Think ALI

I’m not talking about the boxing legend or a story from Tales of the Arabian Nights.  ALI is an acronym you can use as you engage with a new possible donor to intentionally learn the two key parts of what you hope will be a successful gift conversation.  First and foremost is gift motivation – what will move this person to say YES.  Almost as important is how the gift will be structured – when it will be made, with what assets, and in conjunction with what other considerations the donor chooses to share with you.

ALI offers a simple template for how you can set the agenda for this two part gift conversation.

Ask leading questions – questions like
“What about (our organization) is most important to you?”

“Where at (our organization) would you like to focus your giving?”

“What legacy would you like to create for yourself and for your family at (our organization)?”

“What charities do you support, serve as a volunteer?”

“What’s the best gift you ever made? The worst?”

Listen to the response
Seriously – stop talking once you ask your question.  Listen with your ears and with your eyes.  Studies show that nearly 90% of all communication is non-verbal.

Listen emotionally and intellectually.  The emotional part of what you learn will apply to gift motivation as you help your prospect connect feelings and values to appropriate funding opportunities.  The intellectual responses will inform you of the second part of a successful gift conversation – how you can best help your prospect say YES as you address such issues as triggering life events, asset allocation, and tax concerns.

Invite more information.
Once you have started the conversation and earned your prospect’s trust, your invitation is like opening a faucet of information.  Then you can invite the pertinent details on gift timing, the nature of giftable assets, who else should be involved, etc.

My favorite and most successful way of accomplishing this is to simply invite “Please tell me more.”

Some of my favorite follow-up questions include:

“What planning issues can I help you explore?”

“What are your family’s core values? Does everyone agree?”

“How much do you consider an appropriate financial inheritance for your heirs?”

“If a grandchild were asked, 50 years from now, to write a history of the family, what do you hope the story would include?”

“Have you made an estate plan? May we review it with you? Meet with your pertinent advisors?”

Think ALI.  On second thought, maybe it is a little like saying “Open sesame”.