From Fear to Funded: Empowering Volunteers to Raise Money

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Matthew Hugg
May 19, 2025

I have a career longer than I want to admit, and I can only recall once that a volunteer came up to me and said, “I love fundraising!” and really meant it. It took me off guard. But he was sincere, and he was pretty good at it too.

But why? Why did he love it? “Simple,” he explained. “I only raise money for causes I really believe in.”

He knew that being committed to the cause is more than half the battle. The rest came down to some basic concepts that make a surprising difference.

The most important? All fundraising needs “CIA.” No, not that CIA! I’m talking about Capacity to make the gift you’re asking for, Interest in your mission, and your Access to the prospective donor.

You need to have all three for any charitable gift, whether you’re asking for $25 in an email (where your “access” is their email address) or $25,000 in person (when you have their street address or an introduction from a mutual friend).

Which is most important? I: Interest. Why? Even if someone has substantial means, if they don’t care about what you do, you’ll get nothing or a “go-away gift” at best. (What’s a “go-away gift”? A very minor gift vs. their capacity with the idea that you’ll go away with something and they’re off the hook for more.)

Next? Know that ninety percent of fundraising isn’t asking for money.

Have a watch or a clock on your cell phone? Time yourself saying the words, “Can you help X-Y-Z charity with a gift of $1,000?” How long? If you took five seconds, you really stretched that out. The point is that the “ask” is an incredibly small part of the fundraising process. Yet it’s the part everyone focuses on and scares people the most!

So what else is fundraising? Identifying potential donors. Engaging them with the organization whether by phone, email, over lunch, etc. Building their relationship with the mission. Maybe that’s a tour or active participation (such as serving at your shelter), participating in an event or meeting the Executive Director. Connecting them with a specific aspect of your mission that seems to resonate with them, like a specific project and the project director.

These are “fundraising” things that just about everyone who is connected with your organization is glad to do.

After that, sure, someone needs to do the less-than-five-second ask.

But there’s more. After the ask—if they say yes—then a chorus of “thank yous” can begin. Personally, by phone, text, email and (yes) a handwritten note. Again, all things that even the most ask-averse volunteer can do.

But it’s most important to realize that at its core, fundraising isn’t about the money. So if not, then what? It’s about the mission—even more granular—it’s about who you serve.

Back to that less-than-five-second ask…

I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard the words, “It feels like begging.”

I get that, but it’s really an indication of how you see yourself in the process. If you’re asking someone who you know really doesn’t care for the mission, then sure. It’s about you and your relationship with your prospect. But that means you really haven’t done your job in educating them about the importance of the mission and how those you serve benefit from it. You have no idea about their level of “I,” Interest. You’re probably just going on what you think is their capacity and the fact that you have access.

I define the begging relationship as one-to-one, for me (121/4me), and that’s not fundraising.

So, what’s fundraising? Easy. One-to-one (you to them) for one, the person your mission helps. Or, 121/41!

What you’re proposing is a partnership where you bring the program and the donor brings the money to make the program happen, all for the benefit of the person you both agree needs help.

And one more point that made our volunteer successful: he knew that the most successful fundraising was “top down, inside out.”

What’s that mean? The best chance for any fundraising effort to succeed is when the insiders like the board, senior staff and fundraising volunteers all make their gifts first. After all, why should anyone else give if the people who are closest to the mission aren’t committed enough to make their own gift? And no, “I give my time and not my money” doesn’t count. Even if someone has lesser means, they have to make their gift at the level that’s meaningful for them.

And “top”? That means that the biggest potential donors need to be asked first, right after the insiders. Why? It’s human. The biggest potential donors are probably the ones that others in their community (however defined) know. Lesser donors will often gauge their participation and gift level based on their gifts. Plus, if you can show a “big start” early on, other donors will feel confident of the fundraising program’s overall success.

So there you have it. Combined with his own commitment to our cause and keeping three simple points in mind: CIA, 121/41 and “top down/inside out,” we had a volunteer that knew that he could enjoy helping his favorite cause.

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Author: Matt Hugg is president of Nonprofit.Courses, and mentor at the John S. Watson School of Public Service at Thomas Edison State University. He can be reached at [email protected].

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