Asking Is Uncomfortable, If It Were Easy Everyone Would Do It

You have chosen a great path– a hard one no doubt, but a great one. Asking for contributions and support is one of the hardest things to do as it can feel uncomfortable and awkward.

Asking may be hard–but remember the iconic scene from “A League of Their Own” where Tom Hanks is telling his best player why playing baseball is supposed to be hard? The quote and link to a 12 second video is below:

“It’s supposed to hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.”

The scene has 2 important messages:

It should reassure you that even though you may find asking uncomfortable, you are doing the right thing. You are truly helping move your mission forward.
It shows what a great coach can do. Watching Tom Hanks makes us believe we can do anything(which by the way you can!) and it helps us keep pushing forward.

As your coach, I have one goal for you: help you raise all of the funds you need.

Be proud, because you are doing something life-changing and maybe even life-saving!

The truth: Asking does not have to be uncomfortable. You can do it and you can be successful!

Recently, Amy Eisenstein, Major Gifts guru, spent a webinar hour with me and hundreds from around the world to share: 3 Secrets to Raising Major Gifts You Can’t Survive Without.

In my 30+ years of time working in the social sector I’ve found that the best “askers” are:

The best relationship builders
The best at articulating what the money will do
Excellent storytellers
AND They understand asking for money is not about “them.” It’s about the people being served.

While asking for financial support can be scary and uncomfortable, it CAN get easier and become a rewarding experience. Similar to work, life or even baseball, when you practice the right way and learn every day, it can become one of the best parts of your life.

Check out these five excellent tools to help you find your comfort zone with asking for money: