3 key mindshifts to overcoming your fear of asking for a gift

Happy Fundraising Season!  Between now and the end of the year is a great time to make some individual asks.

If the thought of asking someone face-to-face for a donation scares you, terrifies, or paralyzes you, you’re not alone.  Lots of people would rather do most anything else than ask someone for a donation!

But it doesn’t have to be that way.  If you understand where your fear is coming from, you are well on your way to overcoming it.  And it CAN be conquered!!

• Fear is about uncertainty. When we don’t know what might happen in a particular situation, we tend to get scared and hold back.  When you ask someone for money, you don’t know what will happen and your mind starts to fill in the blanks for you.  “This person will think I’m a pest” or “They won’t like me anymore” might be the stinkin’ thinkin’ going on inside your head. Acknowledging this is the first step in getting it out of your way.

• Diffuse the power of the fear by thinking through the consequences.  What’s the worst thing that can happen if you ask for a gift?  Will the donor laugh at you?  Will they kick you out of their office?  Probably not.  More than likely, the worst thing that will happen is that they will say “No” to your request.  If that happens, can you survive it? (I’m thinking you will.)

• Fire up your passion. Remember why you said “Yes” to the organization in the first place.  Something compelled you to agree to fundraise for this particular cause at this particular time.  Know this: when you step through your fear and share the burning beliefs of your heart, you will be furthering your organization’s mission.  For example, when I worked at the local Food Bank, I knew that when I did my job, people ate.  It was that simple to me.  And that helped me be strong to do the things I was timid about doing.  Deep in my heart, hunger was and still is an important issue.  When I plugged into that, it helped me overcome my fears around fundraising.

Need more help?  Check out my training kit “3 Keys to Successful Fundraising in Good Times and Bad”.  It’s a 60-minute audio CD and workbook designed to help shift your mindset and set yourself up for success. $49  www.getfullyfunded.com/products.