you have with your donors is would you be willing to consider? I invite you to be a part of our mission. I invite you to be a you know create a connection with us so that we can make a bigger impact in the world. Show of hands if that feels good. Yeah, right? Okay, everybody wrote that down, right? I invite you to make a gift, would you be willing to consider? And I can almost guarantee that if you use these words in your next ask, you are going to get a lot of yeses. Because many times, with that no, it's just a consideration. It's no, you know, we're gonna talk about this later. It might be no, but it might be no, not right now. And and and that's so true when it comes down to fundraising. And your job is to create that emotional alignment, and you do that through storytelling, you share that with impact messaging, and and and you share that with that your own emotion and your own passion. Now, everyone here works for so many worthy causes, and you have your own why that you are a part of this organization. And I know many times that we go from organization to organization, and that's good because you're able to create that ripple effect within that organization. Give them the time that they need all the time that you're there, and then you get to make that change, you get to go work for another organization. And the reason that you make those choices to be employed by these different nonprofits is because you have a connection to that mission. I know that everyone out there doesn't work for an organization because they just needed the job. And I know that you are all not in the nonprofit industry because you want to get rich. Right? Right? Right? I mean, we there there's many different definitions of rich. I mean, there's there's there's rich in dollars, which is one thing, but there's also rich in time, having that freedom to be able to do whatever we want, whenever we want, but it's also to be rich in spirit, to be rich in impact. And it's it's being rich in that that I think is probably the most important part of being a human. And when we do that, we are able to make those ripples that are able to go out into the world. I have a saying that I don't want you to drop pebbles into the pond, because that's all this is. It's just a pebble going into the pond and making these little ripples. What I want each and every one of you today to go away with is how am I gonna take this big boulder and drop this in this lake to make waves that are gonna go across the nation. And we all know about the butterfly effect, and it happens right here today. All right, so here it is. This is this is where we're making the mindset shift is we are creating the magic within ourselves, and the magic starts with you. Now we need to again create that abundant mindset and then attract that abundance to it. I want you to think a little bit differently from taking. We're not taking donations, we're giving that opportunity for a donor to give to something that they align with. This isn't begging. I mean, how many times do you feel like you're begging, right? Yeah, no, we're not begging. We are believing. We believe in our missions that we work for, and it's that belief and it's that passion that we have that again attracts individuals to have conversations with us, and then we get to invite them to consider to make those donations. We've got fear. Show of hands, who's scared of asking? Yeah, no, it's okay. You can be honest, we're all friends here. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? But it's scary, it is scary. But I want you to move beyond that fear. I want you to move into the flow state and to be like, this is a part of the process. A no is a part of the process. Being scared to ask for donations is a part of the process. Uh following up is a part of the process. Closing the deal and closing the donation is all a part of the process. But then the process goes much further than that, is then again sharing that information with your donors of what this impact has had on the organization and those that you serve. And it's from that belief and it's from that flow of being in that situation, being kind of in these turbulent waters that we are in. But it's not about getting smacked up in the upside the head with the wave, it's about being able to surf those waves, and that's where that flow comes from. And moving from the absence, like again, yes, government funding is going away. And wouldn't it be amazing if we didn't have to rely on that? Wouldn't that be amazing if you could take control of your own fundraising efforts and and and really guide your own destiny with that? And then all of a sudden, if a government grant comes in, oh great, we can use that for a special project, or oh great, that's some extra funds that are coming in. But if you're able to diversify your fundraising opportunities, then you able to take control of that fundraising. All right, here we are, the three elements of that irresistible ask. Now, the clarity. What exactly are you asking for? What is it? Are you asking for a donation? Are you asking for a sponsorship? Um, are you asking for a multi-year gift? You know, what is it? Are you asking for dollars uh to be able to build a you know new facility or a new wing of that facility? You know what it is. Being specific and being tangible is the key to that. And having that clarity, because sometimes we get a little, we get we get a little muddy in our ass. It's like, you know, would you be willing to consider to give to our organization so that we can make impact this way? Okay, what does that mean? Well, no, it's it's it's so that we can uh fund our programs and we can do this and we can do that, and then the donor's gonna be like, um, I don't get it. What is it that you're asking for? Well, no, get down to it. Friends, this is what we're asking for. What we need you to help is to fund this special program so then we're helping more kids to be able to see successful in their uh educational life. And what do we way that we do that is with X, Y, and Z. So making sure that you've got uh clarity with that. And then connection. Why are you even having that conversation with that donor? Why are you even sitting down to coffee? Why are you having that conversation on the phone? Why are you sending them DMs? Why? Why? What is the connection? Why is the reason that that donor is even having a conversation with you? And thinking about that, okay, what is their connection? And that's where we start to ask questions. We start to ask and say, okay, you know, why is this important to you? Why is the work that we do important, you know, within your philanthropic story? You know, what is it that we do that you love? And then they're gonna tell you. And when you when they tell you that and they share their connection to the impact that you're having, then you're able to now connect that desire that they have to your mission. Well, as a matter of fact, because you want this to happen, this is what we do. And we again we want to invite you to consider making a$250,000 donation so that we can continue to fund our programs and help individuals like Eli, whatever it might be. Now, using the U language, donor-centric fundraising. Um, does anybody know who Penelope Burke is? Show of hands. Yes, yes, Penelope Burke is my favorite fundraising geek ever. If you don't know Penelope Burke, please find her, read her books. Uh, she did have a great book uh called Donor-centric fundraising. And the easiest example of donor-centric fundraising, does everybody remember that wonderful channel that was on during our you know, growing up years uh that was called PBS? Right? Do you remember that? And then after we watched Sesame Street, what did they say? Does anybody remember? Viewers like you, viewers like you make this possible. Um, I was in Boston a few weeks ago, and and the the Boston Public Broadcasting U channel uh took out an ad in the Boston Globe, and they said, the government told us to go fund ourselves. Right? Right? And and that's and that's