IFMSA Leadership Training Program

Face to Face

Introduction Fundraising is a sort of begging. You are asking someone else to give you some money or consumables, to achieve something important for yourself. Mostly you fundraise for a cause you believe in (eg. for the Salvation Army); that might involve a direct profit for yourself (eg. traveling to a congress), or for someone else you are directly associated with (eg. for organ transplant of your child). But again, the beggars also need money for good cause, to be able to provide food and shelter for themselves and their families. This might sound rather gross, but it is important to realize, as it might explain why it is troublesome for some people to do it, especially face to face with a sponsor. Whatever form your fundraising takes; you might end up engaging in a face-to-face negotiation. A good face-to-face negotiation increases your chance of getting sponsorship dramatically. As a general rule, a face-to-face contact is better than a phone call, a phone call is better than a letter, a personalized letter is better than a form letter, and a form letter is better than a no letter at all. Unfortunately there is no single magical formula to make it work: However, being prepared helps -and following are some highlights from my experiences on how to get ready for a face-to-face negotiation... Practice! Negotiating face-to-face is hardly a pleasure for anyone and it might prove to be a major reason of anxiety. Indeed, some people are better negotiators than the others, easier with words, quicker in thinking, structured when talking and less uncomfortable when asking. Still, practice will perfect it and prepare you for the negotiation. To practice role-playing is the best way: try to identify your peers who would represent your potential donor. You will usually be speaking with someone from sales or PR department, holding a middle-management job, college graduate, almost always 35 years of age or older. Find as much information as possible about your contact person and try to find peers with similar background. Doing role-playing beforehand with your family, colleagues or friends might sound corny but it helps: It helps to ease you with words: Practice saying the words "We need you to give US$ l,000.-" or whatever amount you'll be requesting. It helps to ease your words: Practicing will give you an idea what style of conversation has the best effect, filter out many of the "project jargon" that you commonly use without considering if the other people know what they mean, simplify your words, pick most effective arguments and sentences. It helps you to predict and prepare for possible questions: Through simulations and brain-storming sessions, try to predict possible questions, and how to answer them most effectively. Although there will be questions you can hardly predict, still being ready for the mainstream of questions will have a very positive impact on the outcome of your negotiations. It helps you to adjust your body language: Body language is an important form of non-verbal communication. There is no single formula for using it for your benefit, as it changes with time and culture. For example, in some cultures talking while looking at somebody's eyes might be respectless, whereas in some cultures avoidingeye-contact might be interpreted insincere. Sitting a bit uncomfortable might be regarded respectful at some cultures, whereas indicate you are nervous in other cultures. With the help of the others from your own culture, practice to improve your body language (e.g. to show your enthusiasm about your project, or to show your interest in what he is saying). How much to ask? You are strongly recommended to think about how much you will ask much before you are engaged in negotiation, and practice asking it directly. Think of concrete associations with the requested funds (e.g. US$ 100.- will enable 200 children to get Small Pox vaccination). Know why you are asking that amount! Number one rule: Ask a specific amount! Avoid saying "We need you to give anything you can." Ask a specific amount! Be smart about how much you ask for. Perhaps a segment of your prospect list should get a call or letter asking for US$ 25.- to US$ l00.-, while another segment is asked for US$ l00.- to US$ l,000.-. Determine the amount by the prospect's interest in your cause and ability to give. Remember, you can always reduce the requested amount but it's hard to increase it. Contrary to what many inexperienced fundraisers think, lowballing the amount you ask for will not significantly increase the number of people who give. It will simply reduce the average contribution and total funds raised. Get Informed There is no way to estimate all the questions you might end up with. Be prepared, it will pay. You should know at least: The project details: objectives, rationale, method, material, target group and size, main budget lines The history of encounters with that specific potential donor: Previous experience with that potential donor in other projects, brief history of correspondence and wha has been sent, any telephone calls and name of the contact person, etc. If you already requested an amount in previous correspondence, know how much was asked! Remember, somebody could ask you how much you want, while looking at the number in your document or letter! This is a bit odd, but not rare! Know on which page the budget is, in the document. As the conversation will eventually come to the numbers, know which page to look at for them! Refer to the page number when referring to the budget! What to Bring Along? Do not assume that the person you will visit