All solicitors get nervous during major gift asks because it puts you in a vulnerable place. What if the prospect says no? What do I do then? Well, today, I’m going to teach you a trick that has boosted my confidence in major gift solicitations and helped me close millions of dollars of gifts. I promise this will be a game changer.

In the early 2000s, I was just cutting my teeth with cultivation and major gift asks. My first solicitation out on my own was a disaster – I’m pretty sure I skipped words in the ask. I think back to that meeting and cringe. I needed some tools so I was reading and learning everything I could get my hands on about development and major gifts. I ran across a book that was revolutionary. I don’t know how it made its way into my life – maybe divine intervention. It’s a tiny book at about 100 pages but it forever changed how I thought about major gift asks, how I solicited funds, and how I engaged board members.

Since discovering that first book, I have read every single book this author has written and I’m a better fundraiser for it. His name is Jerry Panas, and the book that had this profound influence on my career was called Asking: A 59-minute Guide to Everything Board Members, Volunteers, and Staff Must Know to Secure the Gift. It was this book that taught me how to turn a no into a maybe and a maybe into a yes.