Ask Benevon

Ask Event Cost Per Person

Q: We have followed the Benevon Model since 2005. The last printed resource we have from you states a target of $20 to $25 per-person cost. Have you updated that target?

Kristi in Minnesota

A: It really hasn’t changed much, Kristi. Now we tell people to figure $20 to $30 per person for the Ask Event^™. The food is cold, pre-set. Continental breakfast or salad for lunch. The biggest costs are usually the audio/visual equipment and the food. Hope that helps.

What is the value of the Wish List at the Point of Entry?

I have two concerns about the wish list at the Point of Entry Event:

1. It seems to violate the "this is not a fundraising event" promise.
   
   
2. In our case, a ministry in Africa, it is impractical for us to collect goods and ship them.

Is the wish list an absolute essential element of the Point of Entry Event?

Sandra in Michigan

Well, yes, the wish list is a critical component of the Point of Entry.

The items on your wish list are things you really need, not money. They are the things the money would buy if you had the money to spend on them, but you do not ask for money at the Point of Entry. Most groups list in-kind things like used computers, books, volunteer tutors.

As for an international organization, if you don't want to be shipping things to Africa (which I can certainly understand, if that's not your main purpose!), then ask for things you need in your U.S. office. The number one need is for what we refer to as "Ambassadors," who are people who love your work and will invite at least ten guests to your Points of Entry. In other words, they help you spread the word. Put that on your wish list. Also any other support you need in the U.S.

The reason I feel it is critical is because it so often becomes the thing the guests focus on in the first Follow-Up Call, when you ask the question, "Is there any way you can see yourself becoming involved with us?" So many people will refer back to the wish list. They do read it!

I'll leave it at that. Thanks for your question and best of luck.

Telling Stories at the Point of Entry

Q: Who should tell the stories at the Point of Entry^®?

Angela in Colorado

A: Vary the storytelling and the perspective from which the stories are told. For example, you could use a letter from a teacher, an audio tape from a mother of a child at the school, an email from a counselor, or a live testimonial from a student or family member—one at each tour stop. Using multiple perspectives will deepen the emotional impact of your stories and help to convey the needs of your organization.

Outgrowing the Ask Event Venue

Q: We hold our Ask Event in the largest venue in our community. We have had very successful asks over the last six years, but we are almost at the point of having to turn away guests. We don’t want to move our event out of the area to have a larger venue because we are a community-based organization. We have tried to focus on making sure that we are bringing people to the event that have not attended an Ask Event before and are hitting slightly over 25% in that area. Would you still recommend only doing the event once per year even if it means turning away guests? We aren’t there yet, but we are getting close.

Janette in Washington

A: Thanks for your question!

Definitely we would not recommend a larger venue anywhere unless you are meeting all our metrics.

We say the ideal size for an Ask Event^™ is 200 to 300 people, but only if you are attaining these measures. These are essential to meeting the #1 objective of the Ask Event: 10% of Ask Event guests join your Multiple-Year Giving Society^™ ($1,000+ per year x five years) newly each year.

• 40% "ripened fruit" each year, i.e., people who have attended a Point of Entry^® Event in the year prior to this Ask Event
• 50% of the Ask Event guests are first-time Ask Event guests each year
• 100% of your Ask Event Table Captains served as successful Ambassadors in the prior year—meaning they had at least ten people attend Points of Entry

The whole purpose of the Ask Event is to harvest each year’s newly ripened fruit. If you are using the Ask Event as a substitute for a Point of Entry or a Free Feel-Good Cultivation Event^™, you won’t be meeting the main metrics or growing your giving society. The Ask Event’s job is to generate new Multiple-Year Giving Society Donors whom you then cultivate personally to become major donors.

Please remind everyone that the Benevon Model is not about having a nice Ask Event; it is a pipeline-filling system for major gifts. Your goal is to have a strong major gifts program and sustainable funding—not a big party!