There is such a hunger in the nonprofit sector for help wrangling the board of directors. Because the board is a disparate group of volunteers, it can often seem impossible to get their attention, let alone get them all pointing in the same, effective direction. This is even more true in fundraising. But if you can get your board members all on the same page, it can transform your nonprofit.
So as we approach the end of the year and the height of nonprofit fundraising I wanted to offer some ways you can get your board more involved, not just for the next couple of weeks, but for years to come.
Here are some strategies to get your board fundraising for your nonprofit:
Start a Game-Changing Board Discussion
One way to plant the seed of change is to engage the board in a thought-provoking discussion. If you’re interested in kicking one off at your next board meeting, ask your board a question like:
- Should the board be responsible for raising 10% of our budget?
- Should we institute a minimum give/get requirement?
- What should the board’s role in our financial engine be?
And if you are uncomfortable starting the discussion yourself, let me do it. Share my video Why Every Board Member Should Fundraise at the meeting and see how board members respond. Be prepared for some disagreement, perhaps even anger and frustration. But I believe it’s far better to get the demons on the table so you can examine them rather than pretending they just don’t exist.
Give the Board Options
If you have board members that are scared of fundraising, or that hate to ask people for money, there are plenty of other things they can do to help. I believe there is an endless list of ways board members can contribute to the financial engine of the organization, from writing a business plan, to negotiating with a vendor, to hosting a friend raiser, and the list goes on. If you want to help your board think outside the fundraising box, these lists (here and here) of ways board members can raise money (without fundraising) can help.
Educate the Board on Fundraising
Often a board’s inertia comes from a lack of knowledge. Very few people know how to fundraise effectively. So remove that barrier by educating your board about how money flows in the nonprofit sector, how other boards raise money, how to ask for money, etc. The How to Build a Fundraising Board webinar, the Finding Individual Donors webinar, and the 10 Traits of a Groundbreaking Board e-book can all be useful tools to help your board understand how things work and how they can be more helpful to the financial sustainability of the nonprofit they serve.
Involve the Board in Making the Case
You can’t expect the board to raise money if they can’t make a compelling argument for why people should give. And you can’t just hand board members a brochure and expect them to effectively articulate the message. If you really want to get your board excited about raising money for your cause, involve them in making a case for investment. Bring them together as a group to ask and answer a series of questions about why people should give to your nonprofit, what your organization is working towards, why it matters, and so on. The Draft a Case for Investment Step-by-Step Guide will give you the framework to use. At the end of the exercise you will have not only a compelling case to make to prospective donors, but, more importantly, an army of board members excited about making that case.
It is an unfortunate reality that almost every nonprofit leader faces. Boards of directors, as a rule, are not effective fundraisers. But you can move beyond that by getting your board to talk, think and act differently about bringing money in the door.
And if you’d like some one-on-one help to get your board raising more money, check out the board engagement consulting and nonprofit leader coaching services I provide.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
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