Bag Carrier, Authenticator or Rain-Maker?

Have a fundraising challenge you want to crack? Weary of doing the same old, same old yet hoping for different outcomes? Do you want the over-the-top results that come from superior strategy?

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In recent weeks, a number of people have approached me with questions, all variations on a theme: effective solicitation. The minister who shies from asking his parishioners to support an important project because he wants to preserve his role as a counselor, the board members who don’t always want to be the ones out asking, the executive director who just plain feels awkward approaching others for money.

What’s a body to do?

A lot of the anxiety and confusion surrounding soliciting charitable gifts is the result of a lack of understanding of the roles involved in an effective ask. We usually think of the asker and prospect.

Think again.

Actually, there are four distinct and separate roles—whether you’ve planned for them or not. Obviously you need someone to ask, someone to whom you make the request. On the solicitor side of the equation there are three, however.

Over the next three weeks, I’ll unpack each one of the roles that together, comprise the solicitor.

The roles?

Bag carrier, authenticator, and rainmaker: three distinct functions, which are present for every successful solicitation. They can filled by one, two, three or more persons.

Today, let’s talk about the bag carrier. A perfunctory role? Not so.

The bag carrier is the person who brings both the collateral to be used as well as any pledge or giving instruments. Even in an electronic solicitation, these elements must be present. Going prepared would seem to be obvious. I’ve seen more than one situation when the donor was ready to make a gift and there was no pledge instrument ready, however.

On a particular ask several years ago, I was assigned the role of bag carrier. A seven-figure gift was in the offing. I had visited the prospective donor a month earlier in preparation. This meeting was to include the board chair (rain-maker), college president (authenticator) and myself.

This meeting was anticipated to be the first of perhaps two or three. Such was not to be, however.