The Fundraising Challenge: Getting Your Board Onboard
The Fundraising Challenge: Getting Your Board Onboard
It’s a simple fact: “You can’t fund a healthy organization without a robust fundraising program.”
Another fact: “You need a highly engaged board to raise the funds you need to not only keep the lights on but to also make real impact.”
Yet too many boards remain disconnected from fundraising, and too many development staff members run on a fundraising treadmill, scratching out just enough for the nonprofit to get through the next payroll cycle. Frustration, disappointment and burnout replace professional satisfaction and achievement.
It’s time to get the board “on board” with a strategic approach to fundraising.
Well-meaning board members often express confusion about their role when it comes to raising funds for their organization. Should they stay on the sidelines and let the “professionals” take over? Should they get involved and could that possibly mean (gasp!) asking friends and family for contributions? Where, when and how do they fit into the fundraising cycle?
You may or may not be a fan of Dancing with the Stars (DWTS), but the premise of this long-running television show might be a useful analogy here. Each DWTS competing team is made up of a professional ballroom dancer and another celebrity whose expertise lies elsewhere – in sports, acting, gymnastics, or whatever. The professional dancer on the team choreographs the dance, teaching and coaching the non-professional toward success. The non-professional is expected to bring their energy, passion and commitment to the partnership.
If each partner was working alone, there wouldn’t be much of a dance, would there? A basketball player could not be expected to figure out how to choreograph a foxtrot or cha-cha-cha. And the professional dancer needs the basketball player to bring the celebrity-infused dance spectacle to life.
In a nonprofit scenario, it is the development professional’s responsibility to design the fundraising program and to choreograph the “moves” within it, and to teach and coach the board members toward impactful donor cultivation and solicitation. It is the board member’s responsibility to contribute their passion and their “celebrity,” that is, their reputation and community relationships, to the partnership to bring philanthropy to life.
And just as the basketball player should avoid going on stage without professional guidance, volunteer board members need professional guidance and support before taking on any kind of strategic donor cultivation or solicitation. They need to know when and how to reach out; they need support in terms of consistent messaging and materials; and they need role-playing and practice to be able to participate with confidence.
How do you design a role for each board member?
This is not a one-size-fits-all enterprise. There are any number of ways that board members can be active participants in fundraising. The challenge is in strategically placing board members where their involvement will make the greatest impact.
First things first, however. Every board member must make their own leadership-level gift. This is non-negotiable. You cannot hope to inspire giving from others if you have not stepped forward generously yourself.
With that understood, a board member can become an active participant in fundraising in several manners. Board members should participate in at least two of these activities, but consider the possibilities if every member committed to all of them:
• Introduce the chief executive or development director to 10-15 viable donor prospects
• If aligned with a company, connect the chief executive or development director with the community engagement officer
• Bring family, friends and colleagues to the organization’s special events
• Participate in solicitation calls and meetings as appropriate
When each team member knows their role and fulfills, it, fundraising becomes so much more than a chore (and a dreaded one, at that). When the development team knows they can count on their board members to connect them to the community – and when board members feel supported and prepared to make those connections – success is surely on the horizon.
Need support to engage your board? More Than Giving Can help.
For many nonprofits, a small – possibly even one-person – development team already manages an extensive task list to ensure the success of annual giving appeals, grant writing, galas and golf events. And if you have been following our blog, our recently completed “Mathematics of Fundraising” series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) is a glimpse into just how much behind-the-scenes strategizing goes into building a sustainable culture of philanthropy. .
If you’re not sure where board engagement will fit on your already crowded plate, we can help. We can give you access to the support you need – even if you only need someone for 10 hours a month. Schedule a meeting with us today to see how our fractional staff members can enhance your fundraising efforts.