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For Major Gift Fundraisers and Nonprofit Leaders Who Are Ready to Stop Winging the Ask

Three workshops that take you from "Is this donor ready?" to "Here's exactly what I do next," with the words for every step.

You've Built the Relationship. Now Learn the Part Nobody Taught You.

One fundraiser wrote to me, "Of all the classes I've attended, no one has addressed the actual Ask." These three workshops do: how to tell when your donor is ready, how to lead the conversation and what to do once they've answered. It's the same approach that helped Craig Nason turn years of pursuing one funder into a five-year, $437,500 pledge.

Grab “The Connection-Based Ask Collection” and get three workshops (each with 60 minutes of teaching plus 30 minutes of live coaching) that cover the 3 moments where major gifts most often stall:

Before the Ask

Know which donors are ready for more, and what that readiness is telling you to do next.

SIGNALS FIRST: WATCH TODAY

During the Ask

Lead the conversation from a great connection to a clear, values-based Ask.

THE ASK, ALIGNED: LIVE OCTOBER 1ST

After the Ask

Respond to a yes, a no or a "not yet" in a way that keeps the relationship strong.

AFTER THE ASK: LIVE OCTOBER 29TH

You don't need to feel more confident before you start.

Confidence comes once you have an approach and the words to go with it — that's what you'll get when you master The Connection-Based Ask.

Start the first workshop today. Bring one real donor to mind, and walk away with a specific Ask number for them.

Grab the Full Collection Now

Get all 3 workshops for just $127

What if Your Biggest Opportunity is Your Most Reliable Donor?

Some of the biggest gifts I've seen have come from the donors everyone is neglecting to nurture because they’ve been filed away under "reliable."

Cristina Fragale was new to development at Preston High School, a small all-girls Catholic school in the Bronx. Her board wanted her to grow their major gift program.

So I asked Cristina to call everyone who gave $1,000 or more and ask a specific question. She left one long-standing donor a message.

Within minutes, her phone started ringing.

It was the donor, calling back to say she'd love to make a gift of $100,000.

And then Cristina did what so many of us would do in that moment. She was so excited that she said thank you… and hung up. She didn't ask what the gift was for, or whether it would come all at once or over time.

Then she called me. 😅

Today, that donor is funding scholarships and contributing $200,000 each year.

Look at everything that had to happen along the way:

Cristina had to recognize a donor who was ready for more.
She had to ask a question that connected the gift to what the donor cared about.
And once the yes came, she needed to know what to say next.

Those are the same 3 moments fundraisers regularly tell me they struggle with most:

  • "I'm unsure how to move from a good relationship to a clear Ask."
  • "How do I know what amount to even ask for?"
  • "Finding the right words for the acknowledgment so they feel appreciated and genuinely thanked."

Here's what I've learned after 30 years in this field:

People give at the capacity of the relationship.

So every one of those moments comes down to how well you're listening to your donor, and how clearly you invite them into something they already care about.

The Connection-Based Ask Collection walks you through all three moments, with the exact language to use at each one.

You'll also watch me coach real fundraisers through real donor situations, so you can see what this looks like in practice.

By the end, you'll know how to spot a ready donor, how to make your Ask and what to do the minute you hang up the phone.

Are You Ready to Stop Second-Guessing Every Donor Conversation?

I created The Connection-Based Ask Collection with you in mind if:

  • A donor tells you, "I'd love to do more," and you can't tell if that was a signal or if they were just being nice.
  • You pick your number by doubling last year's gift and hoping you didn't undersell it (or oversell it, or make it awkward).
  • Your mind goes blank the minute it's time to move from chit-chat to the reason you picked up the phone.
  • You leave the meeting replaying every word, wondering if you said the right thing.
  • A donor says, "not yet" and you're not sure whether to follow up or give them space

What Changes When You Know What to Say, and When to Say It

These fundraisers used the same connection-based approach you'll learn in this collection:

Five-year, $437,500 pledge

“Beth Ann is an exceptional leader in nonprofit fundraising with a true gift for helping organizations think through major gift fundraising. Her vast experience gives her the ability to quickly evaluate strategies and tactics for a range of donors.

