The Art Of Asking
• Gene R. Wurth
– Executive Director
– American Dental Association Foundation
• Dental Philanthropy Network
– July 16, 2012
– Chicago, Illinois
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
Crucial Questions for
Organizational Improvement
• Alternative Titles
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Playing 20 Questions for Fun and Profit
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
There’s No Such Thing as a Dumb Question
(Well, maybe there is a dumb question)
(Your Suggestion Goes Here)
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
Crucial Questions for
Organizational Improvement
• Alternative Titles
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Playing 20 Questions for Fun and Profit
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
There’s No Such Thing as a Dumb Question
Dude, Where’s My Car?
(Your Suggestion Goes Here)
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Goals for the day:
– Examining our work
– Tools
– Tips
– Challenges
– Toolboxes
– Case studies
– Takeaways
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The Art Of Asking
• Our Group Profile
– Your Portfolio of Work – (plug in your numbers)
– % of time spent on each – MAY total more than
100%!!
•
•
•
•
•
•
Membership
Events
Communications
Fund Raising
Board – care and feeding
Other
____%
____%
____%
____%
____%
____%
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The Art Of Asking
• What are some of the challenges
that come from those data?
• There are many challenges in all areas,
and each can be analyzed using these
tools, but let’s focus on fund raising
today.
• The others can be topics for later
presentations
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The Art Of Asking
• What Does it Mean to “Make The Ask?”
(Pease add your thoughts after each question for our discussion…)
– When someone talks about “Making the Ask” what
do you think they are talking about?
– What is the biggest ask you have made?
– Is “Making the Ask” hard to do?
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The Art Of Asking
– What Makes It Hard?
• Not knowing the answer you will get?
• Not knowing enough about the prospect or
his/her desires?
• Not knowing how you will handle rejection?
• Not knowing the answers to all of the tough
questions you might get in return?
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The Art Of Asking
• What Else?
– Not believing in your mission?
– Not being able to say that your board fully
supports your project?
– Not having answers to the hard financial questions
you may get?
– Not having data to explain why your request
should be considered?
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The Art Of Asking
• Valuable Tools
– There are many tools at your disposal
•
•
•
•
•
Handbooks
Software
Conferences
Share Groups
Others
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The Art Of Asking
The most valuable tool in your portfolio is…
?.
The answer opens all doors to your success
It is like a Swiss Army Knife – lots of
helpful tools within a tool
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
The most valuable tool in your portfolio is
?.
This is it…
?.
The answer opens all doors to your success
It is like a Swiss Army Knife –
lots of helpful tools within a tool
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Key elements – The Basics…
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Who
What
What if…
When
How
How Much
How Often
Why
Other Questions?
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• WHO?
– Who is your donor audience?
– Who is on your board?
– Who are your volunteers?
– Who benefits from your work?
– Who needs to know about it?
» constituencies
» regulatory authorities
» the media
» the general public
– Who can we work with to leverage our
assets (potential partners)?
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• WHAT?
– What is your purpose?
– What can you do that no other organization
can do, or do as well?
– What results can you demonstrate?
– What harm is done if you don’t do this work?
– What is the best method to share
information?
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• WHAT IF…?
You run out of funds?
You suddenly get $1 million?
Your Board can’t agree on your mission?
Your volunteers don’t do the work?
Your staff is confused about their role and
purpose?
– Some other organization is stealing your thunder
- and your donors?
–
–
–
–
–
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The Art Of Asking
• WHEN?
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Should
Should
Should
Should
Should
Should
Should
we
we
we
we
we
we
we
get the money?
start soliciting?
start forming committees?
start identifying volunteers?
start identifying prospects?
file state registrations?
report to our donors?
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• HOW?
– Do we present our case to individuals?
– Do we present our case to the public?
– Do we structure our campaign?
• HOW MUCH?
– Do we need?
– Is the right amount for the donor?
• HOW OFTEN?
– For annual funds?
– For major gifts?
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• WHY?
– Perhaps the most important question of all!!
WHY?
– Why do we do what we do?
– Why should a prospect want to make a gift?
– Why should our volunteers want to work on
this?
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• If your volunteer thinks he/she is ready to
ask for a gift, ask him/her this question…
• “If you go to your very best friend in the
world and ask for $1,000 right now, what
would the prospect say to you?”
