Q: Our organization has been lucky to have sold some property that will enable us to build two new facilities. However, our community (including donors and grant funders) is wondering why we are still asking for money when we have all this money from the property sale. How can we overcome this perception that we no longer need financial assistance?

Ronnie in Florida

A: In situations where your community thinks your organization is financially "handled" (due to a successful Ask Event^™, a major gift, a sold property, etc.), you need to convey the next step in fulfilling your organization's mission. You will need to make clear your vision and goals for the future, so that your community will understand that there is in fact a gap between where your organization is now and where you need to go. You might want to convey that dream for the future in terms of people served, and you may even want to directly say what your recent property sale will allow you to accomplish. But emphasize how much more there is left to do in order to serve your community. You can give numbers, statistics (i.e., people still unserved), etc.

Terry