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Making
“Asks” Count
Sustainability
August 2009 |
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Dear “Asking”
Colleague,
Asking
is a powerful technique for attracting advice, information,
buy-in, or for money. Knowing how to ask…where
to ask…and the right method for asking will help
you sustain your programs when you get the answer you
need. Click on the titles on the right to learn more
about…
How to Pose a Question
Where to Find the Answers
For
Best Results—The Face-to-Face Ask
For any questions or ideas about asking, contact Campaign
Consultation, Inc. through OnTheGo@CampaignConsultation.com
for more information. You can still access previous
issues of On-the-Go eTA by clicking on the back issues
at the bottom of the page.
How
to Pose a Question
Getting
good answers to questions depends on delivering good questions.
Follow the rules below and you will help make your “asks”
count.
| What
to do… |
And
how |
Ask
the right type of question.
|
Closed
questions elicit a short response...”yes,”
“no,” a single word or name. Example:
“What time does the meeting start?”
Open questions engage a person in conversation.
Example: “What is needed in this community?”
When you want short, crisp answers, ask closed questions.
When you want a discussion, ask open questions or
a series of related questions.
|
| Ask
one question at a time. |
Take
time to figure out exactly what you need to know.
Then frame a straightforward, unbiased question
to elicit that information. You may need to follow
up with another question after you’ve heard
the first response.
|
| Pause
at the end of a question. |
Allow
time for the answerer to think, formulate and deliver
an answer.
|
| Listen
and watch with ease. |
Staying
silent after asking a question involves more than
just not talking. It means keeping eye contact,
staying still and feeling comfortable while you
wait.
|
| Ask
follow-up questions. |
You
can encourage clarification of points made in an
answer by using verbal encouragers, such as “I
didn’t know that, tell me more,” or
“What else do I need to know?” People
often have more to say if they are asked for more
information. Remember the first rule, however…one
question at a time.
|
| Say
thank you. |
Thanking
someone who’s spent time helping you by answering
your questions will increase the likelihood that
you’ll get more and deeper answers the next
time you ask.
|
Where
to Find the Answers
Sometimes you need help from outside sources to get the
information you need to do your work. Most people know
about Google, Yahoo, Ask.com, Bing, etc. You type a word
in a search box and you get to sites with information
related to that term.
Consider the additional resources in this article as helpful
assists to finding the answers to your organizational
and program sustainability questions related to fundraising,
volunteer development, board and advisory council development,
marketing, and more. Here are some ways to get your questions
answered:
Social
Media
Ask questions on your social media network and receive
answers from those who are connected to you and others
who are connected to those. Sites such as Facebook and
LinkedIn provide “apps” for the sole purpose
of asking questions—social and professional. Ning
lets you design a social network for your specific interests.
Blogs allow you to ask questions of subscribers, and Twitter
is showing itself to be a huge source of information from
followers.
- Facebook, LinkedIn and others: allow you
to ask questions and see the questions your friends
are asking so you can help! Facebook offers “apps”
to help you manage your questions. Once you have your
Facebook account, click
here to choose a Facebook app for asking questions.
Ning appeals to people who want to create
their own social networks around specific interests
with their own visual design, choice of features and
member data. Click
here to learn more about Ning.
- Twitter: Ask your question in 140 characters
or less. Twitter has been hailed as one of the most
flexible platforms for exchanging information online—.
Twitter features its own search engine, users
can look for discussions and “tweets”
on just about any topic imaginable. If you can’t
find what you’re looking for with a regular
search, you can simply tweet your question, and your
message will be read by people who follow you. In
addition to Web interface, Twitter can also
be used on mobile phones through phone-based applications
(for the iPhone, Symbian or Windows mobile) or SMS.
You can get answers to your questions even while on
the move. Click
here to get a Twitter account.
- Wikis and blogs: Wikis and blogs offer
knowledge sharing opportunities. The best know of
these tools is Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Most are
topic focused and allow for collaboration. Investigate
them all and choose judiciously which you join so
you don’t become overwhelmed by chatter.
- Forums and email discussion lists are another
good resource for finding answers to questions. These
types of interactive discussions were popular even
before blogs, Wikipedia, Twitter and other
websites existed. Forums are mainly community-driven.
Therefore, how useful a forum will be will depend
on how active the community is. Forums are also specific
to a topic or niche. For instance, if you want to
get information about volunteer management, you should
join a forum that specializes in volunteer management.
Click
here for a list of Corporation of National and
Community Service email discussion lists.
Click here to learn about more places
to ask a question and get an answer.
For
Best Results—The Face-to-Face Ask
When
it comes to asking for money, the method by which you
choose to ask impacts the results. The deeper the relationship
to the asker, and the more personalized the ask, the
more likely you are to get the results you want as demonstrated
below.
| Personal
Visits: |
70%
will give about 50% of the amount requested
|
| Telephone
Calls: |
25%
will give about 25% of the asked amount
|
| Personalized
Mail: |
10%
will give 2.5% of the suggested amount
|
| Direct
Mail Requests: |
2%
will give gifts in the range of $10 to $25 |
Online appeals are reported to generate between 0.3%
and 1.3% gift response, although this is a rapidly growing
sector. Source: Tony Poderis, www.raise-funds.com
Click
here to read about one person’’s experiment
asking by mail.
Let
us know
Let
us know about your experience asking for anything. Contact
OnTheGo@CampaignConsultation.com
We would be happy to answer questions or to give you
more support.
Thank you for your interest in On-The-Go eTA. We encourage
you to send this and other issues of OTG
eTA
to friends and colleagues who would benefit from the
information. Also, if you’re on information-overload,
you may request email
removal.
