Ask Benevon

Ask Event Invitations

Q: Is there a printed Ask Event invitation, since there is a Save the Date template?

David in Arizona

A: The whole focus of the Benevon Model is on developing personal relationships. That is why we have Table Captains invite people they have already invited to Point of Entry Events or other people with whom they have a relationship, either face to face or with a phone call. After they say yes, then send a Save the Date. There are no printed invitations for the Ask Event.

Deciding to Have an Ask Event

Q: What should be our biggest consideration in deciding if we are ready to put on an Ask Event and why?

Andrea in Georgia

A: Your biggest concern is definitely how many people have attended your Point of Entry Events so far. The success of the Ask Event will depend on having a minimum of 40% of the guests attend a prior Point of Entry Event. We call this the 40% critical mass rule, and it is not hard to achieve.

Furthermore, once you commit to putting on the event and select your Ambassadors, you can begin our Point of Entry “backfill strategy” to help you exceed 40%. Of course, the higher the percentage of guests at your Ask Event who have been cultivated through the first two steps of the model, the better. Many groups we work with already know that 50-80% of their Ask Event guests have been cultivated sufficiently so that they arrive at the Ask Event predisposed to giving.

Setting Up a Point of Entry in a Box

Q: Our location is difficult for people to come to. What do we need to do to set up a Point of Entry in a Box?

Brian in New Mexico

A: We don't recommend doing Points of Entry in a Box until you are very comfortable with your in-office Point of Entry Event. Once you start doing them, remember that the Point of Entry in a Box program should follow the same format as your in-office Point of Entry. You may have fewer speakers, but the content should be the same. You will need to come up with visuals, i.e., a tri-fold board focused on each bucket area, small displays, and/or props. For example, the American Red Cross might bring a comfort kit or burned-out smoke detector to use as a prop during their “respond” bucket story about a house fire rescue to help bring it to life. A natural Emotional Hook is seeing work at your facility firsthand, so it's always better to have your Point of Entry Event at your office if possible. Sometimes changing the time of day for your in-office Point of Entry Event lets people come to your main location on the way to or from work, making it more doable.

Q&A in the Point of Entry Program

Q: Can we incorporate Q&A into the Point of Entry program?

Michelle in Wisconsin

A: There is no built-in time for questions and discussion time during the Point of Entry program. We have found that Q&A time tends to cause many guests to tune out if the question does not pertain to them personally. Also, some questions are highly personal and require a lengthy answer. You can answer questions after the program if people really want to stick around, but the Follow-Up Call is the best place to address questions that your Point of Entry guests have after going through your tour. If all of their questions are answered there at the Point of Entry, they might not be as inclined to take the Follow-Up Call.

Helping Table Captains Fill Their Ask Event Table

Q: What should I tell a Table Captain who might not be able to fill a table of ten?

Maria in Hawaii

A: The ideal Table Captain is an Ambassador who has had at least ten guests attend a Point of Entry Event in the year prior to the Ask Event. Their table of ten at the Ask Event should include at least four of these recent Point of Entry guests. If they are having trouble filling their table, help them make a personal Treasure Map to add to their list of Point of Entry guests prior to the Ask Event.

Ultimately, it they have fewer than fourteen confirmed guests at their Ask Event table, arrange for them to share a table with another Table Captain. Otherwise, staff may fill the remainder of their table using the Secondary Invitation Strategy, by inviting other prior Point of Entry guests who may not otherwise have a Table Captain to invite them.

Using the Benevon Model in a Small Town

Q: Our city has a population of fewer than 100,000. There are only a handful of people with significant money. How can we be successful with the Benevon Model?

Tara in Colorado

A: Just like the organizations in the big cities, we find that most organizations in rural areas or smaller towns do not need new donors. You have plenty of supporters right under your nose. Your job is to get to know them, deepen your relationship with them, and convert them, over time, to lifelong donors.

If there was enough support for your organization to make it this long in your community, it is because there is a need for what you provide. Get these supporters to Point of Entry Events, then follow the steps in the Benevon Model.

Rather than assuming these people do not have the capacity to give, and focusing instead on chasing the short list of the wealthy people who may not know or care about your mission, work to engage your existing supporters by using the Benevon Model.

Getting Board Members Started with the Benevon Model

Q: I have been through training with you and implemented the Benevon Model at my former workplace. I am with a new nonprofit that is facing a financial crisis and we are implementing an urgent fundraising strategy. But I have really been pushing the need to plan a long term strategy and begin that at the same time. All of my board members have watched the 55-minute video. We just had a meeting and voted unanimously to implement the Benevon Model, with our first Point of Entry taking place in January.

