It’s important to have a great story and then you need something to ask for — a funding rationale.
If the story is the emotion then the funding rationale is the logic behind the ask.
- $1,200 to cover the gap in one student impacted.
- $36,000 over three years to underwrite a family counseling program.
- $1M to be one of three seed funders that will take your program to scale.
Having a strong funding rationale converts the emotion (of the story) to something concrete. It frames the ask. (See How to Create a Funding Rationale Tied to Impact.)
Without a funding rationale a few things usually happen:
- There is no real ask… because we’re not sure what to ask for.
- The ask is so general that you receive a sliver of what you really needed.
- The funder will restrict the giving… only because he or she doesn’t really understand from you what the money will be used for so it was decided for you.