Tales from the Field: Tips for Making Major Gift Asks Using Zoom
By Guest Blogger, Mundi McCarty, Director of Development, Hoover Presidential Foundation
In late March, my organization’s President & CEO, Jerry Fleagle, and I prepared to make a face-to-face visit with a 94-year-old donor couple to ask them to make a gift to a project we had discussed in a prior meeting. Then the Coronavirus erupted. As the state closed down, I called the couple to suggest we reschedule in a few weeks, hoping we could meet in person by then. They hesitated, citing their feeling that the entire COVID-19 situation would blow over. They reluctantly agreed to reschedule, and we set a date in a few weeks when I would contact them again to establish a new meeting time.
Within days of that initial call, it became apparent that meeting in person would not happen anytime soon. As I considered their interests and desire to make an early gift to our project, I decided that meeting virtually to ask them to make a gift presented our best option. By that time, we all had become familiar and comfortable with the Zoom meeting format, but I wondered what comfort level our 94-year old donors had. Would they react well to me asking them for a gift through video?
Just as we should never presume that a donor cannot make a gift during challenging times, we should also not presume that they will have no interest in trying new things like virtual meetings. The donors jumped at the opportunity to connect online! I emailed them the meeting invitation and included a link to a short, step-by-step YouTube video on how to participate in a Zoom call. I also offered to do a run through the day prior to our meeting to make sure they had their technology set and felt comfortable.
With two meeting presenters – Jerry and me – I knew we needed a well-scripted agenda, so we did not talk over each other during the presentation. Jerry and I held a practice session to run through the presentation that included a few PowerPoint slides. The script also outlined several questions we wanted to ask the donors to allow plenty of time for their feedback and comments.
I logged-on to the Zoom call early to prepare for any last-minute technical assistance they might need and assure that we could share the presentation from my screen. After a few minutes to get their audio and video set up on their iPad, we connected and started talking in no time! The flow of the agenda allowed for back and forth conversation as well as visuals of our topic of discussion.
At the end of the meeting, the donors felt satisfied with their first Zoom experience, and Jerry and I felt comfortable knowing that we can coordinate productive virtual donor meetings. A win-win scenario for everyone!
If you plan to ask someone for a gift using video technology, a few things you might consider:
Make sure you have established a relationship ahead of the ask call. We had met with this couple face-to-face prior to the pandemic and established the foundation of a relationship which made the follow-up ask via technology easier.
Make sure the donor has comfort with the technology. Do not assume they will not want a video call, but also do not assume they will. Ask them and follow their wishes.
If they need technology help, provide it. Sending the Zoom instructions and logging on ahead of time helped lessen their technology-related jitters and helped make the call more successful for us and them.
Practice more than usual. Technology prevents you and your partner from sharing nonverbal cues during the meeting. Make sure you have a clear agenda and understanding of the flow of the meeting, especially if you have another person on your call from another location.
Allow more time. It took us time to get set up. Some of the natural give-and-take of a face-to-face conversation take longer via video because we cannot have side conversation or talk over people. Screens freeze and audio jumbles. All of these can make a video call longer than a phone or face-to-face conversation. Have patience!
While I still prefer to meet donors and prospects face-to-face, social distancing protocols might make that more difficult in the coming months. Rather than forgo asking for major gifts or doing so in impersonal ways like letters or emails, this experience makes me much more likely to try again!
Mundi McCarty is the Director of Development at the Hoover Presidential Foundation in West Branch, Iowa. Her role focuses on working with donors on their major and planned gift interests, grants and annual support for the Hoover Presidential Library and Museum and the Hoover National Historic Site.
