TOP DRAWER BOOK REVIEW
by
HL Carpenter

 

The Ask
by Laura Fredricks
ISBN 0-7879-7856-6
252 pages; hardcover; $39.95
Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2006

 

Fundraising is fun! Okay, maybe not. But if you were given the responsibility of the task by your favorite charity on the night you missed a meeting, The Ask can help you succeed. If you’re on the opposite side of the table – a fundraisee, so to speak – you’ll learn a few things, too.

Written by Laura Fredricks, a professional fundraiser, The Ask is a training manual for how to convince people to give money to whatever worthy cause you’re supporting. Though slanted toward nonprofit organizations, many of the techniques in The Ask are similar to those utilized by salespeople everywhere: Learn about your prospect, be sincere, ask for what you want and follow through.

Others are downright scary, particularly if you’re a donor. For instance, compiling a ‘prospect readiness profile’ sounds frighteningly akin to stalking. Similarly, ‘cultivating a prospect’ seems like a con artist’s blueprint.

With over one million charities in the US, it’s likely that at some point you will find yourself asking – or being asked - for money to support a cause in which you sincerely believe. The Ask can prepare you for both situations.

 

Review originally published October 2006.