Making the Ask

Bernard Ross is a co-director of =mc consulting, a management consultancy working worldwide for ethical organisations. He co-authored Breakthrough Thinking for Non-Profit Organisations with Clare Segal which received the Terry McAdam Award for Best Non-Profit Book in the USA 2004. The Influential Fundraiser was nominated as one of the top 5 ‘must read’ non-profit books in the New York Times online in 2009. Most recently Global Fundraising, edited with Penny Cagney, won the Skystone Prize for Research and was published in China in 2018 by Shanghai University Press. Strategy was published by the Financial Times/Pearson in January 2016. With Omar Mahmoud, Head of Global Knowledge at UNICEF International he wrote Change for Good- behavioural economics for a better world, published by semioscreation/=mc in March 2018.With his talented colleagues at =mc he has created global strategies for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, WHO, Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières, and UNICEF international. As a fundraiser he’s raised money to refurbish France’s most famous monument, for a museum to house the world’s largest dinosaur in Argentina, and to save the last 800 great apes in Africa.Clare Segal is a co-director of =mc consulting.Her key areas of expertise are communications and personal coaching for charity and NGO leaders. She has pioneered writing high impact fundraising cases using psychological insights for a number of leading charities in the environmental, child protection and healthcare areas. These cases have transformed the impact of charity communications for major donors. Among the charities she has helped are NSPCC, WWF, Save the Children, UNICEF International and the Alzheimer’s Society.She co-authored Breakthrough Thinking for Non-Profit Organisations with Bernard Ross which won the Terry McAdam Award for Best Non Profit Book in the USA 2004 - the only time Europeans have won this award. Also with Bernard Ross she has co-authored a number of books most recently The Strategy Workout, part of the prestigious Business Gym Series published by Pearson, 2016.Prior to setting up =mc she was an award-winning video producer and director winning ‘Best Community Video’ award twice in the UK for multi-media work on sexism and volunteering.

A remarkable book that covers not only how to engage with donors, but also how to manage yourself while doing it. Full of insights clearly expressed, and illustrated with examples from the authors’ successful practice. I hope nobody else who might approach our target donors before us reads it ;)

• AcknowledgementsUsual thanksDedicationPrefaceBackground on how the model was developedSeveral examples anecdotes where the approach has workedSome of the science background and name checkIntroduction/overviewThis section outlines the key organising principle/model- the 5Ps and how they are interconnected: Passion: how to get yourself, and your donor, into the right mindset to seek and secure supportProposal: how to shape and organise a complex story into one that is salient and simplePreparation: all the key issues you need to consider before you make the call, type the email, prepare the proposalPersuasion: how to handle the interaction with a prospect- a range of psychological techniques to manage the conversationPersistence: you rarely succeed in your first approach- this element explores how to deal with challengesChapter 1: PassionCreating a personal anchor for you and the supporter: getting yourself into a success mindset and your prospects into a [philanthropic mindsetUnderstanding hygiene and motivation factors; understanding Hertzberg-inspired safety and motivation factorsCreating your Personal Brand: establishing how you want to come across in the situation- behaviors, appearance, styleChapter 2: Proposal:Organising complex messages: the =mc story framework using key psychological drivers: +/- outcomes and future/presentCreating Powerful Propositions: how to chunk your overall need into propositions related to the needs and interests of a prospectMr Ockham’s Shaving kit: how to ensure you have made your proposition super simple- a key to successChapter 3: PreparationYou can’t always get what you want: dividing up the outcome you want into a LIM-it: Like, Intend and Must. (A range of acceptable outcomes.)Taking the prospect on a journey- how to shape the steps for the prospect towards a positive outcome beyond a successful giftThink Feel Do: at every step you should consider three ?: what info do I want the prospect to know, how do I want them to feel, what do I want them to do?Chapter 4: PersuasionBuilding rapport: how to build engagement with people who are not like you- the importance of mirror neuronsHow do people think they decide v how do people actually decide?: System 1 vs system 2 including key unconscious biases VAK: the importance of adapting your language and communication style to match that of the prospectChapter 5: PersistenceThe 9 Nos: when ‘no’ doesn’t really mean ‘No, but means ‘ask me a better question... ‘and the importance of Killer Questions Be Resourceful: techniques to recover form challenges call on your Mental Mentors, or adopt a new Perceptual position Learn from the Past: the importance of after action review- answering the three key learning questionsGlossary: explanation of key terms and phrases commonly usedFurther Reading: related books and resources to exploreAbout the Authors: some background info and credibility buildingThe book will offer access to a range of complementary bonus material. This will be accessible on-lineHow to be an effective Volunteer Board FundraiserSome specific hints on how to improve the effectiveness of volunteer fundraisersWriting a Case for SupportA more detailed explanation of the =mc Case for Support StructureDeveloping a supporter journeyHow to move a prospect along the stages of the 5P model