Over the past month and a half, I’ve been contacting just about everyone I know in an effort to raise $5,000 for charity: water, an organization that donates 100% of its proceeds to building wells in developing nations.

I’ve talked [to a great extent] about the need for clean water across the world [and you can check out all the posts by clicking here].

To be honest, it hasn’t been easy, but it’s been incredible to see people give generously and abundantly.

I think a lot of us have trouble asking for help. It’s difficult. It’s uncomfortable. It requires a leap of faith.

But let me share a little secret with you.

If you have relationships built on a foundation of trust, you should have no fear in asking for help.

We struggle to ask people for help, or donations, or for their time because we don’t want to be a bother.

Here’s the thing:

Providing opportunities is not an inconvenience.

People can ignore your blog posts, unsubscribe from your feed, stop following or unfriend you if they don’t like your approach, but I don’t think they will. In fact, many times they are thrilled to help out.

I haven’t received a single piece of negative feedback in my attempt to raise $5,000 for charity: water.

People want to help. They want to be a part of something bigger. They want to make an impact. All you have to do is ask.

6 Things You Must Do When Asking for Help

1. Humble yourself. You can’t be afraid to step off of your pedestal and say, “I can’t do this alone–I need you to join me.”
2. Tell a story. You have to engage others with a story in order to win their attention and their hearts to your cause.
3. Present it as an opportunity. When you ask for help, a lot of people aren’t going to respond. That’s ok. Don’t think people are ignoring you or that they are heartless. Too many people are simply overextended. Show them that you are merely presenting an opportunity, without expectations of any kind.
4. Cast a wide net. Even if you’ve only spoken to someone once, any connection is good enough to present an opportunity.
5. Ask again. You have got to remind people of your opportunity. Emails get deleted and lost in cyberspace. Things that take action get pushed to the bottom of the To Do pile. Remind people of the opportunity you’ve presented them with a time or two, but don’t over do it.
6. Thank them profusely. This is far and a way the most important part. Send a thank you email. Tell them in person when you see them. Write a handwritten card. Go over the top with your gratitude. It’s tough to over-thank. And if you take the time to do this, people will want to help you again in the future.

I’m going to keep asking. I’m going to keep providing opportunities for you to give your time, your resources, and your love to those who are less fortunate, those you don’t even know, those who desperately need your help .

I hope you’ll ask me too.

[To help my charity: water campaign, click here]