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
Why?
• How would you respond?
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The Art Of Asking
• More globally…Why do people give?
• Survey says…
– Of the 20 or so reasons people give, the most
important is either…
– Someone they know and respect asked them,
or
– Belief in the mission of the organization.
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The Art Of Asking
• What about tax benefits or donor
recognition?
– Down on the list – tax benefit is often
near the bottom.
– What does that tell us about how we
should frame our ask?
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Why all of the emphasis on questions?
– Tip 1 - Learn from the lawyers
• In a trial, never ask a question for which you
don’t already have the answer
• In our world, never let someone ask you a
question for which you don’t have an answer.
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
– Tip 2 - Ask a LOT… and ask OFTEN
• Be inquisitive… be childlike
• According to “The Ultimate Book of Useless
Information:
– “A four-year-old child asks an average of
437
questions a day.”
- Tell your Board chair you are going to act like a
four-year-old – see if you get a raise!
– Make your work like child’s play!
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
– Tip 2 - Ask a LOT… and ask OFTEN
• Take all of these examples, and then think of
more questions to ask that are specific to your
situation
• Try to think of questions that no one else would
think of
• Ask questions that you suspect the prospect /
volunteer/ board member / staff member would
ask
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The Art Of Asking
• Tip 3 - Have Someone Else Ask
the Questions
• As staff, you may not have the status or
credibility to ask tough questions to board
members, prospects, etc.
• Find someone they respect or take seriously.
• Ask them to ask the questions you want to ask!
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The Art Of Asking
• Now that we have identified the tools, let’s
put them to work to meet some challenges…
• Challenge 1 – Define Your Needs
– What is your organization’s greatest need?
– (Try to answer in 25 words or less)
– And the answer is………
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The Art Of Asking
None of the Above!
> Organizations don’t have
needs…
> People have needs.
> Organizations can provide
solutions to people’s needs!
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The Art Of Asking
• So… when you have to answer WHY ,
think of what your organization does to
address people’s needs
• Give some examples now ____________
• Ask your staff and volunteers to provide
answers
• Make sure your board can provide answers
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The Art Of Asking
• If you can’t provide answers, it is hard to
prepare a Case for Support.
• How many of you have a clear Case for
Support now?
• How many of your Board members can
present it?
• How do you prepare one?
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Challenge 2 – Your Case for Support
– What is the Case for Support?
– What should it look like?
– How do you create one?
– The Critical Question to ask in Preparing a
Case for Support is……
_____________________________________
(fill in the blank)
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The Art Of Asking
– The Critical Question to ask in Preparing a
Case for Support is……
A question in two parts…
If we don’t do _____, who will suffer and
why?
Can you give examples?
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The Art Of Asking
OREF: Our mission is to support the research –
and the researchers – that will advance orthopaedic
medicine in the years ahead.
Case for Support: If we don’t provide the funds to
identify and encourage promising young researchers
now, orthopaedic surgeons will suffer for lack of
better techniques, and patients will suffer from
not getting the best care.
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
– So…
• you have asked a lot of questions,
• you have drafted a mission statement,
and
• you have asked key the question to have
a Case for Support.
• Now you ask for a gift, and…
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Challenge 3 – What if the Prospect
says NO?
Don’t take it personally!
• A NO is really just a YES to one of four questions…
(take a stab at the four questions)
1.
Is it ______________?
2. Is it ______________?
3. Is it_______________?
4. Is it ______________?
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Challenge 3 – What if the Prospect says NO?
• A NO is really just a YES to one of four
questions… (take a stab at the four questions)
1. Is it the right amount?
2. Is it ______________?
3. Is it_______________?
4. Is it ______________?
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Challenge 3 – What if the Prospect says NO?
• A NO is really just a YES to one of four
questions… (take a stab at the four questions)
1. Is it the right amount?
2. Is it the right purpose?
3. Is it_______________?
4. Is it ______________?
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Challenge 3 – What if the Prospect says NO?
• A NO is really just a YES to one of four
questions… (take a stab at the four questions)
1. Is it the right amount?
2. Is it the right purpose?
3. Is it the right timing?
4. Is it ______________?
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Challenge 3 – What if the Prospect says NO?
