Part 2 of 3: Ask Better, Raise More: 14 Proven Types of Fundraising Ask Tactics
- May 16
- 10 min read
Part 2 of 3: Ask Better, Raise More: 14 Proven Types of Fundraising Ask Tactics
Most fundraisers spend far too much time worrying about the “perfect ask,” as if somewhere out there is one magical sentence that makes every donor instantly reach for a checkbook. There isn’t. Fundraising is not a Jedi mind trick, and donors are not slot machines you jiggle until money falls out.
The truth is much more practical: different donors respond to different types of asks, and the best fundraisers know how to choose the right one for the right person at the right moment.
That’s why experienced fundraisers don’t fall in love with just one asking style. They build a toolkit. They know when to keep it simple, when to make it visual, when to create momentum, when to lean into competition, and when to invite support without asking for money at all.
In other words, they don’t walk into every donor meeting swinging the same hammer and hoping everything turns into a nail. They use judgment, timing, and a little creativity—which, frankly, beats awkward begging every time.
In Part 1, we covered five foundational ask tactics that help you start conversations and create momentum.
In this part of the series, we shift from momentum to structure—focusing on the ask tactics that build consistency, loyalty, and scalable revenue across your donor base.
Ask Types and Forms
6. Recurring gifts
A recurring gift is one that’s broken down into smaller increments and made at regular intervals over time. This is a favorite among fundraisers for donors who give $12,000 or less a year. Donors who say “No” to a one-time gift of $500 or $10,000 gift will often say “Yes” if you structure the gift as a monthly credit card payment of $42 or $833, respectively.
Many donors like this option because it syncs better with their cash flow, eliminates the “one big check” syndrome, and allows them to earn bonus points on their credit card.
You can set up recurring payment systems using credit cards, debit cards, automatic bank withdrawals, and mobile app payment systems.
Credit cards have expiration dates, so it’s important to create a system that reminds people to update their card information when their expiration draws near. When it’s time for a donor to renew a gift, create incentives for them to uptick their gift by 10 or 15 percent.
A recurring gift works best when it’s tied to a particular outcome so the donor can see how you’re using their donation and the specific benefit it provides.
“Your monthly gift last year was $200. This allowed 20 blind women the opportunity to learn how to type and use computers to get jobs. This year, would you be willing to help 25 blind women by increasing your monthly gift to $250?”
Recurring gifts are powerful because they turn generosity into habit. And once a donor sets it up, the organization benefits from steady support while the donor feels good every month without having to repeatedly make a decision. That is efficient fundraising and efficient psychology all rolled into one tidy automatic payment.
7. Lead gifts
A lead gift is a very large donation that one or more major donors make to kick off a fundraising campaign or event. The purpose of a lead gift is to inspire others to join the giving initiative. A lead gift can be substantial in size, sometimes as much as 50 percent of the total goal, though 10 to 20 percent is more common.
Many major donors feel honored when asked to make a lead gift, which can deepen their emotional connection to a mission and their personal involvement to fulfill it. Lead gifts can also motivate donors to get their friends, family, and business associates involved.
The best fundraisers use lead gifts because they know major donors like to see their gifts leveraged by encouraging others to give. In fact, a large gift by a well-respected donor can add tremendous credibility to a campaign and inspire dozens of people, sometimes hundreds, to follow their lead and make a gift.
When launching a campaign, talk with a few of your largest donors and ask if they’d be willing to make a lead gift. Be sure to tell them how you plan to leverage their names and gifts, and how you plan to recognize them.
“Stephanie, as you know, we are expanding our facility to build a new recreation center for disadvantaged youth. You’ve been one of our most loyal supporters. Without you, we wouldn’t have our current facility. In June, we are kicking off a building campaign to raise $2.5 million. On behalf of the board and all the disadvantaged children of Simi Valley, we are graciously asking if you would make a lead gift in this campaign in the amount of $500,000 . . .
