4 Words to Secure Pre-Committed Dollars | Fundraising Tips

Fundraising is not getting easier. It’s getting harder. But there’s still tremendous opportunity to secure pre-committed dollars if you know where to focus your energy.

On a recent Hey Nonprofits! live webinar, Keith McLane—founder of KLM
Auctions and one of the West Coast’s most experienced fundraising auctioneers—dropped wisdom that every nonprofit professional needs to hear.

Keith’s been in this game for 30 years. He’s done 1,400+ events personally, and has built a team of 11 auctioneers who handle 280 events annually. When Keith talks about what works, you listen.

His message? The most powerful fundraising tool you have isn’t your event software, your CRM, or your silent auction platform. It’s your phone.

The 30-Minute Pre-Event Power Play

If you’ve got 30 minutes before your event and you want to maximize impact, here’s what Keith says to do:

Make six, five-minute phone calls to your top donors

That’s it. Six calls. Five minutes each. To your top supporters.

These calls have three specific purposes:

Re-engage past supporters who haven’t registered — “Jim, we noticed you and Martha were so helpful last year. You’re not on the list for Saturday, will you be able to make it?”
Secure pre-committed gifts — Get donors to commit before they even walk in the door.
Plant the seed — Even if they don’t commit, you’ve made them aware they’re not anonymous. That awareness drives giving at the event.

“Most people aren’t getting that phone call,” Keith told us. “That’s your differentiator.”

Differentiation is stronger than competition.

The 4 Magic Words: ‘Honorary Donor’ and ‘Leadership Gift’

Okay, so you’re making the call. What do you say? Here’s the framework Keith’s team uses with their clients:

“The committee was wondering if you would consider taking on the role of being an honorary donor and making a leadership gift this year.”

Honorary donor. Leadership gift. Those are your four magic words.

Why does this language work so well?

It takes the pressure off you — You’re not personally asking. You’re
representing the committee. It’s easier to make the call, and it feels less transactional.
It creates positive social pressure — The donor knows they’re not anonymous. There’s a committee who hopes they’ll give. That awareness follows them to the event.
It elevates the donor — Everyone wants to be the honorary donor making the leadership gift. The language itself is flattering and aspirational.

Keith’s experience? “They never say no. Ten percent of the time they say yes on the spot. Ninety percent say, ‘Let me think about it.’ But even if they don’t commit, you’ve planted the seed.”

And when they’re sitting at your event? They’re thinking: The committee is watching. I don’t want to let them down.

Your Action Plan

Here’s what you need to do:

Make the calls — Six five-minute phone calls to your top supporters. Do it this week.
Use the 4 magic words — “The committee was wondering if you’d consider being an honorary donor and making a leadership gift”.
Set expectations early — Make it crystal clear in all your messaging that this is a fundraiser. No surprises.
Be mission-focused — Tell donors exactly what you’re raising money for. Invite them into impact.
Invest in a professional auctioneer — Knowing how to ask for money is a skill. It can be the difference between an okay event and a transformational one.
Start early, but keep pushing — Pre-committed gifts are ideal, but don’t stop asking until event day. People commit later than ever, but attendance is still strong.

Watch the full webinar below:

About Keith McLane

Keith McLane is the founder of KLM Auctions, California and the West Coast’s largest provider of pre-auction consulting services and professional benefit auctioneers. With 30 years of experience and over 1,400 events under his belt, Keith and his team of 11 auctioneers conduct approximately 280 fundraising events annually. His approach combines decades of professional auction experience with deep nonprofit fundraising expertise.

Connect with Keith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithmclane/