Don’t Forget to Ask

The courtroom is crowded, but quiet. A hard-faced witness wearing all dark clothes and an even darker expression lounges in the witness box acting bullet-proof. A tailored suit prowls the scarred hardwood floors in front of the judge’s bench. His Honor sits erect clad in his black robe and authority. His eyes follow the attorney back and forth. Cello and French Horn crescendo beneath the lawyer’s accusations. The music suddenly stops when the rumpled defense attorney stands and whines, “Your Honor, is a question for the witness coming any time soon?”

You’ve seen the scene in countless television series and movies. Why doesn’t the attorney ask the question?

Churches, non-profits, and ministries often make the same error when seeking financial support. Some pastors rarely ask for the offering from behind the pulpit. Some broadcasters rarely ask for the sponsorship from behind the microphone. Some ministry directors rarely ask within their eBlasts.

So often, we fall into the trap of narrative. We think, “If my constituents know what we’re doing, they’ll naturally give.” The time on air, on the platform, or in print is finite. We fill it with description and hope the ask is implied.

One broadcast ministry I work with surveyed potential donors and discovered that the majority believed that the ministry’s programs were paid for by the parent organization. The implied ask in their communication was interpreted by their constituents as, “It’s already paid for.”

Every televangelist scandal in the 1980s and indictment of non-profit directors in the 1990s has made us gun shy. We believe that our constituents would rather see Andy Taylor without a gun belt than Jack Bauer with a SIG Sauer.

Wisdom always pauses us long enough to check our motives. However, your vision has been approved by your leadership or board. You are responsible for leading across new territory. You are not a whiny child manipulating her mother in the aisle of the grocery story. You are inviting people to join you in the next adventure. They long to be asked.

In the 2000 motion picture The Patriot [IMDB, Amazon], Gabriel Martin interrupts a funeral to ask a question. He recruits for the militia with the confidence of his convictions powering his posture and vocal cords. Anne Howard, a childhood friend whom he marries later in the film, stands to speak with passion about “The Cause” and Freedom. She, too, asks. Gabriel looks at her, nods his head, then says, “Who’s with us?” As John Williams’ chill-inducing score swells, men and boys stand up to volunteer. (clip incomplete)

The next time you discuss vision, the future, an initiative, a building, or a need, don’t forget to ask. When a sacrifice of any kind is needed, don’t forget to ask.