and that's what's happening today. I mean, did does anybody else feel that pressure that the government told us to go fund ourselves? Yeah, well, you know what we did at the or at the organization I was helping with in Boston? We're like, you know what? We're just gonna say fund off, and we're gonna do our own. Fundraising, and we're gonna take control of that. And it's that donor-centered fundraising that leads the charge, that leads these different opportunities. Donors like you make this possible. Your gift helps us with this. You are able to make a beautiful transformation within our organization. Now, a key component to this is tone, is timing, is story transformation from that, from that ask, uh moving from awkward to inspiring. So now there's a few ways that we could do this. There's the hello, Mr. Mrs. Smith. Uh, thank you so much for sitting down with me today and having some coffee. And we've got this really great mission, and we're doing all this really great work. And um, and and I I I I I don't know. I want to see if if we might want to donate$10,000 to our big event that we've got going. Maybe if you don't, it's okay. It's okay, it's all right. I I know it's a lot of money, it's okay. Or, hello, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, thank you so much for meeting with me today. I'm so excited to learn uh about your desire to be able to help our mission that impacts kids in this way. And I know that through your previous donations, that this has helped us create this level of impact, or this has helped us to help uh Eli or Emma or whoever with that. And we've got a big we've got a big opportunity for you here. We have a big idea that we want to create this thing, or we want to create this program, and we know with your connection that that you want to be a part of this, and I want to invite you to consider making a donation of$250,000 so that we can make an impact in the world. Who's gonna say yes to number two? Yeah, right? And and yes, it feels scary to ask those big numbers, but zeros are only, again, a mindset. And we're gonna talk about this in just a moment. Uh but it it's it's that mindset in our own relationship with money is what holds us back. Now, there are individuals in the world that a six-figure gift is nothing. There's other individuals in this world that uh that a that a three-figure gift is everything. And it's not our place to judge when too much is too much. It's our place to give that opportunity, to create that opportunity for connection and to be able to give that opportunity to be a part of the impact. And we have to put our own money mindset away. Um, I was raised by a wonderful mother who was raised by a mother who lived through the depression. So you know what that means? Very frugal, keeping everything. I swear, my mom has every canned good filled top to bottom. Yours too, right? You know what I'm talking about, because they don't know what's coming up next. And poor mom thinks there's this apocalypse thing coming, and yada yada, and all those kinds. I'm glad that she's prepared, but she had learned that mindset from her mother. And when it comes to philanthropy, they're very reserved when it comes into that. But there are uh causes that they will open their checkbook to because it aligns with what they're doing. So we have to put our own money mindset aside and then to be able to open up uh our opportunities or open up opportunities for these donors to give again at a level that's inspirational for them. When I'm on stage, I always like to say, friends, I don't want you to give until it hurts. I want you to give until it feels good. And that's what we're doing. Remember earlier, we were talking about the yes and how good the yes made us feel? Let's give it another yes. One, two, three. Yes, yes, and see again, how does that make us feel? And that's what you're doing, is you're giving an opportunity for yes. The more yeses you get, the more yeses you are gonna get. Now, storytelling equals spell casting. This is our our magic book of spells, and this is also our magic book of stories. And uh, I always like to say, you gotta sell the sizzle, not the steak. You gotta sell the sizzle of the bacon, not just the bacon itself. It's that smell, it's that feeling that it gives you, it's that joy. Uh, but facts, facts, facts. Facts are the facts, and facts are gonna be uh arbitrary to different individuals. There's some people that are uh you know in the mindset that you know a$50,000 gift to help fund a scholarship, one scholarship for one individual is a lot. They're like, wait, no, my$50,000 could go over here with this organization, they're helping thousands. But then for someone that has a connection to higher education, then they are able to see what the value of that one scholarship can do. Because again, it's not about the numbers, it's about the stories, it's about the story of Eli and how we're able to give him the tools and the education to be able to move beyond, to be able to move into his his to his potential. That's with that. And what we're doing is we're creating that emotion, we're creating that urgency, we're creating that specific specificity, that's a hard word to say. And all of these together is going to equal magic. Now, I want to talk about Emma real quick. And this is a good example of storytelling with Emma. Now, when Emma was just three years old, her parents heard the words that no one ever expects to hear. Your baby has cancer. They spent the next year in and out of hospitals, watching their daughter fight for their life. But thanks to donors like you, Emma had access to cutting-edge care, family housing, and emotional care that kept her parents and her siblings strong. Today, Emma just celebrated her second birthday, cancer-free. Doesn't that feel good? Right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You can give some snaps. Woo! Yes, and that's the type of storytelling that I want you to create. I want you to think about one individual, maybe one person that you've been able to help. Or maybe if you, you know, are saving, uh, you know, preserving land, maybe we talk about one individual that was a part uh of being in that wild open space. You know, so so thinking about that story, what is this 30-second story that you can create to be able to sell? What can you have in your back pocket to where when you are meeting donors at an event and you're having conversations with them, let's let, you know, you know what? Let me tell you about Emma real quick. And it just takes 30 seconds. This isn't the elevator pitch, this is just a story, is all that you're telling. And when we tell that story, that again is that invitation for someone to be a part of Emma and her parents' story. Ah, dun dun. The hero's journey of a donor. Now, this is what I I absolutely love this. Where you have the donor as the hero in the story. Now, does everybody know about the story arc? You've got the problem, you know, that's the struggle. Um, I'm a big Star Wars geek, so we think about that. You know, what's the what's the struggle? You know, there's the empire that's out there in the world, and you got this guy, Luke Skywalker, and he doesn't know where he's gonna go, and and and all of a sudden he finds himself caught up in this big intergalactic war, and that's the struggle. But then you find the solution, and he finds this guy called Yoda, right? So Yoda is his guide to find the way to use the force, and he's gonna become a Jedi, and all of a sudden, becoming a Jedi now, he goes on and and and he fights Darth Vader, and and something really weird happens with him being his dad, or who knows, but whatever. So all of a sudden, you know, they they they beat the intergalactic empire, and then the result of that is peace in the universe. Or so we think, because there's three more movies after that. But but you are, you know, if I want you to consider putting yourself in that Yoda spot, you are a part of the donor's journey. Number one, you've got to create awareness of the mission