How to … Use Your Board Members for Effective Fundraising
GuideStar is a donor-centered organization; its mission, after all, involves the advancement of organizational transparency so that funders can make more educated giving decisions. But the firm sends out a month e-newsletter that has some terrific information for nonprofits themselves. This month’s piece includes five useful tips from Gail Perry, the author of Fired Up Fundraising: Turn Board Passion into Action, for enlisting your board members in fundraising efforts.
- Train your board to realize that fundraising is not merely asking for money, but “building and keeping friends.” “If we can get our board members to change their point of view and have them focus first on making friends who then join our organization’s bandwagon as donors — then everyone wins,” Perry writes. “We should never allow our good-hearted, well-meaning but nervous board members to get away with equating the entire process of fundraising with the act of soliciting.”
- Don’t give your board members cold calls to make. It’s a waste of their energy and good will. Start instead with some easy calls where a positive outcome is likely, then move them into more comprehensive cultivation.
- Use your board for the heavy hitters, not the tiny givers. “Focus on quality, not quantity,” writes Perry.
- As tempting as it is to call on your board for emergency fundraising, that’s likely to result in an unpleasant experience. Save your board for more relaxed conversations about what your organization is doing, thereby building relationships rather than simply asking for scratch.
- Train and support your board members. They are not fundraising professionals. Give them the help they need.
How does your organization use board members? What have you found that works? “How to …” appears Monday at the 501(c) Files. | 501(c)
