In fundraising circles, “The Ask” is a critical aspect of any traditional campaign. The groundwork laid; the education delivered; the case made – they are all important preparations for an artful and tasteful request for cold hard cash.

One often overlooked, but important ingredient for a successful Ask is first understanding what money means to the asker. In Laura Fredricks’ book, “The Ask: How to Ask for Support for Your Nonprofit Cause, Creative Project, or Business Venture,” she says, “It is essential that we explore our own values of what money means to us, and as importantly, why we feel we deserve to get what we ask for.” This realization will properly set our minds to allow us to perform The Ask “artfully.” As it is in many areas of non-profit operations, “The Ask” is as much art as it is science.

“The Ask” should always be an arrow in each non-profit’s quiver. It is traditional. It is direct. It is respectful. If builds “ownership.” But it also has its limits. While it’s possible to “ask for more,” not everyone has the capacity to give more. While a broader base of people can be asked, there’s a limit to the amount of time and energy available. There are only so many hours in a day to build the partnering trust necessary for getting wallets to part with dollars.

Enter “The New Ask” – and another arrow for the quiver.

What if your next “Ask” campaign for not for cash? What if you sent an inexpensive post card, or better yet, a free email to all your loyal supporters and told them you weren’t asking for a dime? Do you think that would get their attention? I’m thinking yes. If your message was one of appreciation of the past financial contributions and valuing the anticipated future contributions, but asking them to take a simple action, you may have just opened a new revenue stream.

Many people buy online these days; people of all ages. Your “New Ask” is requesting that they do what they would normally do, but simply start from a different Internet web page. Nothing else. It shows respect by not trying to squeeze every last financial drop out of them. In fact, you have the opportunity to engage them more deeply (always good in non-profit circles!), by asking them which additional online retailers you could add to make their shopping experience that much better.

Feel free to provide your own perspectives on “The Ask” by entering a comment below. If you believe your organization could benefit from “The New Ask,” get in touch with us at our CONTACT US page. We’d be happy to add an arrow to your fundraising quiver.

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