that you have, and that's where you know marketing comes into play, uh, that's where your PR comes into play, that's where your events come into play. It's creating that awareness that there is this opportunity to be a part of that. And then the inspiration, that inspiration comes from your storytelling. That comes from that story just like I told about Emma. And it's that inspiration that lights up our donors and gets them to lean in a little bit more and be like, tell me a little bit more. Tell me more about how you're impacting lives. And it's that inspiration that that creates these feelings and creates these emotions. And it is your passion and it is your purpose to create that inspiration. And then there's the action, there's the call to action. That is where we're making the ask. This is the action where we're able to then create again this opportunity. And we're just inviting our donors to take action, is really what it is. And just like earlier this morning, I invited everybody to raise your paddles. Now, nobody needed to raise their paddle, but I just created an invitation for you all to be a part of a collective experience that's here. And that was just a very simple call to action. And when your donor takes action and they make a gift, a three-figure gift, a five-figure gift, a seven-figure gift, whatever it is, that is what then creates the impact. And then once we're able to create the impact, or the impact is then created, and then we're able to relay that back to our donor and show because of you, we were able to keep the PBS station open and share Sesame Street and all the wonderful things that they have with this with our generation. So this is where we again are that guide. We're able to guide and use that force to be able to encourage the donors to be connected at a deeper level. You're not the hero. Well, yes, you act like a hero, and everybody that is here is a fundraising hero. But if we can again change our mindset and think of, okay, I'm the guide within this, I'm the yoda that's within this, and I'm able to help just really steward that donor into a space where they're able to give, and then they're able to fulfill their own philanthropic story. Everybody's writing their own story. Everybody has these different chapters of lives that they're in. And donors want your organization to be a part of their story. And if you can allow them to do that, then again, you get them to say yes, the more you get them to say yes, the more invested they are, the more that they trust you, the more that they trust you, the more that they love you, the more that they love you, the more they're gonna give. So this is where you are a part of that. You are a part of being the guide that's there. Ah, the peas, I love this. The peas. This is the four P formula of the perfect ask. What's the purpose? What's the purpose of this gift? Why are we even having this conversation? So being able to sit down and really talk with the donor that this is the purpose of this conversation and really setting that out there. You got to set an agenda. And you could even, you know, have a have a little, you know, fun time with them and say, yep, at the end of our conversation, I'm definitely gonna ask you for something. And by foreshadowing that and setting those expectations early on in the conversation, you're able to really create, you know, what the purpose is about this uh this meeting, this interaction that you might be having. And and you are able to share, it's like, why does this matter right now? Again, that is a wonderful fundraising word, the word now. I want you to be a part of our organization now. We need your help now. We look forward to having you be a part of our organization right now so that we can help those that we're serving now. The more that you can use now, the better it is because now is an urgent word. It creates urgency. It's that, you know, yes, you know, we're we're we're building this beautiful wing of the hospital. We need to raise$8 million to be able to do that, but what is your donation helping us with now? And now is able to help us set forward this foundation of impact of what we're creating. So now you've got the paint the picture, the picture of impact. What does success look like for uh your organization? But most importantly, what does success look like with that connection that you're having with your donor, with your sponsor prospect? What does that picture look like? And you're able to paint two different pictures. You're able to paint a picture with, and this is where today, especially in today's uh age, uh we're all really striving to find hope in the world. Because there is a lot of news out there that is very hopeless. And it's it's hope is what really helps us to continue to grow and to continue to push us forward, and it's this hope is what we're creating. So you you can make the ask of we hope that you're able to help us and be able to be a part of this so that we can do this, this, this, and this, and this, or you could come on the flip side of that. This is hopeless. Like, yeah, we're trying to raise as much money as we can, but it's bottomless. I was at an event the other night, and and we were getting ready to announce the total. It was for a health collective up in Connecticut. And I I had asked the chair, I'm like, okay, look, you know, could we announce this hundred thousand dollar uh the this hundred thousand dollar result that we've created in this room tonight? And he's like, Bobby, he's like, they're dancing, they're having a good time, but you know what? This hundred thousand isn't enough. And we're like, what do you mean it's not enough? He's like, no, we need to be raising millions. This 100,000 helps us to get there, but we need to continue to raise more. And that's your job. Your job is to help to continue to raise more. And the reason that I love events is because it's yes, we're there to raise as much money as we can and have as much fun as we can and create an experience that people are never going to forget. But when you create that experience, you're creating that strong connection to your guests and your donors that were there. A lot of times at events, those dollars are just test money. You're like, oh my gosh, well, we just got$100 from so-and-so, and we got this, you know, we got$500 from this person, or uh, we've got this multimillionaire or billionaire that raised their paddle at$1,000. Why didn't they give more? Well, they didn't give more because they don't have a strong connection to you yet. But then this is where the stewardship process is able to come in is that first donation. When someone raises their paddle, now you have that access to them to have that conversation and then to build a deeper connection, build a deeper relationship with them. One fun story that I have is uh I was working with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and they were having a big gala on Long Island, and there was this very, very uh wealthy individual who was in finance that they've been trying to get to for years. For years. He had come to the gala, but never raised his paddle. Came to the gala, never bid in the auction, nothing. So they didn't have access. They couldn't really have a conversation. But then what ended up happening is at the end of our paddle raises, we create a collective giving moment. Sometimes it's a uh paddle drop, sometimes it's a paddle sweep, sometimes the last paddle up. And we had this beautiful bottle of champagne, and this gentleman wanted to win it. He wanted to win it really bad. And he donated$500. Well, he won the champagne. The organization got the$500, but what was most important is that they had a relationship now. They had this opportunity and this permission to then reach back out and say, thank you so much for donating that$500. Your$500 helped us to fund uh research, helped us to fund advocacy, helped us to fund so much more. So then what ended up happening was is next year, that same donor who gave$500 came in as a$10,000 table sponsor.

