At the thought of asking for money we become shy, reluctant, even terrified. Sometimes, if the organization is temporarily without a Development Director, we may be asked to fill in temporarily -- and although we want to help the organization, we feel unprepared and underconfident.

Few of us were raised to feel comfortable about asking others directly for money. It's hard to even admit that it scares us, let alone explore why. This is a challenge just made for coaching.

Coaching Is Key

As a coach, I help people deal with the mind-sets and habits that get in the way of their performing at a higher level and achieving their goals. The coaching relationship offers a safe space in which they can speak freely, without being judged, and try out scenarios, gaining confidence and ease.

Through coaching, novice fund-raisers deal with what is getting in the way of "making the ask," and practice asking until it feels familar and natural. As they build relationships with prospects, they check in with their coach for feedback and support.

Girl Scout Council Puts Coaching to Work

Coaching provides an effective way to create an active volunteer fund-raising group with a minimum of staff involvement -- and at a very reasonable cost. I pioneered my coaching approach to fund-raising success with a program for the Girl Scouts of San Francisco Bay Area.

In 1999 the Council realized they needed to expand their outreach and development. With no history of volunteer fund-raising -- and an already overtaxed staff -- they engaged me to recruit and train a new team.

I joined forces with Sheri Wood, chair of the Individual Gift Committee, and Jack Soares, director of development. We recruited six volunteers for a Personal Contact Team and began coaching them to be effective fund-raisers.

Two Guiding Principles

We made our purpose very clear at the outset. Our program would be based on two principles:

• Effective fund-raising stems from building relationships with donors through personal contact and follow-up.
• Ongoing coaching gives solicitors a deep level of training and support so they can build those donor relationships successfully.

A Personal Commitment

Our six volunteers signed on for a year, and made a commitment to do the following:

• Make a personal gift to the organization.
• Attend at least one donor-prospect event.
• Contact at least five selected prospects three or four times in the course of a year -- the first contact a thank-you for a past gift, the final contact a direct request for renewed financial support.

• An all-day training session at the outset.
• A follow-up phone session after each donor-prospect contact.
• Two or three conference calls with the coach and other team members.

Making the Ask

One volunteer took part enthusiastically, but when it came time to "make the ask," she found that she just couldn't do it. Without coaching support, she might not have been able to express this feeling or find the true cause: a fear that if she asked for money from her contacts, they would think less of her.

Once she had uncovered this fear and defused it, she was able to "make the ask" with all her contacts -- and she went on to become the council's top fund-raiser for the year.

Bigger and Better

At the end of our four-month pilot period, we met to evaluate the program and celebrate what we'd accomplished. The financial results were gratifying, and so was the team's firm foundation. Not only were five of the six volunteers still involved in the program (the sixth volunteer had moved to another city), they all volunteered to continue for a second year.

In the second year we expanded to twelve volunteers and the program really began to take off. Volunteers started coming up with their own ideas:

• Two teamed up to host a luncheon introducing the Girl Scout programs to twenty of their non-Girl Scout friends.
• One created a slide presentation to replace the PowerPoint presentation the staff had been using.

We've learned that our volunteers can each talk to more prospects, so we've increased their assigned prospects from five to ten. We've also begun to look beyond past donors, enlarging the universe of prospects to include friends and others who may have an interest in the Girl Scouts. Finally, we're putting more emphasis on follow-up with people who've been invited to Girl Scout events.

Picture Fund-Raising Success
for Your Organization

Think about the state of development right now at your nonprofit organization. Do your directors and fund-raisers have the tools and confidence they need? Are they actively building relationships with past and new donors? Are they successful in gaining the vital financial support you need?

Now imagine the difference that coaching can make. I invite you to call me today at 415-922-4584 or toll-free at 877-448-8188, or e-mail me, and learn more about coaching for fund-raising success.