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The Ask: How to Ask for Support for Your Nonprofit Cause, Creative Project, or Business Venture
About Laura’s New Book
Asking is every aspect of our lives. It should be as natural as walking, having an enjoyable conversation, smiling, and breathing…but I know for many of you it is the one thing you dread the most.
During my wonderful experience of speaking and training people on how to Ask, using all the tools laid out in the first book, The ASK: How to Ask Anyone for Any Amount for Any Purpose, it became crystal clear that in addition to learning how to ask for money to support a non-profit, hundreds of people asked me if the same principles apply if you are asking for money for a creative project; asking for advice; asking for a promotion, raise, new job title; asking for feedback, in short….Asking for everyday living. Well this new book will cover it all, from non-profits that need restricted and unrestricted money; to businesses that need their sales and marketing forces to craft their asks that results in enhanced sales: and to the individual who has dreams, and goals, and a strong desire to have the best and most fulfilling personal and professional life possible, with the help of a little financial backing…of course.
The uniqueness of this book is that it will show that there is much to be learned on how to ASK in the non-profit sector, the business sector, and the everyday living sector. By that I mean so often board members drop their expertise and skills in their businesses when they attend a charity board meeting. Why? We have so much to learn in the non-profit world from their skills and expertise that can help us be more business-like in approaching select donors. Conversely, the business sector can learn a great deal on how fundraisers identify, cultivate, and ask donors, (clients in the business world), for money, for an opportunity to invest in the non-profit and all the satisfying rewards that go along with establishing and solidifying long-term relationships. What boggles my mind is seeing and hearing how many people, regardless if you are in the non-profit or business sector who cannot ask for something that is important and personal, such as medical advice, a raise, a promotion, or to financially support an independent film, a new play, a concert, or art exhibit, because they are afraid of rejection, afraid of offending someone, and most importantly, afraid to examine their views on money and what emotions that brings up for them.
Well this book I am most certain will be the bridge across all these sectors that will make Asking for anything, easy, enjoyable, meaningful, and rewarding. As you can tell I have written this book in an extremely conversational style, so that it is more inviting and enjoyable for you to learn. Trust me, I take any ASK extremely seriously and I by no means want to imply that in certain circumstances you will need to work with challenging people during the ASK and that this takes time, focus, and dedication. This is why I have organized the book in a very logical and progressive fashion so that you can follow along and experience the sequence of steps that need to be taken before, during, and after the ASK.
If you believe that you and your organization are worthy of the vital resources you need to be successful…read on and feel confident knowing you will learn how to ASK for what you Need and Deserve.
The Ask is now translated in Russian!
Praise for Laura’s New Book
“Most nonprofit organizations, businesses, and projects rely on raising capital to keep their operations going. In fact, life itself is often a series of asks. Laura Fredricks has written the definitive guide to asking. The book will prove most useful to nonprofit groups, but people in business will also receive great benefits from reading this book and learning the techniques in it since it contains important information on scenarios like asking for a raise or seeking venture funding.
I read the first edition of "The Ask" a couple of years ago, and the new revised and updated version is even better. There are tons of details on methods for understanding and cultivating the prospects you are asking for money, time, etc. There are also formulas and strategies that have been tested by the author and have a very high rate of success at raising funds.
I highly recommend this book.”
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“It’s surprising how simple the formula for success is when you boil it down to its basic elements. You have to know your objectives, think through all the details, have a plan for action, follow through and follow up. What’s more surprising is how elusive these simple principles are in real life, usually because people simply don’t know how to ask for what they want and deserve.
Laura Fredricks knows how to ask. I watched her put her methods into action at Pace University, where I sit on the Board of Trustees, in running a major capital campaign. More important for the readers of this book, she knows how to coach others to get the results they want. Her strategies for success apply equally to the business and the nonprofit world, the institutional and the personal spheres, and this book translates those strategies into concrete advice about how to turn your goals into action, no matter what the setting.”
