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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

JOIN MAJOR GIFTS FUNDRAISING EXPERT, BETH ANN LOCKE FOR A NEW, LIVE WORKSHOP:

THE ASK, ALIGNED:

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

You've already built the relationship.
Now learn how to lead the conversation that comes next, from a great connection to a confident, values-based Ask.

LIVE WORKSHOP:

Thursday, October 1st
11am PT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET

REGISTER NOW

$97 investment includes live workshop & unlimited replay access.

You've done the hard part. The relationship is real.

But a great relationship doesn't necessarily mean an easy Ask.

If you keep finding yourself stuck at this point, it's not because you don't care enough...
It's not because your donors don't love your mission...
And it's not because you're bad at your job...

It's simply because leading that conversation is its own, distinct skill.

It means knowing:

  • What to open with,
  • When to bring up money, and
  • How to name a number without it feeling transactional, or awkward, or like you're asking a favor instead of extending an invitation.

And until someone leads that conversation, the donor keeps giving what they've always given.

It’s time for that to change.

Don’t mark another conversation as closed before reading this:

Before you let another "let me think about it" go unanswered...
Before you make the Ask too soon and watch a donor pull back...
Before you play it so safe you leave a bigger gift on the table...

STOP!

Let me show you a different way. Because if you’ve ever looked at a donor’s name and wondered:

  • “Was that a signal? Or was it just small talk?”
  • "How do I know what the next appropriate level is for an ask?"
  • "What's the actual language for asking for the meeting itself?"
  • "They pledged... and then went quiet on me. How do I follow up?"
  • "Is it too soon — or too late — to bring up another gift?"

You are not alone.

Most fundraisers are fluent in relationship-building and fluent in the Ask.

But the moment in between, where you read what's happening and choose your next move?

Nobody trains you for that.

That’s why I'm about to.

              

Introducing:

THE ASK, ALIGNED

In this instantly actionable 60-minute workshop, you'll discover:

  • The exact roadmap that moves a conversation from relationship to Ask — and how defaulting to a written appeal (even though it feels easier) actually keeps your donors at arm's length.
  • How to frame any Ask — even a general operating one — as an invitation to create impact, not a request for money. Discover the internal/external language reframe that boosts your confidence in any room, campaign or no campaign.
  • 5 ways to actually make the Ask – from a fundraiser with $75 million in gifts closed – including real language for each one, so you're never scrambling for an angle or stumbling over what to say
  • What to do when you hear “I need to talk to my spouse,” “I have three kids in college,” or flat-out silence — so a donor’s hesitation doesn't feels like a door closing, when it's really just them thinking out loud with you.
  • Plus: Watch me coach real fundraisers through real, upcoming Asks in live Hot Seat Coaching.

You'll walk away knowing exactly how to lead your next donor from a great conversation to a confident Ask — even if right now you'd rather send an email and avoid the moment altogether.

This brand new workshop is taking place LIVE, on Thursday, October 1st, at 11am PT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET.

Don't scroll away without saving your seat:

REGISTER NOW

Registration includes live workshop + unlimited replay access. You'll receive a calendar invitation and instructions on how to prepare as soon as you sign up.

Hi, I’m Beth Ann Locke

I spent 30 years as a frontline fundraiser before transitioning to coaching fundraisers on how to close more major gifts.

I've personally raised more than $75 million dollars for organizations ranging from universities to hospitals, from the arts to human services, in both the US and Canada.

Here's what I know after all that time:

The biggest gifts never come from a perfectly worded ask letter. They come from a conversation where you actually said the number out loud.

If you've ever practiced your Ask in the shower and then chickened out in the meeting, you don't have a confidence problem!

 You have a gap in your skill-set that's costing you time & impact when it comes to major gifts. 

And that's exactly the gap this workshop is going to close.

He'd Been Chasing a Funder for Years. One Ask Later, She Committed to $437,500.

Craig Nason had a funder he'd been pursuing for years.

He believed there was a bigger gift somewhere in that relationship — he just didn't know how to get there, what to actually say, or how to move the conversation from “Thank you for your support” to confidently naming a number.

So he brought the situation to me.

And instead of theory, I gave him specific language and scripts for that exact conversation. Not just the strategy behind it —the actual words to say.

Craig used my approach for his Ask.

And then he walked away with a five-year, $437,500 pledge — from a funder he'd been trying to reach for years.

For a mostly solo fundraising shop, it was one of the most substantial wins they'd ever hadFor a mostly solo fundraising shop, it was one of the most substantial wins they'd ever had.

That's what happens when you finally have the words (and the confidence) to lead the conversations you've been avoiding.

Craig’s story isn’t a one-off.

Cristina Fragale did it at Preston High School — landing their largest single gift ever: $100,000.