unknown 38:17

Woo!

SPEAKER_00 38:18

Wow. Year after that came in as a title sponsor and offered a$250,000 match in the paddle race. And that came from that first donation. And sometimes that's all it takes, is just that entry-level donation to be able to come in. And by painting that picture, we are creating these opportunities for individuals to make those test donations. Now, this is your job, and this is your marketing team's job, to continue the conversation, to continue to steward that relationship beyond, and to show this is what the impact it is. And this is where you're then able to create and paint those pictures and showing what success looks like. And then with that, here's where you're able to then sell the proof and show the proof and show the impact with your generosity. We were able to do this, this, and this. And it's the evidence that it works because everyone has such a commendable mission that's out there, and your mission does work, otherwise, you wouldn't be here. If your mission wasn't working, there were you would not have a job, but your mission is working. And your mission is helping to push this impact forward and to really create the proof in the pudding. Remember, we were talking about the hero's journey. The hero's journey, we've got the solution and then we have the result. That's what proof is. Proof is the result of what your fundraising helps us with. And then here's our prompt getting back to that call to action. We need to create that call to action. We need to give them that prompt. Everybody loves the chat GTP, right? Show of hands. Who's using chat GTP every single day, right? Yes, yes. And then how do we get Chat GTP to do something we want? We've got to give it a prompt, right? We have to give it a prompt. We have to tell it to do something, we have to ask it to do something. Um, who's polite with their chat GTP that says thank you and please and all of that? Right, right? Yeah, me too. I I think it works better. It loves me more. Um, and I will be completely honest with you, chat did help me write this presentation. And and and it and the reason it does is because now we have that relationship, and I've been giving it prompts to know and to learn about what I am and who I am, and what my passions are and what my purpose in life is and what my dedication to helping nonprofits raise more money at their events are, and I'm putting that prompt there. Now, creating this prompt and and and again, kind of re-reimagining or shifting that mindset of what your ask is going to be, all you are is you're just prompting the donor to do something. Whether they become a sponsor, whether maybe they become a volunteer. And then we all know that 70% of volunteers end up being donors, right? So maybe that's an opportunity. Maybe you invite them to be a part of the board, maybe you invite them to be a part of the committee. Uh maybe you invite them to share some of their talent that is, you know, that that they have. You know, maybe they're great in websites, maybe they're great in accounting, maybe uh they're great in marketing, whatever that might be. Um, because we all know the the the the four T's of fundraising. What do we got? Number one is time, yep, time. That's a volunteer. Number two is talent, we got it. Number three is everyone's favorite? Treasure, and then what's the fourth T? Team. Team is probably one of the most valuable of those four that are there. So here's where a donor is able to come to the table with the three T's time, talent, and treasure. But it's that team, it's that network that surrounds them. And now each individual in this world has about 100 to 150 individuals that they interact with on a regular basis, that they have relationships with, that they have friendships with, that they have colleagues that they work with. And then you start to think about your donor list that you have, and now you start to look at that and you're like, okay, I've got all these donors that are here. Maybe they give a little bit, maybe they give a lot, maybe they volunteer, maybe they provide that talent. But now we start to think, how could we invite them to tap into that team that they have? Because now you start to think, you know, some of these major sponsors that you have, you know, C-suite executives, think of the team that they have around them. Ooh, and think of the dollars that are able to, not so much the dollars, but the opportunities that you have by tapping into that team. So here's some magic fundraising words again. You know, we're having this wonderful event that's coming up, and I'd invite you to consider to tap into your network to identify some friends of yours that might have a connection to the cause that we have. And we would love for you to invite them to the event and sit at your table and to be a part of our fundraising and hopefully bid on an auction item, hopefully uh raise their paddle, but we would invite you to dive into your team. We want you to dive into your network, and and we would love for you to help us bring the right people to the table. Now, if you've got a great philanthropic partnership with these donors and these different uh corporate sponsors, they're gonna understand. They're gonna be like, oh, okay, I see how this works. And when they start to see this and you're able to show the proof and you're able to make that prompt, now we're able to fill the tables with people that have connection and have capacity. Show of hands, who has an event that a sponsor sends the people that don't have connection or have capacity? Show of hands, who, yeah, yeah, that that stuff happens. But here's where you're able to move beyond that. And here's where you're able to have that conversation and make that invitation, make that ask to be a part of something bigger. And that's all we're doing. And it's that prompt purpose, picture, proof, and prompt. Uh see here. All right. Ooh. Handling the silence. Right? Right? Do you know how long that was? Eight seconds. That was eight seconds of your entire life. People can't even ride a bull for that long. And all I want you to do is hold the space for eight seconds. And that's it. That's all it is. Very simple. Would you be willing to consider to make a donation so that we can do this? Eight seconds is all it's going to be. And in that eight seconds, one of two things is going to happen. One thing is going to happen, which happens often, and I'm sure many of you have felt this, that you're like, well, okay, um, okay, well, uh, maybe we don't need a gift that that's that's big, or or or what's comfortable for you, or what what can you give? And then the other part of that is is then the donor or the person that you're asking is gonna say one of two things. Yes, I'm in. Or no, not right now. And that's okay. The first person that talks in a negotiation is the one that loses. So hold that space. I've talked with professional major gift gift officers uh and and those that are out there working in the field, and sometimes they've sat in silence for a couple minutes. Because the donors kind of got to think about that. They got to process everything that you've just told them. They've got to process the story, they've got to process this picture that you've been painting. You've got to process this impact that their gift is gonna be creating. And you are really like giving a major investment opportunity to anyone that that wants to be a part of those conversations that you're having. And it's it's that pause which is so, so very, very, very important. All right, again, don't rush the response. Hold that space, hold it and just just embrace it. And and I want you to just think about uh any opportunities that you have throughout the world or throughout your travels, uh, you know, maybe