. . . If you make this gift, I’m confident Sam and Betty Johnson and Brandon and Cheryl Mazzi will both commit to gifts of $250,000. I’m also confident that we can leverage your name and reputation in all types of media, communications, and public appearances to raise funds from hundreds of our donors to achieve this Herculean goal. Stephanie, will you kick off this campaign to help hundreds of children and inspire others to give by making a lead gift of $500,000?”
Lead gifts do more than provide cash. They provide confidence. They signal that someone credible has gone first, which makes it easier for others to step in. Nothing says “this campaign is real” quite like a respected donor writing a very large check and making everybody else suddenly sit up straighter.
8. Giving clubs
Giving clubs, also known as “giving societies” and “sustainer programs,” provide donors options to give at varying donation levels. Fundraisers like giving clubs because they can inspire donors to migrate to higher giving amounts over time. They also create donor “stickiness” by creating a sense of community and culture that encourages people to join a club and remain loyal to it.
If you want to use giving clubs, make sure you design them in a manner that appeals to your donors’ sense of status and style, matches the themes of your fundraising efforts, and fits your culture.
For ideas, search out the largest nonprofits on the Web. Organizations like the Red Cross, The Nature Conservancy, and World Wildlife Fund use giving clubs. Also check out hospitals, universities, and large cultural nonprofits such as museums and art institutes. You can get great ideas from others who have forged ahead of you.
Some classic giving club examples include: President’s Club, Director’s Club, Legacy Club, Founder’s Club, Founder’s Society, and Heritage Society. Let’s say you ran a marine preserve. You could create a set of giving club levels like these: Whale $10,000, Porpoise $5,000, Sea Otter $1,000, Penguin $500, and Starfish $100.
The possibilities are endless. Your goal is to use giving clubs to build loyalty and inspire donors to migrate to higher and higher club levels. You can only do this if you make each club something exclusive and appealing—something people feel the need to belong to.
For props, you can design logos, collateral material, and swag for each level. Ask yourself how you can make each level unique and special.
“Mrs. Jones, you’ve been a loyal Penguin giver for three years. Would you like to take a jump in the ocean and become a Sea Otter donor this year for $1,000?”
“Kenny, on behalf of the board, we’re grateful for your longtime financial commitment and your dedication as a volunteer. As you know, the aquarium is under expansion. Would you be willing to make a stretch commitment and move from the Porpoise level of giving ($5,000) to the Whale level of giving ($10,000) for the next three years to fund the new ‘Living Reef’ exhibit?”
“Teri, we’ve started a Founders Club. It requires an annual gift of $5,000 and a commitment to sponsor a table at the gala for $5,000. You’ve been a loyal donor for 10 years and it’s an honor to ask you to join this club. Would you be willing to join me in making this commitment?”
Giving clubs work because they mix identity, recognition, and loyalty. They give donors something to belong to, not just something to fund. And let’s be honest, people have always liked tiers, badges, titles, and exclusive perks. Humanity basically invented hierarchy and then called it stewardship.
9. Sponsorship gifts
Sponsorship gifts provide donors a vehicle to underwrite specific needs of a nonprofit. For example, a donor could give $10,000 to sponsor 10 children to attend a summer day camp, or $2,500 to sponsor the backdrops of a theatrical play, or $1,000 to sponsor a child to learn how to read.
Sponsorship gifts are another favorite among top fundraisers because they know donors like to give money to specific, tangible items that are measurable and often visible. What areas of your programming, operations, and fundraising can you turn into a sponsorship opportunity? Think out of the box. Have donors sponsor accounting fees, utility bills, mortgage payments, or a fundraiser. When you do create a sponsorship, make sure you develop a compelling message to entice people to “buy” it.
“Jenny, for $2,500 you could sponsor a blind, wounded warrior to attend a weeklong rehabilitation trip in Idaho to learn how to fly fish, ride horses, waterski, and kayak . . . what do you think . . . would you be willing to sponsor a wounded warrior for this camp?”
“Tim, thank you for joining me for the tour of our new tech labs for inner-city children. It costs $10,000 to sponsor a lab, which covers all equipment, educational materials, and instruction for a year. Sponsorship also includes name recognition on a plaque on the door. Would you be willing to sponsor a room for a year?”