has read, or even has a copy of, your appeal documents. Always take two copies of it with you: One copy in case you need it, and one copy if they "cannot find where it was"! Also bring the copies of any documents that you would be referring to during your conversation (articles, annexes, statistics, samples, etc.) in case your potential donor asks you to provide that information. Shall you go alone or bring along a fried? This is totally a personal choice: Do the way you feel most comfortable. A friend, provided (s)he knows the project well, might be of valuable help when you cannot answer a question, get stuck with words, etc. However, remember: don't talk to each other unnecessarily, you are there to talk to a prospective sponsor... Focus! don't look at each other when the sponsor tells or asks something. Keep focused! During simulations ask your peers to check if you tend to loose focus! don't start talking at the same time. Don't give chaotic impression. Indetify who is the "pacemaker", or the person mainly responsible for the conversation. Idetify who is to answer what if possible, but this might prove to be extremely difficult and confusing. Alternatively agree on a "kick in" relay -how long other person should wait before taking over answering a question (3 seconds is a reasonable length of time). Or, agree on a subtle signal, which indicates that the second person should "kick in"... Going alone might be interpreted as a sign that you know what you are saying and you do not need help of the others to get your story through. Although you might end up totally stucked somewhere in the chain of thoughts, or get appalled with a question; you can develop tricks to gain some time to round up your thoughts. A favorite of mine is "coffee sipping": Even if a negotiation takes half an hour, my coffee cup is never empty... When I need that second to round up, I just sip my coffee (3 to 5 seconds), and usually by the time I put down the coffee cup, I have my sentence ready! Cold coffee might be disgusting, but it can save you out of an otherwise demoralizing situation! Check it Out! Checklist I: Do you know... the project details? the donor profile? the interaction history? how much to ask? why should they be interested? what will you say? Checklist II: Are you... enthusiastic about the project? feeling confident of yourself? a presentable person? a well structured talker? a good listener? ready for this appointment? The Hardest Part: How to ask? Number one prerequisite of a good face-to-face solicitation is to being able to ask money directly. Remember why you are there, remember that you have a limited amount of time, and therefore do not take too long to spill out how much you want. Keep the control of the conversation (be tactful in doing so!). You should not make a sponsor eventually ask you how much you want. If that happens, give a simple, direct answer (ideal answer:"We would like to have US$ ..."! Do not start making over-the-fly calculations (do them before you go there) or start telling why you need the money: Simply, that is not the question (that will most probably be the following question). Keep in Mind... Being late, even for a few minutes, is never a good start... “No show” is a total disaster... First impression always counts; and, most sadly, most of us are not as progressive, nor as open minded as we tend or love to believe. If your [noun] doesn’t [verb] it is rather sad, but, it is not their problem. Any excuse is not a good excuse for not knowing certain facts, not being able to deliver certain information or documents, not being there on time, etc.! If people listened to themselves more often, they'd talk less: A person could be nice enough to listen to you as long as you talk, but they usually have limited time for you. Remember why your are there: To ask for money! Do not have a too long introduction, do not take too long before you spell out what you want! Talk about one thing at a time, and follow a logical sequence. Accept that you cannot tell all you would like to tell. Focus on your reason to be there. Start with the "greater cause", connect it to rationale of your project, brief on your objectives, refer to your budget, and tell what you want and how much! Don't get lost in detail! People do not like repetitions, and might even get offended with it. those who do not know what to say, where to start, or feel uncertain about what they are saying. People like modesty, not shyness... enthusiasm and energy, not over-ambition... self-confidence and expertise, not arrogance... People like short, but precise answers to their questions. Be a good listener: Listen to what is asked, and answer what is asked! You can offend people, but that does not mean that they will necessarily show it to you. People think that a too many good news is too good. People do not like to feel like a purse or a safe, just like women do not like to feel like a piece of meat. Beware not to evoke negative reactions or feelings! People tend not to listen to too many facts and figures. Simply limit them, if cannot avoid them. People need not to be as interested and helpful as they seem to be. Questions are not necessarily a good sign of interest, but could also be a sign that you have created confusion or doubts... People love to promise things that they will never do. Never credit oral promises; and never think your oral promises will be credited... Do not expect you will leave with a load of money in your pocket on the way out, but make sure that you know when you will get an answer. You can never say "thank you" too often ...and, do not ever think these rules would apply to all...