She gave practical steps and language for our small team. Her coaching was inspirational, supportive, and ultimately essential in our journey to connect more supporters with our mission to end human trafficking.

We’re topping $1 million in revenue this year. So much of our recent growth and strategic focus has been supported through the wisdom and coaching of Beth Ann. I recently closed a pledge for $437,000, one of the most substantial wins we’ve had. Beth Ann has incredibly positive energy balanced with being direct and practical in coaching.”

CRAIG NASON,  DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
LABORATORY TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
DENVER, COLORADO

$1M, $250K and $200K gifts

"While working with Beth Ann, I helped close a $1 million gift, another at $250,000, and another for $200,000 from a private foundation.

These are some of the largest gifts we have closed! Beth Ann, your guidance and support gave me the confidence and support to succeed. I am so grateful for you!


PALMER COLSON
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
HISTORIC COLUMBUS
COLUMBUS, GEORGIA

Longtime donor moved from $25,000 to $50,000

"In a normal annual appeal we raise about $50,000. For our first Giving Day, we had an initial fundraising goal of $250,000 and we achieved that in only 2 hours. We then set a 'Bonus' goal of $400,000 — we achieved this within 6 hours! People continued to give anyway and we finished on $486,000.

Without a doubt, the ‘Managing the Portfolio’ tool that we used was one of the key factors in securing a very strong major gift pool.

One donor went from her biggest ever gift of $25,000 to a generous $50,000 thanks to your invaluable coaching. We continue to cultivate this donor for another, more substantial gift. Thank you so much, Beth Ann, for all your insights and guidance!"

JACKIE DALTON, DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT
FRENSHAM SCHOOLS
MITTAGONG, NEW SOUTH WALES

Three Workshops. One Donor Relationship.

Bring one real donor to mind.

Everything you learn gets applied to someone on your list right away.

Watch Signals First today.

Learn the spoken and unspoken signals that tell you a donor is ready, and leave with a specific ask number for them.

Join “The Ask, Aligned”
live on October 1st.

Get five ways to make the Ask and a calm response to "I need to think about it" (or silence).

Join “After the Ask”
live on October 29th.

Know how to handle a yes, a no or a "not yet," so every answer keeps the relationship moving.

Keep your 3 Words That Work guides handy.

There's one for each moment: before, during and after the Ask. Pull up the right one before your next call, meeting or follow-up.

Here's Exactly What You'll Get From Each Workshop

Each workshop includes 60 minutes of teaching, followed by 30 minutes of live coaching on real donor situations and comes with its own Words That Work guide, written for that specific moment in the relationship.

Here's exactly what we cover inside each one.

Workshop 1: Signals First

How to Read Donor Readiness and Make the Right Ask at the Right Time

INSTANT ACCESS: WATCH IT TODAY

The donor who's ready to give more is already telling you. Most fundraisers just haven't learned what to listen for yet. Signals First shows you what to listen for before you ever send a meeting invitation.

YOU'LL LEARN:

  • The spoken AND unspoken signals donors are sending you in your Discovery Calls, on thank you calls and at events — plus, what they’re telling you about their capacity and connection to your organization
  • Creative, relationship-deepening moves that close bigger gifts (including real examples). So that instead of a transactional thank you that leaves your relationships in limbo, you're inspiring donors to give more.
  • A repeatable process for identifying the right time, the right number and the right words for your next Ask. Close your next gift with confidence thanks to the proven strategies and authentic scripts I’ll share.
  • 4 relationship-deepening moves you can reuse, including the one that led a donor to turn a $2,500 memorial award into a $50,000 gift without being asked
  • A two-question readiness check for the right time, and how to choose the right number based on what your donor has told you (instead of doubling last year's gift and hoping)
  • Plus: See me coach real fundraisers on real donor situations, in real time, so you have concrete examples of what all this looks like in practice and you can apply these strategies the same day.