it's uh you know going to the valet, maybe it's going to Starbucks, maybe it's going to the store, maybe it's going to something else. But to be able to then just make an ask, or of our children, right? All right, we got our kids. Would you take out the garbage? Or would you be willing to take out the garbage so that we can have a clean house? You can practice on them. But then looking them straight in the eye and just holding that moment. Yeah, mom's right, dad's right, I gotta take out this garbage, I gotta be a part of this family. So these are these different opportunities that you can practice that. And the more that you practice that, the more you're gonna be more comfortable in that silence. Remember, it's just eight seconds, is all you've got to hold. And in that eight seconds, because you're working with donors that might not be trained in what you're learning here today, then they're gonna say yes, because then they want to break the silence. And that's okay. We want them to speak first because when they speak first, you win. And it's not so much about winning and losing, you both get to win, and we're creating win-win opportunities, but you're giving that opportunity for yourself to win as you're making that ask. And smile, breathe, be a part of this, and to to calm your fear again. It's not no, it's sometimes means not yet. And sometimes that happens a lot with uh major donors and sponsors, is it's the end of the year, and you're asking for a sponsorship for your major event, and their marketing budget's gone. And that's okay, it happens. But then here's the where they say no. You're like, okay, well, when would be a good time to follow up with you for next year's events so that we can invite you to be a sponsor for this? And then they're gonna tell you, oh, follow up with this in February, that's when we write our budget, whatever it might be. Maybe it's a major donor that might be selling a home or might be selling some stock or might be setting up a DAF or might uh you know be considering uh uh liquidating some stock uh to be able to give to you, and they're just not ready yet. But then that's where we're still able to build that commerce, you know, that connection and build that relationship with them. So don't take no as a final answer. I never take no as a final answer. I have so many clients or potential clients that have come to us and they'll be like, no. I'm like, okay, well, good luck with your event. I hope it's great. And well, is it okay if we follow up after that? Sure, we do. It usually takes one event after us talking to them for them to feel the pain to then be like, okay, we're ready to, we're ready to take this event to the next level. And by not taking the no as a hard no and be like, oh well, I'm never talking to them again, it's just a continuation of the conversation. And again, you've got that invitation. I invite you to be willing to consider giving to this. And sometimes you're gonna get no, okay, no. Well, tell me, tell me, tell me why, you know, tell me how uh right now is not the right time to, you know, or why why is now not the right time uh for you to invest in our organization? They're like, well, we got this, this, this, this, this, this, this. Okay, all right, all right. Well, when would be a good time for us to follow up and continue this conversation? Or maybe there's some other ways that we could have you involved. Again, we're fundraisers and we really focus a lot on that treasure. But as fundraisers, again, remember, we got the time. Let's get them to volunteer. Maybe get them, you know what, would you consider being a part of our board? Would you consider, you know, joining us at an event? Would you consider uh being a volunteer? You've got treasure, time, talent. Maybe they have a unique talent. And then again, team is like, well, do you know someone else that might have a connection to the cause that we have? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. My cousin or my brother or my colleague or someone I met at church or something like that is really passionate about what you do. Actually, we were just talking about the cause the other day. Let me introduce you to them. So now what you've done is you've just really evolved that no into new opportunities. There's four more opportunities that are beyond just that ask for monetary donation. There's more asks that are beyond that. So again, changing the mindset that no is not necessarily no. All right, practice. Practice. Practice makes perfect. I got the seven P's. Prior proper practice prevents piss poor performance. Okay? I don't want anybody to be a piss board performer. I want you to be amazing. And we don't just wake up as amazing fundraisers or fabulous fundraisers. This all takes practice. Um, I want to see a show of hands. Who is less than two years in the development world? Ah, this is everything. This is gonna change your life. This right here, if you were able to start your practice here today, this is the practice of fundraising, this is the art of fundraising, this isn't the job of fundraising. So if you can think about uh opportunities that you're able to practice these different asks on daily in daily life uh with your peers, or maybe even in the mirror, is you know, I wake up in the morning, and actually this morning I was uh getting prepped uh for the for the keynote today, and I looked at myself in the eye and I asked myself, it's like, are you ready to do this? Are you ready to make an impact on Las Vegas? And you know what? The answer was I'm a little nervous, but yes, I can. I'm gonna be able to do this. I've got this. So it's that practice that you're able to uh you know have every day that's gonna make you a better fundraiser. Again, we've got to watch our posture, we've got to watch our smile, we've got to watch our tone, eye contact. Um, I do a lot of coaching with uh auctioneers. Uh Dusty's one of my mentees that I've been working with now for about four or five years. And Dusty, what do I always say when we're practicing our auction chant? You've got to smile. You've got to smile. And that's it. You've got to smile. The bigger your smile, the more contagious that is to the donor of the prospect that you're having that conversation with. That this is fun. Let's put the fun and fundraising. We're doing good work in the world. So just practicing that smile is so big. Practicing that eye contact, being able to look someone just right in the eye, and be able to hold that conversation and to owe that connection for just a few seconds. You make that eye-to-eye connection and that eye-to-eye connection that dives right into the soul, and now you're making that heart connection as well. Confidence is contagious. The more confidence you have, and the more confidence in the ass that you're gonna have, the more success you're gonna see. So, for my new fundraisers that are out there, yes, you might be new, but you're able to take your life experiences from what you've had before and then now be able to apply them to this. And this is the confidence that you're able to share. And when you're more confident, again, remember we were earlier we were talking about if you would like to give uh this is gonna make a really big difference to this. So that's not confident at all. Being confident, being able to smile, being able to share that hopeful, that light tone. And this all comes from asking. Now, my lovely wife is an auctioneer as well, too, Erin Ward, my favorite auctioneer in the world. And I asked her, I was like, okay, what what tip could I give to this wonderful group of people in Las Vegas to help them be better askers? She's like, Bobby, I want you to ask them how many people negotiate at the mall? Show of hands. Who negotiates at the mall?

