It gives people who have been through the first steps of the Benevon Model an opportunity to fund the sustaining operations of the organization.
After you have educated and inspired people at a Point of Entry®, followed up with them to see if and how they might like to become involved, and then had many personal contacts with them along the Cultivation Superhighway™, there will come a time when the fruit has naturally ripened and is ready to be picked. The Free One-Hour Ask Event is that opportunity. And because the cultivation process has shown these people that they can trust you to use their gifts wisely and put the money where it will be used best, many of these donors will be willing to make unrestricted gifts toward your operational needs for many years to come.
It gives new people who might not come to a Point of Entry an opportunity to be exposed to your work.
The Table Captains at the Free One-Hour Ask Event often have access to people you would love to have attend a Point of Entry. While Table Captains are certainly encouraged to bring each of their guests to a Point of Entry, many guests will decline such an invitation and prefer to just come and sit at the table of a friend at the Ask Event. The powerful program at the Ask Event, combined with the energy of the crowd in the room, makes for a dramatic introduction to the organization. For these guests, the Ask Event serves as their Point of Entry; it piques their curiosity enough so that they want to learn more.
It is consistent with the new reality we live in.
The Free One-Hour Ask Event honors people's busy schedules by keeping to a sixty-minute schedule. It is straightforward and permission-based. It tells the organization's story in a thoughtful manner and does not pressure or strong-arm anyone to give. It lets people choose for themselves if and how they want to become involved.
It gives people the opportunity to declare their ongoing support for your work by becoming a member of your Multiple-Year Giving Society™.
Although they know they can give to you one year at a time, a certain percentage of these donors will be happy to make a pledge to give substantial amounts for at least five years in a row. They will understand what you are trying to accomplish and be proud to publicly declare their support by becoming a founding member of this giving society.
Your organization can cultivate these loyal donors in special ways so they can become more involved, introduce others, and continue to give at increasing levels.
The biggest benefit of the Multiple-Year Giving Society is that it allows people to clearly identify themselves as being "with you" on the mission. They are asking to be part of your organization's family. They are asking to be kept informed and involved. This allows you to meet with them individually and in groups for special cultivation activities and to share with them the plans for the next phase of fulfilling your mission, including capital campaigns, endowment, and restricted major gifts.
It gives your loyal supporters a once-a-year opportunity to reconnect with what they love about your organization; it is a natural "feel-good" event.
The Ask Event becomes a special reunion for insiders who may choose to be Table Captains year after year. For many, this is their one active form of involvement with the organization, and it gives them great pleasure to invite people to learn more about the organization. Since they understand how the event works, they are not afraid that their friends will feel pressured to give, and they look forward to the event each year.
It reconnects your board, staff, and volunteers to their passion for your mission.
When they attend the event and look around the room at the crowd that has assembled to hear about your work, and when they listen to the impressive and inspiring program, everyone involved with your organization will be very proud. We often hear stories of board members who say, "Why didn't we do this sooner? This is great; this is why I got involved here in the first place."
If you repeat the event annually, you will be able to phase out—over time—many of the other more labor-intensive events your organization puts on.
Eventually, as the bottom line increases and more and more people come to trust the power of the Ask Event, volunteers and board members will begin to question the need for some of the other events. You will be able to assign a specific purpose to each event within your system, and some will naturally fall away.
It focuses all of your Point of Entry efforts towards a goal.
Once you get into an annual cycle with Ask Events, all of your Point of Entry Events and follow-up efforts become opportunities to introduce new people and develop relationships with potential Table Captains and guests.
It is likely to raise more money in one hour than any other event you have held.
Nothing speaks louder than results, and these will be noticed quickly. Furthermore, people often comment about how much easier and less expensive this event is to put on than other, more "entertainment-oriented" events.
