AskBoard Overview 💫

The AskBoard in DonorDock helps your organization plan, manage, and track fundraising Ask activities as part of a structured moves management process. Moves management is a strategy used to guide potential donors through intentional steps, from initial identification to a completed gift, while building strong, personalized donor relationships along the way.

The AskBoard provides a visual way to organize and monitor these Asks, so your team can see progress, prioritize outreach, and coordinate efforts across donors and campaigns.

How the AskBoard Works

The AskBoard is a visual Kanban-style board with lanes that represent Ask Stages. Each Ask appears as a card that can be viewed, edited, and moved as it progresses.

Access to the AskBoard is available to users with the Administrator or User role.

Asks belong to a single Ask Board at a time and can also appear on a team member's Actions Board, ensuring visibility for both ask tracking and individual team member follow-through.

Steps at a Glance

1. Open the AskBoard from the Boards menu

2. View Asks by stage using the board lanes

3. Create, edit, or move Ask cards

4. Use filters to refine what is displayed

5. Track progress using AskBoard metrics

Full Navigation Steps

Step 1: Access the AskBoard

1. Log in to DonorDock

2. Click Boards in the main navigation and select Asks

   

3. The AskBoard displays lanes for each Ask Stage configured for your organization.

The AskBoard displays lanes for each Ask Stage in your organization. By default, these stages are:

• Identify (20%)

• Qualify (30%)

• Cultivate (50%)

• Solicit (70%)

• Close (100%)

Each percentage reflects the progression of your relationship with the donor and the likelihood of securing a commitment.

Step 2: Use AskBoard Filters and Metrics

Filters

At the top of the AskBoard, you can filter by:

• Board View

  • Select the arrow icon next to the current board name to view other board options or create a new AskBoard

    

• Ask View

  • Select the filter icon dropdown on the top tools to toggle between: My Asks and All Asks on the board

    

• Status View

  • Select the checkmark dropdown to view status options of: All, Completed, or Incomplete

    

• Date Range View

  • Select the Calendar dropdown to adjust the date filter by the due date range you want to view on the board

    

Metrics

Based on your selected filters, the AskBoard displays:

• Total Ask Amount
  Total planned Ask amount for visible cards

• Weighted Ask Amount
  Total Ask value weighted by stage probability

• Open Ask Amount
  Total value of Asks not yet at 100%

• New Ask Amount
  Total value of Asks created in the last 30 days

Step 3: Create and Manage Ask Activities

Ask activities are used to track planned fundraising requests and outreach as part of your moves management process. Each Ask represents a specific fundraising action tied to a contact and can be updated as the relationship progresses.

You can create Ask activities from several places in DonorDock, depending on your workflow:

AskBoard

Click the Add Ask button in the top right corner of the board to create a new Ask

ActionBoard

Add an Ask through the add Action on a nudge or through the Add Action option on the ActionBoard

Quick Add Menu

Use Quick Add to create an Ask from anywhere in DonorDock without leaving your current screen

Specific Contact Record

Open a contact’s profile and add an Ask activity tied directly to that individual

Reports

Create Ask activities in bulk for multiple contacts using report-based actions

Available Fields When Creating an Ask

When creating an Ask activity, you will be prompted to complete several fields that help define and track the Ask:

Field Name	Description
Contact	The individual, household, or organization contact the Ask activity is assigned to
Assigned To	The team member responsible for completing the Ask
Add to Actions Board Toggle	When turned on (blue), a card for the incomplete Ask will also appear on the ActionBoard for the assigned team member
Subject	A short description or title of the ask
Ask Date	The Activity Date or starting date for the Ask
Due Date	The date that the Ask is expected to be completed This is the date that will be affected by the date filters on the Boards!
Planned Ask Amount	The amount you plan to request
Actual Ask Amount	The amount actually requested or committed
Likelihood	An estimate of the probability of success, such as Not Happening, Maybe, or Done Deal
Board	Which AskBoard the Ask should be assigned to
Ask Stage	The Stage of your ask within your AskBoard options If no Board has been set yet, no stages will appear available, as they may differ by Board. If nothing shows as available for stages, make sure a board has been set in the previous field!
Priority	The urgency of the ask activity: Low, Medium, or High
Status	Whether the Ask is yet Incomplete, or if is Completed or Canceled
Completion Note	A freeform text field where you can enter a summary or description of the Ask when completed
Notes	A freeform text field where you can enter additional context, strategy, or conversation details about the ask activity
Campaign	Optional to track to a specific fundraising or grant campaign
Appeal	Option to track to a specific appeal
Add to ActionBoard Toggle	Turn on if you want the ask to go to the Actions Board instead of a specific Ask Board.

To edit an existing ask on your AskBoard, click the pen icon on an Ask card to open the edit panel. Here, you may update fields such as stage, amounts, notes, or status as the Ask progresses.

Advance Ask Cards

You can move an Ask forward in two ways:

• Drag and drop the card between stages on the AskBoard.

• Edit the Ask and select a new Ask Stage from the dropdown.

Updating stages keeps your AskBoard accurate and helps your team understand where each donor stands in the pipeline.

When to Mark an Ask as Complete

An Ask should be marked Complete once the planned fundraising action has reached a clear outcome. Completing Asks at the right time keeps your pipeline accurate and ensures reporting reflects real progress.

An Ask could be marked as completed when:

• The Ask has been made
  The solicitation conversation, meeting, or request has occurred, regardless of the donor’s response.

• A commitment is received
  The donor agrees to give, pledge, or sponsor, even if payment will occur at a later time.

• The Ask is declined
  A clear “no” is received, and no further solicitation is planned for this Ask.

• The Ask is no longer applicable
  The strategy changes, timing is no longer appropriate, or the Ask is intentionally canceled.

What to Update When Completing an Ask:

• Set the Status to Complete or Canceled

• Enter a Completion Note summarizing the outcome

• Update the Actual Ask Amount if applicable

• Move the Ask to the appropriate final stage, such as Close (100%)

What Not to Wait For:

• Receipt of funds

• Final payment processing

• A recorded gift in the system

The purpose of the Ask activity is to track the solicitation activity, not the gift itself.

Managing Multiple Ask Boards

The AskBoard feature supports multiple boards, allowing you to track different pipelines (such as Major Gifts, Grants, or Sponsorships).

• Switch Boards: Use the AskBoard selector to move between boards. Each board loads its own saved Asks, filters, and stages.

• One Ask, One Board: An Ask can only belong to one board at a time. Editing the Ask to switch boards will remove it from the original board.

• Admin Filters: Admins can set and save default filters for a board. Non-admin users can adjust filters during their session, but those changes are not saved.

• Copy or Create Boards: Duplicate an existing board with the same stages, or create a new board with its own name, description, and stages.

• Manage Stages: Admins can adjust stages for any board under Settings > Manage Stages.

• Edit or Delete Boards: Boards can be edited or deleted at any time. Deleting a board also removes its stages, and any related Asks become unassigned.

Personal Default Boards

Each user can set their own default board:

1. Open the AskBoard you want to set.

2. Click Set as My Default.

This personal default will override the global default set by administrators, automatically opening each team member to the board they use most often.

Reporting on Ask Boards

Ask Boards are included as a column in Activity Reports. This allows you to filter, group, or summarize Asks by the board they are tied to, along with other fields such as stage or owner.

Otto Tips

• 🌊 One board per Ask: An Ask can only live on a single board at a time.

• 🐚 Set your course: Admins control default filters for each board, but every user can set their own personal default board

• ⚓ Quick duplication: Copy an existing board to set up a new pipeline faster

• 🦑 Handle with care: Deleting a board also removes its stages, and Asks tied to it will become unassigned until moved elsewhere

• ⚓ Close the loop: Completing Asks promptly keeps your board current and helps your team focus on the next move rather than old tides