YOU'LL WALK AWAY WITH:

  • A specific ask number for the donor you have in mind right now, based on what they've actually signaled to you
  • A ready-to-use script for your very next donor conversation: the meeting request, the Ask itself, or both
  • A next move for the donor who's gone quiet or stalled mid-pledge, instead of another "just checking in" email
  • The confidence to trust your own read on a donor, instead of waiting for someone else to tell you they're ready
  • A repeatable way to hear signals in every donor conversation from here on

Your Signals First Words That Work guide includes:

  • Opening questions that invite a donor to tell you why they give
  • A soft, permission-based way to introduce a bigger opportunity
  • The values question that helped turn a loyal $1,000-a-year donor into a $100,000 gift
  • The exact wording for requesting a meeting
  • What to say when a pledge stalls or a donor goes quiet

Workshop 2: The Ask, Aligned

How to Lead Donor Conversations to a Confident, Values-Based Ask

Live: Thursday, October 1st at 11am PT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET (replay included)

You've already built the relationship. This workshop shows you how to lead the conversation that comes next, from a great connection to naming an actual number.

YOU'LL LEARN:

  • The roadmap that moves a conversation from relationship to Ask, and why defaulting to a written appeal (even though it feels easier) keeps your donors at arm's length
  • How to frame any Ask, even for general operating support, as an invitation to create impact, using a simple internal/external language reframe
  • 5 ways to name the number, with real language for each one, so you can choose the approach that fits this donor and this conversation
  • What to do when you hear "I need to talk to my spouse," "I have three kids in college" or flat-out silence
  • Plus: See me coach real fundraisers on real donor situations in real time

YOU'LL WALK AWAY WITH:

  • A specific opening line for the donor you have in mind, based on what they've already shown you
  • A clear structure for naming the number, with five ways to frame it
  • A calm, ready response for "I need to think about it" or (gasp) silence, instead of freezing or backpedaling
  • A reason to ask even without a campaign, so general operating support never feels like the harder Ask again
  • The confidence to lead the conversation, instead of waiting for the "right" moment to show up on its own

Your Ask, Aligned: Words That Work guide includes:

  • How to confirm the meeting and reconnect with your donor without falling into small talk
  • Side-by-side examples of how to talk about money internally vs. with your donor
  • Five ways into the number, with sample language for each
  • An anchor script you can adapt for almost any Ask
  • What to do (and say) in the pause after you've named your number

Workshop 3: After the Ask

How to Navigate a Yes, No, or Not Yet

Live: Thursday, October 29th at 11am PT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET (replay included)

You've made the Ask. Now what? What you do in the days after that conversation shapes how your donor feels about their decision and whether they give again. Everything you do in the thank-you is the handshake for the next gift.

YOU'LL LEARN:

  • What to do after a yes, a no or a "not yet," and why wanting more time is a normal response you can plan for
  • How to thank and follow up graciously, so your donor gets to see their gift at work
  • How to ask how your donor wants to be recognized, and what to do when they want more recognition, less or none at all
  • How to report back on the gift, whether it funded a specific project or your general operations
  • How to credit gifts that come through a foundation, a donor-advised fund or stock, so the right people are thanked

You'll leave with a repeatable process for turning a closed gift into the start of the next one, instead of treating "we got the money in" as the finish line. And you'll watch me coach real fundraisers through their own after-the-Ask situations in live Hot Seat Coaching.

Here's the Difference This Collection Makes

Here's what your major gift work looks like without a clear approach for the moments around the Ask, and what it can look like once you have one.

