How to Use Ask Sentences to Sustain and Increase Giving
When asking for a donation, suggest a gift amount using an ask string and remind previous donors when they last gave and how much they gave. We discussed ask strings in previous blogs, as the evidence shows that they improve results. This post shows some examples of combining them with the right ask sentence.
The Ask Sentence of a Fundraising Letter
Generally, the ask sentence of the donation request letter asks for a gift directly, without specifying the particulars (which should be done throughout the rest of your letter).
Prospects: Will you please make a donation of $50 today by returning your check with the enclosed reply card?
LYBUNT Donors (Last-Year-But-Unfortunately-Not-This): Will you please continue your support today with a generous gift of $100 using the enclosed reply card?
SYBUNT Donors (Some-Year-But-Unfortunately-Not-This): Will you please renew your support today with a gift of $50 by returning your check with the enclosed reply card?
Current Year Donors/Second Gift: Will you make a special, additional gift of $50 this year by returning your check with the enclosed reply card
Use the PS to Ask Again
The postscript of your fundraising letter is a great place to insert another ask sentence, offer new information not found in the rest of the letter, and to summarize the need for giving.
Donation Response Card Ask Strings and Sentences
The donation response card should have an affirmation and ask for a specific amount in the form of an ask string.
Depending on your donor’s giving history, use the word join, continue, or renew, to further segment the ask strings and sentences on the donation response card, as in the following:
Prospect: “Yes, Harry, I want to join H+H with my support at this critical time of need for the music we love and the musicians who make it.”
LYBUNT Donor: “Yes, Harry, I want to continue my support at this critical time of need for the music we love and the musicians who make it.”
SYBUNT Donor: See image below.
See more examples in our downloadable Primer, and be sure to visit our Reply Card Design Gallery to see great examples of donation response card design.
Five Maples Knows How to Ask!
The most important part of your fundraising letter and donation response card is how you ask your donors for a gift. Let Five Maples help you strategize who to ask and how to ask so that you can raise the most money possible!
Contact us today at garyh@fivemaples.com for a free consultation.
