You had the meeting. The conversation went great. They seemed genuinely interested in making a gift.
Then nothing happens. You get no response from the prospect in the coming months after multiple outreach attempts. Radio silence from them.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. But here’s what most of us get wrong about why it happens.
Most prospects don’t go silent because they’re still thinking. They go silent because the answer is no and saying no to someone passionate about their mission feels terrible. So they disappear.
The solution to this situation is to make “no” feel safe. Give them explicit permission to decline, and this gets them to respond. Sometimes it’s a no, sometimes it’s “not right now” and sometimes it’s a yes.
Here’s an email template you can use:
I wanted to follow up on our conversation about [brief description of gift].
I know the past couple of months have been busy, but I didn’t want too much time to pass without checking back in. This is an important opportunity, and your support would make a real difference in moving it forward.
If you’ve moved on from this, no hard feelings at all, just let me know and I’ll stop nudging. And if you’re still thinking it over or have questions, I’m here whenever you’re ready. A quick reply would be great and help me know how best to stay in touch going forward.
Thanks again for your consideration. I appreciate you taking the time to think this through.
It works because it acknowledges the lack of response without guilt-tripping, reinforces the impact without re-pitching, and gives them a gracious exit that protects the relationship either way.
Not every ask turns into a gift. That’s okay. Send the email and move forward one way or the other so you are not wasting time that could be spent on prospects that will make a gift.