• A NO is really just a YES to one of four
questions… (take a stab at the four questions)
1. Is it the right amount?
2. Is it the right purpose?
3. Is it the right timing?
4. Is it the right method?
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Find answers to these questions and you can
likely change the outcome
• How do you get the answers?
• You guessed it … YOU ASK the prospect!
(or have someone ask for you)
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• By now, you are dizzy with questions
• You are asking yourself why you are asking
yourself questions
• Tip 4 – Don’t lose sight of the forest for
the trees. Know when to quit asking.
– Try your answers to WHY on others; test your
Case for Support.
– If they are sound, move ahead!
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Some simple tools to help keep on track
• Ways to organize your endless questions
• Try these and then devise your own
• What works best for you is the key
• Each of these could be the focus for a complete
program of its own
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Using Tool Boxes -Tool Box 1 – A View From
30,000 Feet
Board
Who
What
What If…
When
How
Volunteers
Staff
Prospects
Should be on
Board?
Is their role?
Are the best
ones
Can they give
They won’t
ask for $
Do we need
new members
Do we recruit
them
Do we meet
They say no
How Much
Do we want
them to give
Why
Would they
agree/say no
Would we not
want them
Would they
agree
Would they
say NO
Why Not
Professional
Association
Partners
Do we ask
Do we
contact them
Do we ask
them
Should we ask
for
How Often
Public
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Industry
The Art Of Asking
• Using Tool Boxes -Tool Box 2 – Down on the Ground
Prospect:
Joe Smith
Question
Why do we think he will give?
Date Started:
Who knows the most about him?
Answer
He told Dr. Jones he wanted to be involved. In our access
to care efforts
Dr. Jones, and Drs. Davis and Williams
What is his interest in our programs?
He has done rural healthcare work in the past
Who would be best to approach him?
Dr. Jones
What is his potential?
He has a good practice but is not “wealthy”
Is there anything about his family situation that would
affect this ask?
Son is also a dentist. Wife is cancer survivor. Daughter is
teacher in small town, with four kids of her won.
What does he like best about our program?
Ask Drs. Jones et al
What is he unhappy with about our program?
Ask Drs. Jones et al. Was once turned down for a research
grant, so check on that
Once we have answers to all of our questions!
When should we start to approach him?
More Questions…
More Answers…
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The Art Of Asking
Now let’s see if we can apply a little of
what we have discussed today in reallife situations
Each of these is a factual case, based on
my experience
If we have time, let’s discuss some of
YOUR case studies
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The Art Of Asking
• Case Study 1 – “I just turned down a
half million gift!”
• Case Study 2 – “I’m sorry…I can’t make
that $1 million gift I said I would”
• Case Study 3 – “What do you mean they
‘owe it to us?’ ”
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Let’s recap…
• Takeaways – T3
– Tips
– Toolboxes
– Techniques
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Tips
– Tip 1 – Learn from the lawyers
– Tip 2 – Be childlike - Ask a lot…and
ask often
– Tip 3 – Have someone else ask
– Tip 4 – Know when to quit asking
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Toolboxes
– Tool Box 1 – The View From 30,000
Feet
– Tool Box 2 – The View at Ground
Level
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The Art Of Asking
– Techniques
• Use questions as:
– Diagnostic tools
– Planning tools
– Discussion tools
– Closure tools
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• Finally, make sure that you, your staff, your
board, and your volunteers can answer the
crucial question…
WHY?
If you do that well, you may not have to
ask for the gift.
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
• One final question to ask every day
from a personal viewpoint is _____:
• (Go ahead, take a guess what this
might be, or suggest your own,
personal question to ask every day)
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The Art Of Asking
Are we having
fun yet?
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
I propose that if you aren’t having fun, or at
least feeling good about your work, you won’t
be very good at your work.
If you can answer the WHY – can show that
you are helping to solve people’s needs… you
should be having fun.
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
Finally, one last question:
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
Finally, one last question:
Wait for it…
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
Finally, one last question:
Wait for it…
Admit it, you saw this one
coming…
GROW 360/NPO
The Art Of Asking
Finally, one last question:
Wait for it…
Admit it, you saw this one coming…
It is SOOOO obvious…
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The Art Of Asking
Are there any
questions?
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The Art Of Asking
Thanks !
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