Otherwise OTG e-TA will be back soon with another edition.
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Where to Find the Answers (cont.)
Resource Repositories
here are some excellent specialized online resources for meeting
your needs and getting your questions answered.
- The Resource Center: The Resource Center of the
Corporation for National and Community Service offers online
training tools and publications, an events calendar, the
Effective Practices Collection, and a library of printed
publications, videos, and other media available for loan
to Corporation grantees. It also serves as an information
exchange where individual programs can share innovations
and effective practices with others. Content housed at The
Resource Center is generated by a network of specialized
training and technical assistance providers funded by the
Corporation to help volunteer and service programs succeed
and thrive. Click
here to access The Resource Center.
- The Foundation Center: In addition to being able to search
for foundation to support your program, The Foundation Center offers collection of responses to Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQs) and an online librarian who will
answer your questions about foundations, fundraising and
research. Click
here to access The Foundation Center librarian.
- TechSoup: If your question is related to anything
about technology, TechSoup is where you want to
head. TechSoup provides a range of technology services
for nonprofits, including articles, a blog, discussion forums,
webinars, and discounted and donated technology products.
Find out about TechSoup here.
- VISTA Campus: If you are a VISTA, you can log
onto the VISTA Campus. Guests can sign up for limited access.
Click on the Bulletin Board , the home for everyone in the
VISTA community to connect, exchange ideas, and share resources.
We invite you to engage in conversations, ask questions,
and help others find the answers to theirs.
Search Engines
Finally, when you’re looking online for answers to questions,
in additional to Google, here are four internet resources for
additional answers to questions. Click on the titles to like
to the sites:
- Mahalo
Answers: Mahalo describes itself as a human-powered
search engine with its content mostly user-submitted and
edited by a handful of Mahalo’s editors.
To get an answer to your question, first try searching for
existing answers to the same or similar questions. If you
can’t find existing content, click the “Ask
a Question” link to submit your own question.
- Yahoo!
Answers: At Yahoo! Answers you can ask questions,
answer questions, and if you’re just in the mood for
exploring what other people are asking about, you can browse
by topic or search. An added option of Yahoo! Answers
is that it can automatically notify you if one of your contacts
(from your Yahoo! Address Book) asks a question.
- Answerbag:
At Answerbag you can search for existing answers
by typing in keywords or a question, and if you don’t
find what you need, you can submit your own question. The
nice thing about using the Answerbag’s search functionality
is that when it lists possible matches, it also displays
the best answer along with the question, which makes it
easy to browse for the information you need.
- Yedda
Questions & Answers: Join as an individual or
a cause. Yedda Questions & Answers lets you
share your personal knowledge with friends and friendly
strangers, and to tap their personal knowledge through questions
& answers. Your friends will see your question and help
if they can. In addition, Yedda Questions and Answers
automatically searches for people with relevant knowledge
& interest, and invites them to answer your question.
By joining as an individual affiliated with a cause, your
contributions help to increase credibility and interest
in your social profit initiative, as well as providing answers
to other’s questions.
Resources
eOrganizer
eOrganizer is an interactive clearinghouse for the latest
and greatest web instruments of change. This GIZMO shows you
how to maximize free and inexpensive online tools and resources
to mobilize people around issues and within organizations.
Structured around eight categories important to community
organizing, it offers descriptions and provides access to
many of the most current web arenas and strategies for bringing
groups together to create community change.
http://www.campaignconsultation.com/GIZMOs/eorganizer/index.html
The National ASK (Awareness, Skills, Knowledge) to Sustain
Institute, sponsored by Corporation for National and
Community Service, provided by Campaign Consultation, Inc.
1998, 2002.
The CNCS Resources Now! National Institute, sponsored
by Corporation for National and Community Service, provided
by Campaign Consultation, Inc. 2005-07.
Learning
Products and Services
Sustainability:
OntheGo@CampaignConsultation.com is designed to give
information fast on building capacity. Use this online support
for advice from a fundraising professional.
Contact OntheGo@CampaignConsultation.com
VISTA Campus:
VISTA Campus is an online learning environment for
the VISTA community. The aim is to support you in your development
throughout and beyond your VISTA service. The Campus includes
self-paced tutorials and courses, reference materials, discussion
boards, a campus bookstore and more to help improve your
skills and connect with other VISTAs. To access the site,
go to http://vistacampus.org
and select the “VISTAs” option. You will need
to create an account to access the content and discussion
boards.
GIZMOs:
(Giving Information for Zooming Mission Objectives)
GIZMOS are resource and fund development tools for you and
your volunteers. They are tangible products in packets,
pocket brochures, CD-ROMs, games, etc. They feature a myriad
of fundraising topics such as The Case for Support, an interactive
online resource. View and use our newest GIZMOs at www.CampaignConsultation.com/gizmosplash
The
Chronicle of Philanthropy:
Everyone who comes to a Resources Now! National Institute
gets a free subscription to the Chronicle for a year. Participants
in CNCS Campaign Consultation workshops receive the latest
issue free of charge plus a $20 discount on one year’s
subscription.
Workshops/Clinics:
The Corporation for National and Community
Service (CNCS), through its T/TA service provider Campaign
Consultation, Inc., offers a three-hour workshops and clinics
for those interested.
WebWizard:
CNCS sponsors this new service that
Campaign Consultation provides to assist programs and projects
in maximizing their websites for program, client, volunteer
and fundraising needs.
Online
Courses/Webinars:
Web course delivery of topics pertinent to resource
development such as — Build Fundraising Volunteer
Champions and Cause Related Marketing and
Corporate Partnerships.
Available
through the Resource Center at http://www.nationalserviceresources.org
Read
Back Issues of OTG e-TA
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