As part of our immediate response to our financial crisis, the board has reviewed a number of lists of recent contributors to political campaigns. They have also reviewed lists of our last three years of donors. I have asked each member to identify anyone on the lists that they know. We will be needing to make direct asks of many of these folks to carry us through our immediate needs. But I have also told the board to begin thinking about who they will invite to our next few Point of Entry Events. Several board members have now pulled their lists of names together and have asked me what to do because they feel that it is those same people that they could call and ask for contributions now that they would ask to attend Point of Entry Events in the next few months, and they don’t want to do both. With one of them, I suggested that we do personal asks now and invite them to attend one of our first Points of Entry (with hors d'oeuvres and cocktails) as a thank you and an opportunity to learn more about the cause they have just contributed to. But my board member didn't feel that would be appropriate for his list. I'm certain the same question will come from other board members.

I'm thrilled that the board is so ready and eager to embrace the Benevon Model—but we also need to make these immediate personal asks. I would truly appreciate your thoughts on this matter. We intend to have our first breakfast fundraiser in June after we have held five Point of Entry Events.

Jennifer in Utah

A: As you know, ideally, if you are using the Benevon Model, you would have the board members bring their guests through a Point of Entry Event first. That way they will be educated and exposed to the mission before they are asked. Starting with a list of donors to political campaigns, while it may be useful to your board members as a starting place, is a much more traditional transactional approach. Given the urgent nature of the need, I would suggest that each board member, at a minimum, identify people whom they have reason to believe would be supportive of your mission for the long term. Include all prior donors. Hold one Point of Entry Event for these friends and then follow up with one-on-one Asks. If they must ask for money before someone comes to a Point of Entry Event, be sure each donor is thanked personally for their support, including examples of what their gifts have made possible, and then invited to a Point of Entry.

Also, as you begin to implement the model, remember that we never recommend "pre-qualifying" who should come to a Point of Entry. Perhaps the board would benefit from looking at their entire personal network (friends, family, colleagues, etc.) and not just people who have money and have given to other organizations in the community.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention my new book, which is designed for groups that want to start by self-implementing the Benevon Model and are committed to getting it right.

Honoring Higher-Level Donors

Q: How do we honor our loyal donors who give us considerable amounts of money (like $500 or more per year) but who have never attended a Point of Entry Event and who do not make multiple-year pledges that would have them qualify to be part of our Multiple-Year Giving Society?

Rachel in Ohio

A: If your organization is large and you have the ability to have someone focus on these donors specifically, begin a Know-Thy-Donor program to integrate them into your new system. Start by stratifying your list of donors and choosing the cutoff point for the dollar levels you want to focus on, such as all donors who give $1,000 or more annually or donors who give $500 or more annually. Then, call them individually and invite them to public or private Point of Entry Events, follow up, and make a customized cultivation plan for each donor based on their particular bucket area of interest in your work. If the donor is especially engaged and interested in your organization, consider asking them to become an Ambassador.

Motivating Board Members to Invite Guests to Point of Entry

Q: We are a behavioral health organization and there is a lot of stigma around our work. We are worried that our board members aren't inviting people to our Point of Entry Events because they feel uncomfortable talking about people with mental illness. How can we motivate them to bring others?

Jessie in Illinois

A: Start by doing the Passion Retread exercise with your board to get them reconnected to why they are passionate about the mission. Remind them that this isn't about pre-qualifying who they can invite to the Points of Entry; rather, it's about inviting everyone. Have one or two board members who have invited others share what they heard from the people who attended to motivate others to get started. You can also encourage other board members to practice inviting others to the Point of Entry. Don't expect that 100% of your board members will be inviting people to your Point of Entry Events, but with a little practice and guidance, many will find it rewarding. It's a process.

Also, look beyond your board. Look to all the other people who love your mission and who proudly talk about your work in the community. Focus on working with the people who are excited and willing to do the work as Ambassadors, such as parents and other family members of clients, or members of staff.

Handwritten Notes as Follow-Up

Q: You talk so much about e-mail and voicemail as ways to stay in touch with donors. What about the hand-written note? I still feel that's the best.

Mary Ann in Georgia

A: For many people, that's true, and they may save your letters forever. But for many others, e-mail or telephone is more personal, and allows for an immediate dialogue that enables you to deepen your relationship with the donor over time. Think of the generation of the person you want to talk to and their preferred medium of communication.

If you want to write a letter, suggest in it that you'd like to give the person a call soon to get together or in some way have a dialogue with them. Often letter writing, while wonderful for some, is a way to avoid real contact with donors. If you are serious about major gifts, you will have to start talking to people and engaging them in that dialogue.