Some nonprofit boards are great about fundraising. They consistently without complaint are inspiring others to support your organization. However, many struggle to get anything out of their board outside of complaints and far-fetched ideas.<\/p>\n
The difference will be determined by how you communicate with, educate, and support your board.<\/p>\n
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<\/dt>\n- These 10 board members raised more than $18,000 with their peer-to-peer campaign<\/a>.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
Related post: 11 Essential Nonprofit Interview Questions for Hiring a Great Leader<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
What Is A Board Supposed To Do?<\/h2>\n
Some boards are very hands-on, and others are fairly removed from day-to-day operations, but all boards have some responsibilities in common. A board of directors oversees a nonprofit, making decisions to promote and sustain its mission. They set the compensation for the organization\u2019s CEO or Executive Director, and are ultimately responsible for an organization\u2019s finances and activities. The three major \u201cduties\u201d of a board are:<\/p>\n
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- Duty Of Care–The board makes sure that all of the organization\u2019s resources are used responsibly. This is why boards approve budgets–they have the final responsibility to ensure the organization is using money appropriately. By agreeing to serve on a board, the board member has a duty to pay attention to the organization\u2019s activities and finances and participate in decision-making.<\/li>\n
- Duty of Loyalty– The board makes sure the organization\u2019s activities advance its mission, not any one individual or for-profit entity. This is why boards are so interested in conflicts of interest–their duty of loyalty could be compromised if they stand to benefit personally from a nonprofit\u2019s activities.<\/li>\n
- Duty of Obedience–The board makes sure the nonprofit follows all laws and its own bylaws. This means that board members are required to understand applicable laws and the organization\u2019s bylaws, and recognize what a violation could look like.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Fundraising is another commitment boards make. Whether your nonprofit has an explicit \u201cGive\/Get\u201d requirement, or just strongly encourages fundraising<\/a>, boards have a role to play in raising money for your organization<\/p>\n
It\u2019s fairly rare to hear about problems with serious governance issues, probably because there are actual, legal ramifications for boards that spend all an organization\u2019s money, or use a nonprofit for their own gain. The problem that comes up, again and again, is simple, and not illegal: \u201cMy board won\u2019t fundraise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sound familiar? You\u2019re not alone. BoardSource finds<\/a> that many boards have trouble with their \u201cexternal responsibilities,\u201d especially fundraising. Fundraising is outside of many board members\u2019 comfort zones. It requires a specific skill set, which they might not have. Yet.<\/p>\n
Transforming Your Board Into A Fundraising Force<\/h2>\n
A board is more than the sum of its members. Each board member brings their connection to a broader network, and with it, the potential to expand your organization\u2019s reach. When board members understand expectations, are engaged with your mission, and know what to do, they can take your organization places you\u2019d never go without them. A board can be indispensable.<\/p>\n
In order to become a fearsome fundraising force, your board will need some things from you: clear expectations, ongoing education, and helpful support.<\/p>\n
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<\/dt>\n- They know a lot of people. A lot.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
Clear Expectations<\/h2>\n
A big part of building a culture of fundraising is making expectations clear. Do your current board members understand their roles and responsibilities? Are financial commitments understood? Do they know you expect them to fundraise?<\/p>\n
It may seem obvious, but it\u2019s very possible to join a board without realizing fundraising is part of the deal. That\u2019s why fundraising should be part of your recruitment conversations. Not only does talking about fundraising save you from bad surprises later, it can seriously impact your board\u2019s engagement with future fundraising.<\/p>\n
BoardSource found in their 2017 survey of nonprofit board practices, Leading with Intent<\/a>, that when fundraising expectations are clearly articulated during recruitment, 52% of executives report active engagement in fundraising, versus only 12% when fundraising expectations are not part of recruitment.<\/p>\n
Add fundraising questions to your interview and onboarding processes, like:<\/p>\n
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- Have you ever raised money for charity? How did it go?<\/li>\n
- What kind of fundraising activities are you most comfortable with? Least comfortable?<\/li>\n
- What do you think you\u2019d need (information, assistance, mentoring, etc.) to feel confident raising money?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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![\"Talk](\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/board-guide-handshake-1024x684.jpg\")
<\/dt>\n- \u201cI understand that fundraising is part of board service, and I\u2019m ready to join your board.\u201d \u201cExcellent! I\u2019m so glad we had this clear and necessary conversation!\u201d<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
As you continue to work with the board, keep on spelling out expectations. If you expect board members to bring people to events, buy tickets to fundraisers, or supply in-kind donations<\/a> for a raffle, say so. If you want them to introduce you to potential funders, ask their friends to contribute, or host a fundraising party, you need to tell them.<\/p>\n
Education<\/h2>\n
Many board members get it. They know they\u2019re supposed to help raise money for their organizations. They just don\u2019t know how. Once they get some knowledge, they\u2019re excited to begin.<\/p>\n
As a fundraising professional, you have access to a lot of good information and training. Do you read blogs, receive newsletters, or get invited to classes? Share the wealth! Consider:<\/p>\n
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- Forwarding good blog posts<\/a> and articles to board members\n
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- Find articles that are short, relevant, and actionable<\/li>\n
- Be careful of overwhelming them–an article about once a month is good for most people.<\/li>\n