Without The Connection-Based Ask Collection

  • You wait for the "right moment" and hope a donor's warmth means they're ready
  • You double last year's gift and hope the number doesn't land wrong
  • You rehearse the Ask, then send a letter instead because it feels safer
  • Silence or "I need to think about it" feels like a door closing
  • You get the gift in, send the thank-you and move on to the next name on your list
  • Your most loyal donors keep giving what they've always given
  • You leave every meeting replaying what you said

With The Connection-Based Ask Collection

  • You know which signals mean a donor is ready, and which ones mean wait
  • You name a number based on what your donor has actually told you
  • You lead the conversation with your opening line and five ways to frame the Ask
  • You stay calm in the pause, because you know it's the middle of the conversation
  • You follow a clear plan after a yes, a no or a "not yet," so your thank-you becomes the handshake for the next gift
  • You invite your most reliable donors into something bigger
  • You walk out of every meeting with a clear next step, whatever the answer

Here's What's Inside

  • Signals First: How to Read Donor Readiness and Make the Right Ask at the Right Time. Instant-access workshop replay, including live coaching on real donor situations. ($47 value)
  • The Ask, Aligned: How to Lead Donor Conversations to a Confident, Values-Based Ask. Live workshop on October 1st at 11am PT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET, with Hot Seat Coaching. ($97 value)
  • After the Ask: How to Navigate a Yes, No or Not Yet. Live workshop on October 29th at 11am PT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET, with Hot Seat Coaching. ($47 value)
  • 3 Words That Work guides, one for each workshop. Each guide gives you the scripts and templates for its own moment in the relationship (before, during or after the Ask), so you don't have to scramble to take notes, and you'll keep coming back to them before every donor conversation.
  • Unlimited replay access to all three workshops.

About Beth Ann’s scripts and templates, in Lorie Fees' words:

"There are phrases she's given me that I wouldn't use any other wording for, because hers are perfect — and they get results."
— Lorie Fees, Director of Major Gifts, Children's Hope Alliance

TOTAL VALUE: $191

Your price today:

$127

Everything you need to recognize when a donor is ready, lead a confident Ask and follow up in a way that keeps the connection strong, all in one collection.

Grab the Full Collection for $127

My Promise to You

If you don't feel like this collection has given you the tools you need to make a confident Ask, simply send an email to [email protected] and we'll refund your purchase in full.

Hi, I’m Beth Ann Locke

I spent 30 years as a frontline fundraiser and personally raised more than $75 million for organizations ranging from universities to hospitals and from the arts to human services, in both the US and Canada. Now I coach fundraisers to close more major gifts.

In all that time, I've learned that the biggest gifts never come from the donor you convinced.

They come from the conversations where you actually connect.

That's the heart of my connection-based approach. People give at the capacity of the relationship, and a donor's wealth only tells you part of that story.

To me, asking is an invitation. You're inviting someone to take part in a change they already want to see in the world. What excites donors is the transformation their gift makes possible, and my job is to help you lead that conversation with warmth and clarity.

That's also why no script can do this work for you on its own. Donors don't follow scripts, and the moment you most need help is usually the moment a conversation goes somewhere you didn't plan for. 

That's where creative problem-solving comes in, and it's the part of this work I love most. Sometimes the right move is a single question about what a donor values most, like the one that led to Cristina's $100,000 phone call. Sometimes it's an invitation to a graduation ceremony and a keepsake made from old yearbooks, like the ones that led a donor to offer $50,000 without being asked. And sometimes it's taking what you've been saying for years and finding a better way to say it. As Lorie Fees puts it, I "give you language that says the same thing differently — but in a way that's far more productive than what you were using before."

So in these three workshops, you'll get my words, and you'll also see how I think. In every Hot Seat, you'll watch me work through a real donor situation, live, so you can find the right move with your own donors long after the workshops end.

The goal is a donor who feels closer to your mission after you ask, and a fundraiser who knows exactly what to do next.

Fundraisers Who Stopped Waiting for the "Right" Moment

They got clear on when to ask, what to say and how to follow through. Here's what happened next.

Five-year, $437,500 pledge

“Beth Ann is an exceptional leader in nonprofit fundraising with a true gift for helping organizations think through major gift fundraising. Her vast experience gives her the ability to quickly evaluate strategies and tactics for a range of donors.

She gave practical steps and language for our small team. Her coaching was inspirational, supportive, and ultimately essential in our journey to connect more supporters with our mission to end human trafficking.