SPEAKER_02 53:50

What are you crazy?

unknown 53:52

I am.

SPEAKER_00 53:53

You are, you are, you are. Why do you negotiate at the mall?

SPEAKER_02 53:57

Because there's always a better price.

SPEAKER_00 53:59

There's always a better price. That's absolutely right. And here, right here, if you don't take anything out of this talk here this morning, is I want you to start negotiating everything. You go get a Starbucks. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, all right, all right. Is there a way I can get a discount on this? Right? Right? It feels weird, but you it doesn't hurt to ask because what's gonna happen? One of two things, yes or no, right? But more times than not, especially Starbucks, they've got a lot of money, and they can hit that discount code, no problem, or that discount button, no problem, ding, right there. Maybe you go to Macy's and and and you you find this beautiful dress, this beautiful blouse, these beautiful shoes, and you get up to the register, and then you ask them, it's like, is that really the best price that you can do? Again, you get a smile, and gotta hold the you know, hold the hold the pause. Remember, power is in the pause, and count to eight and just see how that clerk, that sales associate is gonna squirm. They're just gonna be like, oh, they can't hit the discount button fast enough. It's true, it's true. And the more that you're able to practice this negotiation, you're able to practice this ask. Again, magic fundraising words, I invite you to be willing to consider, again, do this, you know, do this wherever you're going. And and and say, you know, would would you consider giving me a discount because I'm a really nice person? More times a night, they're probably gonna say yes. And then guess what happens? You save more money, you can go buy more things, or you can save more money and then be able to make donations to causes that are worthy. So I this this right here is probably the best tactic and technique that you all are gonna be able to use. And and negotiating is a part of life. There's somewhere in the world, especially here in the United States, that is like, nope, we have to pay face value. That the price is the price, is the price is the price. Well, not really. You know, and and I have conversations with potential clients all the time, and and and I love the ones that say, well, is that your best price? And many times I'm saying, well, no, no, let's let's be creative and let's find some other opportunities that we're able to be able to work together. And it's not, again, it's not just the hard-earned dollars, it's not the dollars is what we're asking for. Many times it is, especially in fundraising, but again, remember we've got those other three T's that are there. And then I start to have the conversation with them. It's like, okay, is there some way that that you could provide value to us so that we could lower our fee? Maybe there's some connections that you can make. Maybe there's some other uh nonprofits that are gonna be attending the event. Uh maybe there's some uh photo or video or some different things that you can share with us that we could use in our marketing. Uh, maybe there's something that we could provide. Um, I get a new quick plug in 2026. Uh, any new clients that we pick up, we are going to donate one live auction item to your live auction to help you raise more money. That's one way that I can negotiate and I'm able to help nonprofits raise more money and then to be able to work with us. And this all didn't just happen overnight. I found a call to auction in 2014. It took me about 10 years to even come up with the idea. So I'm about 20 years in this this process that's here, and I got a lot of no's to begin with. I get a lot of no's. And there's times when I was starting on stage and I was developing my skills, and I got a lot of no's from the audience. And you could just tell, oh, I was very timid and I was very shy. It's like, okay, raise their paddle at 10,000, who could raise their paddle at 5,000? Okay, it's okay, how about 2,500? Maybe 1,000, okay, 500, okay, okay, and you know, and in and newer auctioneers and fundraisers, that's is what will happen. But it's with time and it's with practice, and it's with negotiating at Macy's, and it's all of these different opportunities that I've had that I've been able to be here before you today to be able to share what my skill of asking like an auctioneer is is is like. All right, here we are. Ripple effect, ripple effect. I love this. Every yes is gonna create more yeses. And when you start to think about the the donor journey, that donor journey starts with a yes. That donor journey starts with them saying, yes, I'll attend the event, yes, I'll be a sponsor, yes, I'll make a monthly contribution, yes, I'll donate this, I'll donate that. And then what ends up happening after that? They see the impact, they see the the mission at work, and then now the next ask comes up, the next prompt comes up, and then another yes. You all were asked to be a part of your organization as uh you know in the job interview or whatever it might be, and guess what? You said yes, I will be a part of this. And then the next yes, can you do this? Yes, can you attend this uh National Philanthropy Day conference so that you can meet more people that are like you and to be better fundraisers? Your answer was yes, and you're here, and you made that choice to say yes, and then all of a sudden now you're in this room and you're surrounded by hundreds of your friends, and you are starting to say, yes, I'm gonna challenge myself. Yes, I'm gonna put myself in that uncomfortable zone. And then when you say yes to yourselves and yes to these challenges that I'm putting out before you, you're gonna be better, you're gonna be stronger, you're gonna be more confident, you're gonna be more aware, and you're gonna be a better ask. So it's all of these yeses that compound together again to make that boulder that we're throwing in this lake yeses. I always like to say more paddles up equals more paddles up, and it's true, the more paddles we see in the air, more paddles we're gonna see in the air, the more yeses we get, the more yeses we will receive. So it all starts with that one yes. Yes, I'll be a sponsor. Yes, I will attend your event, yes, I will give to the annual fund, yes, I will give to the capital campaign, yes, and all right, we got the first yes. Let's go to the next yes, let's go to the next yes. Would you invite me? Uh, you know, would I love to invite you and your colleagues or you and your network to this gratitude brunch that we're having or this this lunch or whatever it might be. They say yes again, and now they bring their team in, and then the team starts to say yes. And then now more yeses start to ripple out into the world. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. And it's that one ask is gonna lead into these multiple impacts. Remember the butterfly effect. You know, that butterfly flaps its wings and it spreads across the world. So this is the ask that really could change everything. Again, what holds between your mission and a million dollars? It's one ask, it's one question. And maybe you don't get the million, maybe you get a half a million, maybe you get 250,000, maybe you get nothing, but you have an opportunity to build a relationship and to say yes or get your donor to say yes again. And by you not giving up, that's you saying yes to yourself again, to say, yes, I'm not giving up, yes, I'm gonna keep this relationship going, yes, I'm gonna steward this relationship and show the impact that we're having. And yes, I'm gonna get another conversation. I'm gonna get another chance to ask. And maybe it's with that one individual, maybe it's with another. Don't give up. Keep going and keep asking yes. And again, you're not just raising money, you are raising that belief in your mission. It's that belief, it's that connection to your cause. It really makes a total difference of everything. And again, moving that aside, as fundraisers, you're not there to make people care. You were there to make connections. You were there to create and attract the right people that want to be a part of your organization. And they're out there. They're out there. There is a limited amount of fundraising that is out in the world, and I've seen it happen. I get questions all the time from potential clients and people I'm just having conversations with. They're well, like, how are events going? Is this, you know, people are holding on to their money? And and the answer is yes, but they're being more strategic about it. They're being more strategic about where they're investing their dollars. And they want to make sure that they're investing dollars in organizations that truly are making a difference. And they're they're the ones that that are giving more than possible. What we're seeing a trend in fundraising events is that events are shrinking. Yes, it's happening. We're not selling as many tables, we're not selling as many seats and as many tickets, but that's okay, because more butts does not necessarily mean more bucks. It's the quality of those butts that are in those seats are what really make the difference. Um, there's an organization I was working with, 200 people in this beautiful tent. It was like this this size right here. And on the day of the event, they're like, okay, what are we gonna do? What's gonna happen? I think we've got the room set up, I think we've got some great people, we've got some pre-secured gifts, we've got people that are ready to give, we've got a matching grant that we're going to be able to match on that night of. And because we had the right donors that were in that room, they raised$320,000. It was beautiful, it was magical. Out of 200 people, and then over here, I'm with 500 people on one night and they barely raised 75,000. And I'm like, wait a minute, what's the difference here? Quality over quantity. So it's okay, you can shrink your event, you're gonna be all right, but it's making sure that you've got the right people that are in the room. And it's making sure that you're having those conversations with those right people that you're all that you're able to make these asks to, that you're able to have these conversations with. And creating a culture of asking. Again, for my new fundraisers, I want you to start right now today to start that ask. I want you to start uh getting ready to make the next ask. I want you to be a part of your you know, your development team. Maybe you're a team of one, maybe you're a team of ten, but to really uh build that culture of asking. And the more you can build that culture of asking, asking for help, can you provide me some support? Would you be willing to consider it helping me on this particular project? That's gonna make you better. Would you know, asking maybe your boss, maybe you're higher up, uh, is there something more that I can do so that you can pay me more, but I can provide more value to this organization? What can I do? Don't be afraid to ask. Now, it all comes again to tone, it comes down to that smile, it comes down to that pause before asking for that race. But you are asking and asking in that eloquent, polished, professional, practice way, you've got a good chance that that the answer is gonna be yes. All right, we're just a little bit before 9:30. I wanted to see is there any questions that are out there? Does anybody have any questions that that yes, my friend in the front?

