You made the ask. You named a number. Then came a pause, and the sentence every fundraiser dreads: “Let me think about it.”
You thanked them, said you’d be in touch, and walked out to your car with no real idea what had just happened. Was that a soft no, or a real maybe? Did you say something wrong?
You know the drill. You wait a couple of weeks, call to check in, and get a friendly non-answer. The gift never gets declined, but the check never gets written. The ask just drifts.
Of course, when you’ve done your homework and cultivated the donor the right way, yes is the most likely answer you’ll get. Your donor knows the ask is coming. It feels like the natural next step, and they’re ready for it.
But you’ll still hear “let me think about it” sometimes, even from donors you’ve cultivated well. It isn’t a rejection. Most of the time it’s a statement of fact. The donor really does want to think about it.
What the Donor Is Actually Telling You
There is almost always a specific reason underneath the delay, and it’s rarely a lack of interest in your mission. Usually it’s one of these:
- The amount is larger than they expected, and they need to look at their finances.
- They need to talk it over with a spouse, a partner, or a financial advisor.
- The timing is wrong for a check today, though it might be perfect in January.
- They have a question they didn’t feel comfortable asking you in the room.
Each reason requires a different answer. And you can’t give the right answer if you don’t know which reason you’re dealing with.
Ask One More Question Before You Leave
The most valuable thing you can do happens in the next ten seconds, while you’re still across the table from them. Ask the donor a question: “Of course. Can I ask what you’ll be thinking about?”
That question isn’t pushy, and it turns a vague delay into a specific concern you can work with.
Some donors will tell you flat out that the number is too high. Others want to run it past a spouse first. And every so often you’ll get an objection or concern that the donor had in the back of their mind the entire meeting, the one that was actually holding up the decision.
Once you get an answer to that question, ask another one: “When would be a good time for me to check back in?”
Let the donor pick the date. Write it down in front of them so they know you plan to honor it.
The Next Forty-Eight Hours
Send a short note. Thank them for their time, since there isn’t a gift to thank them for yet, and add a sentence or two related to the concern they raised at the meeting.
If the number was the problem, the note can mention a multi-year pledge. Three payments of $10,000 feels very different from one check for $30,000, and for many donors that’s the difference between a yes and a no.
If they want to talk it over at home, offer to meet with both of them. If the sticking point was a question about your programs, send the one-page outcomes summary and let them read it on their own time.
Then Make the Call
Most major gifts fundraisers remember to follow up when a donor says “let me think about it.” That part usually isn’t the problem. What sinks gifts is when the fundraiser makes a vague call, three weeks late, that opens with “I just wanted to check in.”
Instead, open with the specific thing the donor told you they were thinking about.
“Hi Susan, it’s Joe. When we met, you said you wanted to look at the timing with your accountant before you decided. I wanted to see where you landed, and answer any other questions you have.”
Then stop talking and let them answer. Don’t try to fill the silence. If you do, you’ll end up saying something like, “Don’t stress out about it. If you can’t make the gift now, later this year would be great.” That just gives the donor permission to kick the can even further down the road.
If you get voicemail, leave a short message that says why you’re calling, then try again in three or four days. Try two or three times if you have to. Many fundraisers give up too early. For more on that, read “Have you called each donor seven times?”
If two or three voicemails go unreturned, send an email. If the donor says they need more time, ask for another date and put it into your moves management system like any other scheduled step.
Some of these gifts close in a week. Some take four months. A few end in a no. The most important thing is to get a final yes or a final no, rather than letting the ask sit in limbo forever after a donor says “let me think about it.”
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