Laura Fredricks and The A$k

Posted by on October 15, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

Laura Fredericks, JD; expert fundraiser and internationally known inspirational speaker, was recently in Dallas to talk with our Association of Fundraising Professionals chapter.

We met Laura when we shared a book signing booth at the Baltimore AFP International Conference. Laura was signing her new book: The Ask: How to Ask Anyone For Any Amount For Any Purpose… and we were signing ours: Women, Wealth and Giving. I knew I’d found a kindred spirit.

So of course I eagerly attended the workshop and luncheon. Having read the book I wanted the experience. And afterwards we had some time for a short interview. Let’s see what Laura has to say…

“Money- have we made peace with it? I’m asking people to do something for the organization. Am I positive or not? If I’m not comfortable with the concept of money, it The Ask will not go well. You can’t ask in a genuine way. People who are good at asking are at peace with it- money. They have a good positive attitude in asking.”

Laura- If there were 3 or so key principles we need to know about asking, they’d be?

“1st: It requires preparation. It’s not just ‘x’ has money let’s go ask.  Not jumping in. It’s about the right person and the right match.

2nd: You need a tracking system. Organization… database so you can chart your movements.

3rd: Love what you do and be yourself. Do you like yourself? If you don’t – you have a negativity or lack of self-confidence in your work. Do you like what you do?  Non profits are booming, it’s very rewarding, how do you feel about what you do? Do you like where you’re doing it? There’s so much jumping around, so something’s wrong… And do you like whom you’re doing it with? Do you like the people you work with?

And sensitivity wins the day. I still want people to ask, to have the confidence to ask, because we need to do so for our organization’s mission. But we have to be enormously sensitive, stating, ‘While this may not be the ideal time- may we continue the conversation…?’

People give because it feels magnificent, they’ve done something meaningful. People get younger because they give…”

We laughed… “better than going to the spa.”

This is a book you won’t want to miss; written by a master at the craft of asking. And she obviously loves what she does. Join us for the rest of the story… Thank you Laura…

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    To begin with, this is an intelligent book - no small praise in the growing pantheon of efforts to explain philanthropy. While the idea of giving money to worthy causes will probably always be linked to words like "goodness" and "altruism," it often doesn't survive a critical analysis, particularly among those not intimately linked to nonprofits, because the feelings, mushy on their own, are usually unconnected to useful or concrete motivators. Which is, in its way, an irony of Women, Wealth, and Giving. Its main message circles around values and feelings, and yet it conveys concrete ways for women to make the most of who they are to help society. Margaret May Damen and Niki Nicastro McCuistion, in a way most current writers of philanthropy and the nonprofit world do not or cannot, have merged underlying passions with an intellectual authority to explain why women need to see themselves as donors separate from men.
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