Audit your ask

Last year, Volunteering Australia conducted a survey around the barriers to volunteering. In this survey 45% of respondents noted the reason they did not volunteer, as "No one asked me!"


Why is it so common for community groups to have fabulous promotion, to tell incredible stories, to passionately talk about their group and all the fabulous work they are doing and then not back it up with a clear ask?

Why do we humans, shy away from the sale, avoid the ask and run from rejection?

We are social creatures, our desire to belong is hardwired and our fear of rejection runs deep. So deep, that sometimes, even the possibility of someone saying no to us,  can trigger subconscious fears. These fears, unknowingly sit below the surface and elevate when we risk a no. They give rise to anxiety and set off responses that firmly nudge us back into our comfort zone. It is more common than we might think and it is prevalent in so many aspects of our lives.

And what about the opportunity left on the table when we fail a potential volunteer / member / donor by not asking them to contribute. We inspire them with our messages, our great work in the world and then we cut short of offering them the chance to be involved. What if your opportunity were the thing that could renew their spirit / enrich their lives/ reduce their hopelessness, but we can't get out of our own way long enough to give them the chance to decide for themselves. Sometimes we have heard no so often, that we automatically start to anticipate this same response and before we know it, we wind up mistakenly taking the opportunity away from them.

This month, I'm encouraging my clients to do an audit of their ask. Review how you ask for involvement with these guiding questions.

Is your ask confident?

If you are not confident when you ask, they will never be confident to join. Have courage of conviction and know that you provide value. Your cause is worthy. Believe you deserve a yes and this will come through in your ask. If you ask anticipating a no, you send a message that you don't believe it's a good opportunity and so the potential supporter will respond accordingly.

Is your ask concise?

Are you rambling on with detail and avoiding the actual ask? Are you scared of someone saying no? We have all, at some point, experienced a sales person who couldn't cut to the chase and just ask what they needed to ask? Tap in to the feeling of how frustrating that was. If someone is nodding their head, engaged and agreeing with you, jump in with an ask. People need less information than you might think to make a decision.

Is your ask clear?

Detail what you actually want them to do. People have preconceived ideas of what it means to be a volunteer. My mum was always on school council when I was a child, it was drama filled and time consuming and this was my memory, so when I was asked to join school council for my own childs' school, this was the immediate thought that came to mind. If you are not clear with your ask, they will default to the information from their past experiences to decide on their answer. Experiences you have no control over. Get in control of your ask by being clear about what, when, and how much time it will take. Consider starting with a small ask, building loyalty and trust and then moving to the larger asks from there. 

Is your ask common?

Do you give a confident, clear and concise call to action regularly through your communication channels?  People need to be exposed multiple times before they take action, so ask away. As we say in fundraising, it's a numbers game, every no will bring you one step closer to a yes.