SPEAKER_05 1:04:54

My problem is closing the deal, getting the check in my hand.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:59

Closing the deal, getting the check in your hand. Does anybody else have that problem? Closing the deal, getting the check, getting the check. All right, so here we are. We're gonna role play a little bit together. So, what's your name?

unknown 1:05:09

Stephanie.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:10

Hey Stephanie, I'm Bobby D. I work with the XYZ Foundation. Now, Stephanie, we're meeting here today because we've got an amazing project that's coming up. We're gonna be able to fund this program that's here. Now, now, Stephanie, I know that you give it a lot of worthy causes that are out there. I want to invite you to consider to help us make this reality possible. Stephanie, my ask to you is would you be willing to consider to make a donation of a million dollars?

SPEAKER_05 1:05:35

Consider it.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:36

Consider it. You can consider it. Okay, I love that. Now let's pretend you say yes. And you're like, okay, yes. So so would you be willing to consider to donate a million dollars to our program? Yes. Oh my gosh, that's absolutely amazing. Thank you so much. You're gonna make such a huge impact on the world. What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna get you connected with our treasurer, and they're gonna send over. An invoice and then you can fulfill this, you know, your pledge however that you see fit. Now, what are you thinking about? You know, maybe writing a check, maybe donor advice funds. Is there a family foundation that you're involved in that you would like for these funds to be able to come from?

SPEAKER_05 1:06:14

Oh, I'm thinking about what do I get out of this?

SPEAKER_00 1:06:17

What do I get out of this as the donor? What do I get? Well, there's a lot of gets that you're gonna be able to have. So, number one, impact. You're gonna be able to have impact on our mission and those that we are serving. But maybe is there something that you would be interested in having a part of this new facility that we're building, of this new program that we're building?

SPEAKER_05 1:06:36

I want signage all over.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:38

Signage all over? What kind of signage are you thinking?

SPEAKER_05 1:06:42

I want um like a big banner on top of your building that says our name.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:46

A big banner on top of our building with a name. Well, now that is a great opportunity for us to be able to partner together. However, that big banner is gonna be about five million to put you up there. All right, all right, right, all right, okay. So so how how does that feel to you?

SPEAKER_02 1:07:03

Five million?

SPEAKER_00 1:07:04

Yeah, just five billion.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:06

I'll consider it.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:07

You'll consider it, okay. Well, why don't we do this? Let's get started with the million-dollar gift that you've given right now. And let's find some signage opportunities within our new wing that we're that we're building. We've got the you know the emergency department that we're we're building or the new classroom and whatnot. Would it be okay if we put your name on one of these on one of these these rooms or this partial building that's there for the million-dollar gift, and then we can continue our conversation from there?

unknown 1:07:30

Of course.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:30

That sounds good. All right. Well, I'm gonna get you in touch with our treasurer, they are gonna be able to help you to fulfill this pledge, and together we're gonna be able to change the world. Stephanie, thank you so much. Thank you. Beautiful. And then the next day, the handwritten thank you note goes out. Yes. Yes, yes. Who's still writing handwritten thank you notes? Oh my god, I love you all. Thank you. Thank you, thank you for that. All right, other questions? We've got just a few minutes. Yes, in the back, my friend. Hi there.

unknown 1:08:00

My name is Nicole.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:01

Hi, Nicole.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:02

So my question is I work for a nonprofit that we're trying to um regain new donors because we lost a lot of ours throughout, you know, our session and working. I hate when that happens. Donors that we don't have connections with, like, does it just start with an email, or like how do I, like, what does that email say? Should I overthink the email? You know, where do I start?

SPEAKER_00 1:08:23

You're sorry, you're talking about uh re-engagement. It's because you have this list of laps donors that aren't giving anymore and you want to get back in touch with them. Um, this is where I love to tap into the into to the masses here. Uh, does anybody have a suggestion for Nicole? I want to see who's who's who's has been through this. Who's been through this? Yes?

unknown 1:08:43

I would say just pick up the phone.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:44

Just pick up the phone? What do you mean? Just pick up the phone? Who does that anymore? You do. Valerie picks up the phone. So then what can Nicole say?

SPEAKER_05 1:08:55

Uh hi.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:57

Hi, friend.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:58

This is Valerie from Henry's Place. It's been a long time since we've talked. Do you have a minute?