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“Do you want to think bigger about who you are and what you offer the world? Of course, you do. Then you need to do the work but you shouldn't do it alone. That’s why you must be able to ask for help. Laura's book will show you how to do so with grace and strength. Highly recommended.”
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“People are more involved and more passionate than ever about causes in their life and reaching goals, yet most still are not very good at the most important part: asking for what they want in life! This book offers comprehensive but practical advice on how to connect with, convince and inspire people to help you succeed in your goals— whether its business, charitable, personal or any aspect of your life.”
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“I find it a privilege to do the work of Keystone Human Services. Increasingly when I ask others to share in the work, I approach the ask as an invitation to become part of something significant, something that is relevant to the times and personally meaningful. Everyone wants their life to matter—what better gift is there?”
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“Unless you ask, how can you know that the road is open for business?”
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“Asking for money is something everyone else is supposed to do—not the artist, the performer. Wrong—while I resist learning how to do the task for myself it is the only way I can be sure I can fulfill my ideas, my dreams, my goals of where I want to perform. Read this book with me and we both will learn and get what we want.”
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“When my patients ask me questions I am able to help them so much more effectively and tailor my expertise to their needs. In the end they are relieved of pain and I am gratified that I could help them much more quickly because…they ASKED Great Questions.”
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“In my experience asking is all about imparting a sense of urgency and making your ask crystal clear and positive, not apologetic or assuming the person will be offended. Laura gives great examples of how to make each ask a positive experience for the asker...and the person being asked.”
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“Laura is the wizard of strategic fundraising and this is a guidebook for all of us to use in every day matters whether it’s asking for a raise or negotiating with our partner. Seasoned executives as well as newbies in the business world will benefit from this compendium on how to get what you want out of life—just by asking.”
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“This book is a clear, road map for initiating and making the ask in the not-for-profit and business sectors. As the President of an Executive Recruitment Firm, this book is an invaluable resource for planning your career and landing your best job.”
ISBN 0-7879-7856-6
US $39.95
www.josseybass.com
Wiley, John & Sons, Inc.
Published January 2006
The Ask: How to Ask Anyone for Any Amount for Any Purpose
Raising money face-to-face is a vital component to the health and vitality of any nonprofit or for-profit organization. However, most people have little if any experience asking for money and often feel out of their element when they try to do the ask. Even professional fundraisers, top administrators, board members, volunteers, and sales people struggle with asking for money.
The Ask offers a complete resource for teaching anyone—no matter how much or how little fundraising experience they may have—how to ask individuals, in person, for money for a local nonprofit, a special event/community project, an enhanced annual gift, a major or planned gift, or a challenging capital campaign gift.
Written by fundraising expert Laura Fredricks, The Ask shows what it takes to prepare yourself and others to make an effective ask and includes over 100 sample dialogues you can use and adapt. Step by step, the book reveals how to listen, what to say, and how to follow up on each and every ask until you receive a solid and definitive answer. In addition, The Ask covers topics such as how to:
- Examine your views on money before making an ask
- Learn the ins and outs of asking for money
- Work with others to do an ask
- Determine if you should or should not ask a friend, colleague, or peer for money
- Figure out how many asks you can do given your time constraints
- Deal effectively with all the responses you will get to an ask
If you want to develop the fundraising skills you need to achieve greater success and learn how to ask for money with confidence and willingness, this is the book for you.
Read the Reviews Purchase The Ask NowISBN 0-7879-7856-6
US $39.95
www.josseybass.com
Wiley, John & Sons, Inc.
Published January 2006
Developing Major Gifts: Turning Small Donors into Big Contributors
This book has the insightful and cost-effective techniques you can use today that will deliver tremendous returns for years to come.
Describing an innovative approach to developing long-term relations with prospects and donors, Laura Fredricks offers fundraisers step-by-step guidance to raising large and repeat gifts. Among the aspects she discusses are judging a prospect's readiness, making the ask, creative ways to thank donors, and tracking techniques to keep from neglecting prospects. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.
Read the Reviews Purchase Developing Major Gifts NowISBN: 0834218291
Jones & Bartlett Publishers, Inc.
Published January 2000