Lorie Fees used my approach to execute an end-of-year request for funding that resulted in several additional gifts from donors at the $50,000 level.

With more confidence in her approach, Palmer Colson helped close some of the biggest gifts her organization had ever received.

When you know how to lead the conversation, frame the impact and actually make a confident, values-based Ask, you can create meaningful impact & real momentum for your organization.

SHOW ME HOW TO LEAD THE ASK

Results my clients have achieved using the language and approach I'll share in this new live workshop:

“Beth Ann has the ability to really listen to your situation and to the way you're describing it, and then give you language that says the same thing differently — but in a way that's far more productive than what you were using before.

When I started writing down everything she said and trying it out with donors, it was like a light bulb went off for them as to why they should engage in the cause.

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
Statesville, North Carolina

"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

“When I started coaching with Beth Ann, I was in a new role working with different donors and hoping to make a change in how we approached them. Her approach in working with donors resonated immediately — it is donor centric and human-first. 

Beth Ann encouraged me to put myself out there more, and make an Ask even when I felt I wasn't ready, which resulted in more funds. I was particularly nervous about an In Memory donor and Beth Ann helped me deepen this relationship by crafting how to talk to them.”

adele wang
SENIOR PHILANTHROPY OFFICER
COVENANT HOUSE
VANCOUVER, BC

Stop wondering what to say when the moment finally comes — and start walking in with the words already in hand.

REGISTER NOW FOR THIS NEW, LIVE WORKSHOP:

THE ASK, ALIGNED:

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

THE ASK, ALIGNED:
How to Lead Donor Conversations to a Confident, Values-Based Ask

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1st at 11am PT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET

REGISTER NOW

Registration includes the live workshop + unlimited replay access.
You'll receive a calendar invitation and instructions on how to prepare as soon as you sign up. 

Will this live workshop help you lead your next donor conversation to a confident Ask?

This workshop was created with you in mind if:

  • You can build the relationship, but freeze at the Ask itself — you know how to connect with a donor, you just don't know when to bring up money, what number to name, or how to move past “let me think about it.”
  • You default to letters and emails because they feel safer — even though you know a real conversation would move the relationship – and the gift – further.
  • You don't have a clean “reason” to ask — no capital campaign, no big anniversary, just your organization's ongoing work — and general operating asks feel harder to justify than project-specific ones.
  • You're not sure what to do with a “no” (or a “maybe,” or “let me think about it”) — so donor hesitation feels like the conversation is over, instead of just the middle of it.
  • You're leading with your nerves instead of the organization's mission — and that's what's making the Ask feel so much harder than it has to.
SHOW ME HOW TO LEAD A CONFIDENT ASK

“Beth Ann was instrumental in helping us secure our largest donation to date of $100,000”

“Beth Ann was instrumental in helping us secure our largest donation to date of $100,000, in addition to some smaller ones ranging in $20,000 - $40,000. Previously our largest donors were those who donated between $250 - $1,000. This donor has since gone on to make her $100,000 gift annually!

Beth Ann was patient with my limited knowledge and guided me in so many ways.  It was evident that Beth Ann was truly invested in my success.  She followed up with me, helped me to organize my thoughts and my Asks.  She even mentored me for a  phone call right before a call to a major donor.

If you’re seeking the guidance of an expert who will also provide a personal, hands-on approach and someone who is sincerely genuine, then Beth Ann is the person for you.”

cristina fragale,
senior director of recruitment & development
preston high school
the bronx, ny

Questions I often hear from fundraisers (before they lead their next big Ask)

THE ASK, ALIGNED:
How to Lead Donor Conversations to a Confident, Values-Based Ask

NEW, LIVE WORKSHOP:

Thursday, October 1st at 11 am PT / 1 pm CT / 2 pm ET
$97 investment includes live workshop + unlimited replay access

You'll walk away from this 60-minute session with:

  • A specific opening line for the donor you have in mind right now — not a guess, but language grounded in what they've already shown you, so you're not standing there wondering what to say the moment you sit down with them.
  • A clear structure for naming the number — 5 ways to frame the Ask, so you can pick the one that fits this donor and this conversation.
  • A calm, ready response for “I need to think about it” or (*gasp*) silence — instead of freezing or backpedaling in the moment.
  • 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 magically show up on its own.
  • Plus: Watch me coach real major gift fundraisers on real donor situations, in real time — so you have concrete examples of what all this looks like in practice, and can apply it the same day.

Come with a donor in mind and by the time we're done, you'll have your own number and your opening line ready to go for the very next conversation you have.

I'M IN FOR THE ASK, ALIGNED!

Registration includes live workshop + unlimited replay access.
You'll receive a calendar invitation and instructions on how to prepare as soon as you sign up.

Questions? Send us an email at [email protected]

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