The World's Your Stage

FUNDRAISING

by William F. Baker

This subject, while it seems difficult and nuanced, is in many ways the easiest to master—to raise funds, you just have to ask! It may not be as simple as “ask and ye shall receive,” but it’s a sure thing that if you don’t ask, you won’t receive. It is amazing how many people stew about asking for financial assistance, don’t do it, and then say they are having difficulty getting support. Why does this happen? The answer, of course, is that most of us find it hard to do. We feel like supplicants or think for some social reason that it’s not right to ask directly for help.

In fact, though, most of our requests are ...