Asking for financial support for your nonprofit should feel good for everyone involved. Some will never get to that point, but if you, or someone you know, is considering helping your nonprofit, show them this article and feel good about asking for donations for your nonprofit.

1. You are not asking for money to put in your own pocket. You are asking for funding for a building, an endowment fund to ensure the longevity of the organization or sustaining funds for a nonprofit in which both you and the prospect are invested. Besides the great feeling of success and potential bragging rights, you do not directly benefit any more than anyone else.
2. The larger the donation, the more nonprofits listen to the donor’s ideas. Whether the solicitors are volunteers or staff, there is always a limited amount of time to spend on the large number of solicitations required. Solicitors know that a $1,000,000 gift is a more efficient way to reach a fundraising goal than 50 $20,000 gifts so there is more time spent on each large donor. The easiest way to steward these large donors is to ask their opinion and keep them updated at various stages of a large campaign. This is not to say that anyone in the community – whether a member, a beneficiary or an observant donor – doesn’t have the opportunity to give input and help shape the project or program. But, the average person has to proactively ask to be involved. Major donors are proactively asked.
3. You are not asking from a weak place, but rather from a desire to be stronger and more sustainable, innovative nonprofit. Psychologically, asking for money makes many people feel like they are needy. Whether this was caused by a childhood feeling like you didn’t have enough money or fear that you might one day really need to ask someone for money is irrelevant. That insecurity is something to put behind you. Consider that your new facility, exciting new programs or security for the future through an endowment fund will add strength to the community.
4. If you are still reading, you might be looking for excuses to justify why you feel bad asking for donations. The list could go on– 4. Giving feels good. 5. Nonprofits can’t survive without donations and people give more when they are personally asked. 6. Corporate giving is down, individual donations are up. 7. The large majority of the population gives money – the only question is whether they are going to give to your organization. 8. You are not the first person (or the last) to ask a donor for financial support.

We want to make everyone feels good about asking for donations, but if you are still unsure about asking – knowing that you love the organization, love financially supporting the organization and want to help the organization, – consider all of the behind the scenes work that is required to make a successful solicitation and see where the organization needs help. Whether it is creating marketing materials or making follow up calls for pledge forms, there is a lot of work to be done. And your personal involvement will help the nonprofit which you love reach its financial goals.