“Sherry, we already have three commitments from other donors to underwrite this year’s gala, including your best friends, Pam and Ron Selby. Would you and Jim be willing to sponsor the other quarter of the cost with a donation of $5,000?”
Sponsorships are effective because they give donors something concrete to react to. They can picture the room, the camp, the equipment, the child, the outcome. Abstract generosity is admirable. Concrete generosity is much easier to close.
10. Wish lists
Wish lists are simplified versions of sponsorship lists. They provide donors (usually small- to medium-sized donors) opportunities to “buy” specific, fairly inexpensive tangible items to support a nonprofit. A wish list could include items such as program equipment, phones, shelving, a used van, and printer toner. Nothing is too outlandish to list.
Savvy fundraisers use wish lists because they know many smaller donors are often leery of making unrestricted gifts because they are unsure where their money is going. But with a wish list item, a donor knows exactly what their donation is supporting and the benefit it will provide. It’s something they can see and touch—something real.
You can also use wish lists to motivate donors to spend money at events and galas, or on your website. As you’d expect, they are very effective during the holidays. When you create a wish list, be sure to design it to look upscale and exclusive.
Wish List Example
$3,000: 3 iPads for mobile staff
$2,500: 5 office desks for interns and volunteers
$1,500: 8 food barrels for perishable food pickup
$1,200: Gas and electric utility bills for a year
$750: 75 backpacks for children
$500: New snow tires for “Kids Rock” van
$250: Educational toys for children’s nutrition class
$150: New vacuum cleaner for children’s playroom
$125: New sink faucet in children’s bathroom
“Hi, Val! I’m calling to see if you received the wish list I sent. Last year you bought new rugs for the Learning Center for $400. This year would you be willing to buy snow tires for our “Kids Rock” van for $500?”
Wish lists are one of the most practical fundraising tools around because they answer the donor’s silent question: “What exactly am I paying for?” Sometimes the difference between hesitation and action is simply making the need feel real. Also, never underestimate the emotional fundraising power of a good vacuum cleaner and a set of snow tires for kids’ van.
Summary: From Momentum to Predictability
At this point, you’ve moved beyond simply making the ask to building systems that generate consistent, scalable revenue.
The strategies in this section—recurring gifts, lead gifts, giving clubs, sponsorships, and wish lists—are designed to do exactly that. They turn one-time generosity into ongoing support, create identity and loyalty among donors, and give you practical tools to fund real, tangible needs.
This is where fundraising starts to feel less reactive and more intentional. Instead of chasing gifts, you begin creating structures that invite them.
What’s Next (and What You May Have Missed)
If you haven’t read Part 1, go back. That’s where the foundation lives. You’ll learn more fundraising ask tactics and how to:
· Lower resistance with non-monetary asks
· Make clear, direct requests with simple asks
· Build urgency and momentum with challenge and matching asks
· And use pyramid structures to make giving visible and compelling
Those tools set the stage for everything you’ve just read.
· Secure multi-year commitments that create stability
· Navigate endowment conversations with major donors
· And introduce estate gifts in a way that feels natural, not uncomfortable
Because at the highest level, fundraising isn’t just about raising money this year. It’s about building fundraising scaffolding that lasts.
Tom Iselin
Rated One of America’s Best Board Retreat
and Strategic Planning Facilitators
About the Author
Tom Iselin is recognized as one of America’s leading authorities on high-performance nonprofits. He has built nine sector-leading nonprofits and two software companies, written six books, sits on multiple boards, and has been rated one of America’s Best Board Retreat and Strategic Planning Facilitators. His work on nonprofit strategy, board leadership, and culture has been featured on CNN, Nightline, and in Newsweek.
Tom is the president of First Things First, a firm specializing in board retreats, strategic planning services, fundraising strategy, and executive coaching for nonprofit CEOs.
Board Retreats & Strategic Planning
If you’re looking for a board retreat facilitator or strategic planning facilitator who has been in the trenches and understands real-world nonprofit challenges, Tom can help your board gain clarity, build alignment, and create an actionable plan that improves performance and impact. His sessions propel organizations to the next level of performance and impact . . . and they're fun!
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