Hungry. Humble. Hustle.

Every fundraiser I know obsess over the ask. My buddy Ted Draper obsesses over everything that comes before the ask, and that’s how his team helped take Biblica’s major gifts revenue from about $12 million to more than $30 million.

Ted is the Vice President of Strategic Engagements at Biblica, the ministry that stewards the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible and works with roughly 150 partners in 120 countries to put Scripture in people’s first language. He’s been fundraising for almost 15 years, after a start in corporate sales and marketing (including a stint in ad sales). Like most of us, he fell into the work. He resisted it at first. Now he can’t imagine doing anything else.

In this episode, Andrew and Ted dig into how Biblica turned donors into champions who bring their friends to the table. Ted explains why he thinks of every ask as something you earn, and why a fishing boat makes a great venue for donor cultivation. He also shares the African vision trip that led to $3 million in new giving, and the three-word hiring formula he swears by: humble, hungry, and a hustler.

The Conversation

Act One: From Donors to Champions

Andrew opens with the big number (01:17): how does a major gifts program go from $12 million to over $30 million? Ted says there was no single magic moment (02:05). Biblica had a leader with a real heart for major donors. It partnered with a firm that brought in new donors. And it treated the whole thing less like hunting and more like farming. Plant, tend, wait.

The real accelerant was a simple question to existing investors (02:32): if you wanted to invite your friends into this journey, what would that look like? Donors started lending Biblica their relational credibility, not just their money. That’s when growth went exponential. Andrew asks how you build enough trust for that (03:32). Ted’s answer is radical transparency about where the money goes, plus a high level of engagement. He’s also noticed a shift over the last three to five years. Donors want to give in community, alongside people they actually enjoy (04:04).

So what does that look like in practice (05:03)? A thirtysomething entrepreneur asked Ted how his small group could get involved. Ted gave the great fundraiser answer: “What would that look like for you?” The group designed it themselves. A fundraiser visits, presents a couple of projects, the group prays and decides, then comes back with an answer (05:32). Biblica also hosts coffees and desserts. And Ted once took a group of guys fishing, where cell phones don’t work and nobody can leave for hours (06:27).

Act Two: Earning the Right to Ask

Andrew’s rule is blunt: if you don’t have the follow-up plan built, don’t do the event (07:35). Ted agrees. After every gathering there’s a thank-you email, a phone call, and, when possible, a sit-down to hear how the person is responding (08:02). Then the plan adapts. “Some of them need more information. Some of them need inspiration and some of them need an invitation.”

That’s the heart of Ted’s approach (09:11). The ask is important, but it’s a small part. First you prove credibility, accountability, and that the work actually works. “Essentially we’re earning the right even for the first ask, much less the second one.” How does he know he’s earned it (09:56)? He asks permission: would you be open to a strategic funding request? Don’t expect A plus B to equal C, he warns. He has four kids raised in the same house, and they all hear and respond differently. Donors are the same.

Andrew pushes on the obvious tension (10:51). What about the CFO asking when the money’s coming in? Ted says you guide the donor’s journe