Asking your neighbor for a cup of sugar doesn’t seem so daunting. Yet, asking someone to donate to a cause you feel so passionately about can cause your palms to sweat and your heart to race. 
 
The American Legion Auxiliary Foundation Board of Directors took this challenge head on when they invited Marcy Heim, fundraising consultant, to lead a daylong training on “Making an Artful Ask.”
 
“Each year, I look forward to learning something new and being challenged to think outside the box for ways to work and meet our mission,” said Terri Wallace, ALAF board treasurer. 
 
After a morning discussing how to create a culture of generosity, why people give, and the cycle of successful relationships, the board was ready to write and make their own ask. With Heim’s three-sentence ask, board members quickly learned they could use it to ask for anything. 

• Ask someone to dinner
• Ask someone to join them at a volunteer event
• Ask someone to become a member
• Ask someone for a meeting with ALA National Headquarters’ Development Division staff and the ALAF board
• Ask someone for a specific donation

“Our time together with Marcy focused my thoughts on the ideas of joyous giving, the artful ask, and grateful recipients,” Wallace said. “She helped me to clarify my role as an ambassador for the ALAF and the ALA and how to create my ambassador plan.”
 
If you aren’t sure where to start when asking for a donation or even asking someone to join the American Legion Auxiliary, start with Heim’s three-sentence ask:
 
You have (Why are you asking them?)
You understand (What is their special connect to your request?)
Would you consider (What exactly do you want and what will it be used for?)
 
The possibilities are endless … if you just ask!

By Madison Maves, Staff Writer