Creator / originator

Farm Africa

Summary / objectives

Imagine this scene: You have 48 hours to raise £50,000 to save a forestry project in Ethiopia. If you can do this, you’ll secure an even bigger grant of half a million pounds. You’re stuck in a meeting in a noisy tapas bar off an equally noisy street in London when your mobile phone rings. You’ve been expecting the call. It’s from a wealthy prospect who you know has a passion for trees. Do you make ‘the ask’ in the worst possible surroundings?

Background

Farm Africa had just 48 hours to raise £50,000 or it would lose a grant worth £500,000 from DfiD, the UK Government’s Department for International Development, to fund a forestry project in Ethiopia (the charity had very little notice that DfiD had changed the matched funding aspect of the grant!).

The only option was to approach a major donor (but no one had ever given us that amount for years). An appeal mailing would take to long, as would a trust application.

But we did know of a wealthy individual who knew our President and had a passion for trees. The connection with our President got us in. I got through to the prospect’s personal secretary who said she would pass on the information and get him to call back.

The return call from the prospect came at the worst possible time – when I was in a noisy Tapas bar in a busy London street, the noise outside no better than that inside.

So, the ask had to made over a mobile phone. I explained the situation, ‘We need £50k”. “ I can’t give you £50k right now but I can give you half “ was the reply. We got the rest from a several other donors.

Influence / impact

The gift that Richard secured that day bridged the gap that secured the funds that saved the forest.

Costs

Not even the cost of a phone call (the donor phoned me).

Results

£25k raised immediately and the start of a long-standing relationship

Merits

It is often the very basic principals of fundraising that get forgotten. To secure a major gift you don’t need a slick presentation or smart proposal. You just need three things in place

1) The donor knows your organisation and its cause.
2) He or she has wealth.
3) He/she has a passion that matches your funding need.

Get those three in place and any donor will be delighted to help. Have only two then find the third before bothering with an approach. It’s also a great way to rebut the all too common suggestion, ‘Let’s ask Richard Branson’ (or any other famous, high-profile donor). The reply to this should always be ‘OK, who knows him, what’s his passion and how does it relate to our need?’.