We’re topping $1 million in revenue this year. So much of our recent growth and strategic focus has been supported through the wisdom and coaching of Beth Ann. I recently closed a pledge for $437,000, one of the most substantial wins we’ve had. Beth Ann has incredibly positive energy balanced with being direct and practical in coaching.”

CRAIG NASON,  DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
LABORATORY TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
DENVER, COLORADO

$1M, $250K and $200K gifts

"While working with Beth Ann, I helped close a $1 million gift, another at $250,000, and another for $200,000 from a private foundation.

These are some of the largest gifts we have closed! Beth Ann, your guidance and support gave me the confidence and support to succeed. I am so grateful for you!


PALMER COLSON
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
HISTORIC COLUMBUS
COLUMBUS, GEORGIA

Longtime donor moved from $25,000 to $50,000

"In a normal annual appeal we raise about $50,000. For our first Giving Day, we had an initial fundraising goal of $250,000 and we achieved that in only 2 hours. We then set a 'Bonus' goal of $400,000 — we achieved this within 6 hours! People continued to give anyway and we finished on $486,000.

Without a doubt, the ‘Managing the Portfolio’ tool that we used was one of the key factors in securing a very strong major gift pool.

One donor went from her biggest ever gift of $25,000 to a generous $50,000 thanks to your invaluable coaching. We continue to cultivate this donor for another, more substantial gift. Thank you so much, Beth Ann, for all your insights and guidance!"

JACKIE DALTON, DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT
FRENSHAM SCHOOLS
MITTAGONG, NEW SOUTH WALES

Is This Collection Right for You?

This collection is for fundraisers who want a practical, hands-on training on how to land the Ask, with the bigger goal of growing how much revenue you bring in from major gifts.

  • You're responsible for bringing in major gifts, whether you're a major gift officer, a development director or the ED who ended up doing it all
  • Your donor relationships are strong, and the Ask is where things stall
  • Your gifts tend to land in the same range year after year, and you're ready to grow how much revenue major gifts bring in for your organization
  • You want something you can use in your very next donor conversation: a number, an opening line and a plan for whatever your donor says
  • You've sat through trainings that talked around the Ask, and you want one that walks you through it, step by step
  • You want words you can make your own, not a script you read off a card
  • You'd like to see this in action with real donors and real fundraisers, not just theory

It's still for you even if:

  • You're new to major gifts, or you've been fundraising for decades (the Ask is where fundraisers at every stage get stuck)
  • Your organization is small, or you don't have a campaign right now (The Ask, Aligned shows you how to ask without one)
  • You can't make the live sessions (every workshop includes unlimited replay access)

This isn't for you if:

  • You're looking for a pushy closing technique (we invite, we don't pressure)
  • You want a full, year-round stewardship plan (that's the work I do with fundraisers inside Major Gifts Catalyst)
  • You'd rather keep sending the letter and hoping for the best 😉

If you want a clear, tangible way to land your next Ask and bring in more from major gifts, you're in the right place.

Your Next Donor Conversation Starts Here

Stop guessing whether it's time, what number to name or what to say when they answer. Start with the first workshop today.

Here's everything included:

  • Signals First (instant access), so you know which donors are ready for more
  • The Ask, Aligned (live October 1st), so you can lead the conversation to a confident, values-based Ask
  • After the Ask (live October 29th), so every yes, no or "not yet" keeps the relationship strong
  • 3 Words That Work guides, one for each workshop, with scripts and templates for that exact moment
  • Hot Seat Coaching and unlimited replay access for all three workshops
Yes! I Want the Connection-Based Ask Collection

Frequently Asked Questions

Imagine If…

Imagine walking into your next donor meeting already knowing your number, your opening line and what you'll say if they pause. Then imagine leaving that meeting with a clear next step, whatever their answer, instead of replaying every word on the drive home.

Your donors are ready for that conversation. Let's make sure you are too.

Grab the Collection for $127
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