- Summarize whatever you send a link to, and explain why you think it\u2019s useful<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Inviting your board president or other members to attend a seminar or class with you\n
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- Have coffee afterward to discuss how you could apply what you\u2019ve learned to your organization<\/li>\n
- Ask them to report on the seminar to the other board members<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Spending a short period of time during each board meeting to talk about a different aspect of fundraising\n
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- The more board members understand your fundraising strategy, the more they\u2019re able to help<\/li>\n
- Explain your terms. You know what an annual fund and a year-end appeal are, and what they involve, but your board members might not.<\/li>\n
- Explain your techniques. It\u2019s not overkill to say, \u201cWe\u2019re sending a letter to 1,000 people, and expect a 2% return rate. We\u2019ll send three follow-up emails, and post seven times on our social media before January.\u201d<\/li>\n
- Explain what they need to do. \u201cPlease share our social media posts with your own networks.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Spending more time on a specific fundraising topic during a board retreat\n
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- Ask your board what they\u2019d like to learn more about<\/li>\n
- If they don\u2019t have ideas, suggest topics you\u2019d like them to focus on<\/li>\n
- A board retreat is a good opportunity to work with a guest speaker or consultant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Holding a fundraising workshop\n
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- In a low-stress environment, encourage board members to talk frankly about their feelings about fundraising<\/li>\n
- Working in small groups or pairs, let board members practice advocating for your organization and develop their own \u201celevator speech\u201d about your cause and mission<\/li>\n
- Encourage board members to identify their own reasons for supporting you, and practice sharing those reasons with each other.<\/li>\n
- Role-play making asks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Breaking down your fundraising reports further\n
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- Include year-over-year comparisons, to give board members perspective on totals<\/li>\n
- Include a short description of fundraising activities, as well as their results<\/li>\n
- Include visual organizers like charts and graphs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Side Bar\/Box\/Etc: Reports That Educate<\/h2>\n
At CauseVox, we think reporting should be simple. That\u2019s why our fundraising platform has intuitive back-office features, making it very simple to export data. Data is, of course, the heart of reporting.<\/p>\n
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![\"CauseVox](\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/board-guide-back-office.png\")
<\/dt>\n- Look at all that data, nice and neat in one place!<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
Raw data is not enough for all boards, however. Once you\u2019ve got your data, it\u2019s worth taking a minute or two to break it into smaller pieces that are easy to understand. Toss in a graph or a chart for the visual learners. Summarize the report for the skimmers. Help your board understand what all those numbers actually mean.<\/p>\n
Comparing totals year-over-year gives board members a better perspective on what success is. Tracking how many donors make more than one gift demonstrates the importance of donor retention. Including a short narrative description of your fundraising activities gives board members a clearer picture of what exactly it is you\u2019re doing all day.<\/p>\n
The time you spend making your data accessible to your board is well spent. A board that is educated about fundraising activities and results is more equipped to make good decisions about an organization\u2019s finances and able to see how their help impacts fundraising.<\/p>\n
Support<\/h2>\n
As a fundraising professional, you have a lot of skills and you know a lot of things. This can make it hard to determine when you\u2019re asking a lot of people. Things seem simple when you know how to do them.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s imagine that instead of a fundraising campaign, we\u2019re trying to build a bookshelf. You, as a fundraising professional, are a master carpenter. If someone said, \u201cHey, build a bookshelf, would you?\u201d to you, it would probably make sense, and you could do it without much bother. Voila, a bookshelf.<\/p>\n
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<\/dt>\n- Show off.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
If someone asked a non-carpenter to build a bookshelf, it would not be so breezy. They would need to learn what tools and materials they needed, where to find them, how to use those tools, what the necessary components of a bookshelf were, and how to apply the tools to the materials to get the desired results. It would probably not be super fun, and their first bookshelf might not be very sturdy.<\/p>\n
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![\"Good](\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Board-guide-tools-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/dt>\n- You don\u2019t need that many saws, for example.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
If the most important thing is to have a bookshelf, why would we make a non-carpenter build one from scratch? Why don\u2019t we send them to Ikea?<\/p>\n
You know what\u2019s great about putting together a piece of furniture from Ikea? It has everything you need. You don\u2019t have to find a wrench, you don\u2019t need to go buy screws, you don\u2019t even need to read anything. They make it as simple as possible.<\/p>\n
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![\"Make](\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Board-guide-Ikea-Bookshelf-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/dt>\n- Success!<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
You need to be the Ikea of fundraising for your board members.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t make them go hunting for a Phillips-head screwdriver. Give them everything they need to succeed, including:<\/p>\n
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- A toolkit. A fundraising toolkit <\/a>can contain:\n
- Forwarding good blog posts<\/a> and articles to board members\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/nten-board-guide-1024x514.png\")
<\/dt>\n![\"Boards](\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/board-guide-yes-1024x768.jpg\")
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