If your Ask Event^™ results fell short of your goals, yet you feel the program came off "like clockwork," you should be suspicious. Odds are, the reason for the unsatisfactory results was one or both of the following:

1. There was not enough emotion in each element of the program in order to build to the culmination needed by the time of the Pitch.

2. You did not make your needs known clearly enough—your organization looked like it had everything so well handled that either the donors did not feel their gift was really needed or that it would not make an essential difference.

Pitfall #1: Not Enough Emotion

It's not that it wasn't a great event. It's not that it didn't follow the model. It's not that it wasn't emotional. It just wasn't emotional enough. People need to be so deeply touched that they feel compelled to take action, and are not content to sit passively on the sidelines. The program has to stir up closely-held values and to touch on an issue that really matters to them. Was your event that emotional?

Do not trust your own judgment on this. Most event organizers are so wrapped up in both the Ask Event and the work of the organization that they have no capacity to objectively assess the emotional level of the program.

The emotion needs to be riddled throughout every aspect of the Ask Event, from the initial eye contact with the greeters at the front door to the final goodbye. Were the greeters smiling and natural as they welcomed each guest? Did they really connect with people?

Did the first, brief opening Emotional Hook^™ of the program relate directly to your mission, or did it feel to your guests like entertainment? If it was a flag ceremony, were those young people participants in one of your programs? Were the words of that poem or song relevant to the issues and needs of the people you serve? Was there enough music in the program? Was it appropriate to the mood you were trying to convey?

During the "downtime" in the program, when people were eating and socializing, was there an appreciative representative of your program coming around to each table passing out something one-on-one? Did that gift connect each guest more closely to your mission?

What about the Visionary Leader^™ Talk? Though it may have come off flawlessly, was there enough "heart" in it? Did the Visionary Leader's powerful passion for the work come through? Did they tell a story or share their personal reasons for being involved? Was it compelling enough to have been worthy of a standing ovation?

Likewise, did each person on the program, from the emcee to the Pitch Person, convey their genuine connection to the mission? Was it obvious to everyone that they truly love your organization, or did some of them seem to be brought in as mere window-dressing?

Did your video really make people cry three times? Was it overly technical or intellectual? Were people raving about it after the event or was it just "pretty good"?

What about the Testimonial Speakers? Did they move the audience? Were their stories compelling and truly transformational? Did they clearly convey the emotional impact of your work?

What about the Pitch? Did that person seem to have a personal connection to the organization? Were they respectful and honoring of the audience as they asked for money? When they finished, were people left knowing that this person sincerely cared more about the work of the organization than entertaining or impressing the audience?

Overall, did your event leave you wishing you had brought along an extra handkerchief? Did it make you want to go home and hug your kids or call your mother or your best friend and tell them about the wonderful event you'd just attended? Most of all, did it stir up your passion for that cause, that mission, that issue, or that problem? Did it remind you that the organization wasn't just doing good work, but that they were doing your work?

These are the questions you must ask in order to analyze the emotional impact of your Ask Event and to help you figure out which aspects of the program need improvement for next time.

Pitfall #2: Not Making Your Needs Known

Let's look now at the second major pitfall—not making your needs known. In this case, your Ask Event program was so smooth and so well choreographed that the guests were thoroughly entertained, yet felt no "call to action." Instead of feeling compelled to make a significant contribution that day, they felt appreciative to know that a great organization like yours was doing such good work.

This is a dangerous pitfall. People leave smiling, saying cordial pleasantries about the event and the organization, but they do not leave with a clear sense of the need. Why does your organization need their money anyway? Why would giving to your group make a difference? Why would it make the donors feel so good that they wouldn't even need to tell anyone else they had made the gift—as if giving to your group was a personal indulgence for them?

This is not just a pitfall that trips up well-heeled or larger organizations. Even with small, grass roots or start-up groups, the tendency at an Ask Event is to put your best foot forward. After all, the event is for you to tell your story to the community. Why would you want to show any of your weaknesses or vulnerabilities? Yet those weaknesses are precisely what they need to know about before they will give to you long term.

Not that you need to appear overly needy. Most people don't want to give to a group that's on the brink of closing its doors. They want to give to an organization that already has a demonstrated track record of success. They just need to see the gap. Even if you are the best-funded, most respected organization in your community, is your mission fulfilled? Why do you need the additional funds? What more would these funds allow you to provide?

Consider whether each element of the program at your Ask Event conveyed a sense of that gap—for example, being able to offer your super-effective special camp to even more kids each summer. Did you have kids and parents and counselors talking about the difference the camp made for each child? Did you cite statistics of the number of kids you had to turn away? Was there a moment in the event—perhaps in the video or the testimonial speech—when the guests felt the angst of the person who had to say "no" to those families?

There must be a moment in the Ask Event, and ideally several moments, when people have an overwhelming urge to take action to help remedy the problem. They don't need to feel sorry for the people you serve. They don't need to feel that your organization is the one and only group working to eradicate this problem forever; they just need to know that the money they might give you truly is needed and would benefit others. Did your event make that point crystal clear to your guests?

It's fine to have your event in a nice location and have it feel "classy." That won't deter people from giving. What will deter them is not seeing the need, because they won't have a clear sense of the gap between where the organization is now and what it will take to fulfill the mission. They need to know about your dreams for the future, not just the good you are doing in the present.

As with gauging the level of emotion that your guests experience in your program, when it comes to determining the extent to which the "gap" was missing, the best people to ask are your guests. Ask a few people who will tell the truth (perhaps a few of your more objective Table Captains), "Could you tell that we needed the money?"

Then, for your next event, go back to the drawing board and clarify your message. What are your dreams for the organization? What programs or services would you use this new money to fund? If you were to attend an event that talked about those needs, and demonstrated them several times throughout the program by using different media elements, would they be compelling enough to make you want to give?

People give when they are touched and inspired by the emotional impact of your work and a deep sense of the need. Make your Ask Event program convey these two elements, and your results will greatly increase.