SPEAKER_00 1:09:03

Do you have a minute? Right. And I just want to share with you some information of the great work that we're doing here at Henry's Place that's impacting the world. Okay, yeah, I've got a minute. I've got a minute. All right, all right, great, great, great. And then now we just need to make that ask. It's like, you know what, we noticed that you've been a donor in the past, and because of your donations, you've been able to help us with this, this, and this, and this. And I want to invite you to consider to maybe be a part of our monthly giving program. Is that something you'd be able to consider? Or maybe making a one-time gift. Or maybe how about attending our events so you can see all the great things that we're doing. And it's just that simple invitation and that simple phone call is an ability to be able to re-engage those donors and get them back in. Now, the likelihood that you're gonna get everyone? No. But even if you got 10%, because how big is your list? Um, let's say it's a hundred. It's a hundred. You call a hundred of these people, and maybe twenty pick up, and then maybe ten, say maybe, and then maybe you have one that says yes. But remember, the yes leads to more yeses, and maybe they just become a part of your monthly giving program at 20 bucks a month or 50 bucks a month, or whatever that is. But here's an opportunity for then now you to share that impact back of what their monthly donation is able to help our little girl Emma that we were helping her, Eli, who's going to school, whatever it might be. And then here's that opportunity to bring them along with the journey of them being a bigger donor. Now, thank you so much for being a part of our monthly giving program. You know, we'd love to consider to the 10 hour event. They come to the event, they raise their paddle. Oh my god, that's amazing. You helped us with this. Now let's go out and have coffee. And this is just one that you're able to have out of the hundred. Does that help? Okay. Okay, you're very well. I love that big smile, Nicole. Give Nicole a round of applause. I love that. I love that. I love that. Okay, other questions, other thoughts, other comments that we might have. I love this. Everybody knows everything. Oh, hey there. How are you?

SPEAKER_01 1:11:03

Good. I have one question. Yes. The mystery of the starting for the big ass. So you're gonna ask, and you're gonna ask anybody in the room, we're gonna start off at$20,000. Uh-huh. The mystery versus big ass.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:18

The mystery.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:19

Is there an equation? Is there something we have we have succeeded in the past? We have failed. Last year we started uh too low because we we we did well, but then we had a donor who matched everything that we had we had we had raised, and then we had started again, which was fantastic. It was like the most incredible we had ever done. Beautiful. But then we realized, well, we just started way too low. Thank goodness they had fixed our our mistake for us. But then a year before we had started too high, and it was like so. I think a lot of us don't have to struggle with like where do we start? Do we have we try to have that donor in the room that we know they're going to? And I get asked that sometimes. So, how do you what do you guys do?

SPEAKER_00 1:12:02

How do we So the way that we kill the crickets? Yeah, you definitely need to have that pre-secured donor to start off at whichever level you're able to start off with, but then you have to know who's in your room. Now, there are ways that you can start way too high. Like, okay, friends, we're gonna ask at the$25,000 level. You know, who could join us?$25,000, you know you've got that pre-secure gift, the paddle goes up, yay, that's amazing, big round of applause. Oh, all right, now who could give it$15,000? Who could give it$10,000? If you give it$5,000, I hope it happens. What my but what best practices is, is making sure that wherever you're gonna start, you know that you've got some gifts that are gonna come below that. Uh, but if you've got a major gift like that and you know that you have a lower gift, what you can do is this is what I call fishing in the in the professional fundraising auctioneer world, we call it fishing, where it's like, friends, in just a moment we're gonna start at the$10,000 level. But I wanna see, is there anybody that's feeling moved today and wants to make a transformational gift? And I don't know, maybe give higher than$10,000, maybe$50,000, maybe a hundred thousand, I don't know, maybe a million, right? And then you work with your donor, that is gonna be that$25,000 gift, and then they now raise your paddle. No, really, raise your paddle. Now, where where do you want to start our giving at? And then Ginger, you're gonna say, half a million. Oh my god, that's oh my gosh, that's so great. So then that individual donor is able to then kick off what I call organic generosity, and that organic generosity is is giving permission to other people that might be feeling it, that say, you know what, I do want to give above that ten thousand dollar level. Just the other night uh at the health collective in in Connecticut, uh, we were gonna start at$5,000. And I'm like, okay, friends, we're gonna start at$5,000 level here in just a second. Is there anybody that is feeling it this evening and wants to give it a higher level? Paddle goes up. Patrick, what are you thinking?$25,000? That's amazing. Oh my gosh, give Patrick a round of applause, that's amazing. Woo,$25,000. I love this. We've got the board member right there, patting him on the back, say, Patrick, we love you. And uh, and and and there was that gift that came from there. Again, we had a lead gift at$5,000, but we didn't know this$25,000 was going to be there. We ended up with a$15, and then we ended up with another 10, and we ended up with five people at five, because we created an opportunity for social permission to just create organic gifts. Not me talking at the audience. This is me having a conversation with the audience and creating opportunities for again that organic, irrational generosity, which is what I love. Um, other questions? Yes?

SPEAKER_04 1:14:43

Well, more like a statement uh follow-up to that, is I think that one of the things I work with LD MPD Metro Police Foundation, and I'll give credit to our executive director for this is like priming the audience. And so we look at past data where people have given what they how they showed up. And so there have been a couple events this year where we planned the seeds, like, hey, we know you did this auction item, we're gonna have another one. Hey, we're gonna do a funding need because while some people will give like organically and they have no qualms, there are a lot of people who need to plan, and like if I'm gonna give a half million dollar gift, I might need to talk to my CPA. That's right. So, if that's gonna happen, how can you have a direct conversation with you know three or four people to say, hey, we're gonna be doing this funding need, if you have capacity, we'd love for you to lead the way. There you go. That way they can get there. Because I think sometimes the hesitation is like, oh, can I do this? And a lot of other stuff I have to figure out. So we found some success in that this year. That is we've had smaller events with higher revenue.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:41

That's beautiful, beautiful. Give Cam a round of applause. Beautiful. I love that. And what you're talking about there is setting expectations. Again, we have to uh put put the proof out there. We've have to set expectations of that. This is how we're gonna be giving on the night of, and we're gonna be able to grow that. All right, I've got one more slide here, or two more slides. This is us called auction. If you want, you can snap a QR code. Come see Dusty. Dusty's gonna be here all day. I've actually got to hop on a flight back to New York uh in just a little bit. Uh, but uh I am so happy that I was able to spend some time with you all today. So now I want you all to go out, make fundraising magic happen, get yeses, make asks, put yourself in that uncomfortable place that you don't want to be in, but you know that that's the place where you need to be to make a difference. Again, you're offering meaning, not money. Magic glides in clarity and connection and confidence. Every ask is that opportunity to change the world, and you are all world changers. And when you ask with heart, the world answers with generosity. Friends, my name is Bobby Dee, we called to auction. Thank you all so much for being out here today. I mean, an absolutely amazing audience. I love you all. Go out and change the world. You got this.