About me
I'm Brian Saber. I've spent my entire career asking for money for nonprofits.
From my early days as a student leader and telethon caller (I hated that!) to my six years in charge of major and principal gifts throughout the Midwest for Brandeis University to my two stints as an executive director, every position involved significant face-to-face solicitation. And I’m still honing that art today, cultivating and soliciting select major donors for various clients.
I harnessed all that frontline experience to become a trainer, coach, and consultant around the country and abroad. I train boards and staff, help develop major gift programs, conduct campaign feasibility studies, and coach top-level staff, all with the idea of taking organizations to the next level.
Most of my career has been spent with organizations having budgets under $10 million, so I’m well aware of the fundraising challenges smaller organizations face. I know most organizations can’t afford consulting services, or even a half-day training by a professional. It’s just not in the budget.
With that perspective, I created a resource all nonprofits can afford. My cofounder, Andrea Kihlstedt, and I built Asking Matters – a web-based company that trains people how to ask for money and motivates them to do it. As the least expensive and best quality resource in the field, Asking Matters helps countless organizations continue to do incredible work for their causes.
I’ve written two books, Asking Styles: Revolutionize Your Fundraising and Boards and Asking Styles: A Roadmap to Success. My third book, Rubber Stamps Don’t Fundraise, will be out this fall.
Most importantly, I’m the proud dad to a 20-year-old son. I love yoga, puzzles, and singing…which I just found four years ago after never having sung a note in my life. I volunteer for numerous organizations including American Theater Group, the Drama League, and SOMA Action (our local political action group), and I’m a CASA volunteer with two cases under my belt.