Board Chairs: How to Fire Up Your Board with a Call to Action
Here’s a call to action for all board chairs!
You have a big job. Especially these days. Many organizations are facing major decisions – about funding, staffing, service delivery – and everything else.
As we said two weeks ago, a small vision and a small goal won’t cut it in this environment. If your board needs a wakeup call, here’s a format that will work!
Board Chairs: It’s Time to Rally the Troops.
If you need to motivate your board members and challenge them to take action, try following these guidelines. Here’s how to marshal your forces, encourage everyone to pull together, and inspire action.
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1. Take the First Step Yourself
Be the first to step up to the plate. Board chairs need to personally take the first action that you are asking of your board members. Ask them to follow you.
Remind your board members that it’s really up to them. They also have a responsibility to lead by example.
2. Professional and Business-Like Tone
If you are writing to your board members, watch your tone when you ask them to take action. It’s easy to sound like you are lecturing or complaining.
Make a request that is professional and business-like – no pleading or manipulating. Just make a request plainly and succinctly. Above all, treat your board members as the capable professionals they all are.
3. Call Them to a Higher Purpose
Rally your board members with inspirational thoughts. What’s the ultimate vision that everyone is trying to achieve?
Always remind them of their higher purpose and what they want to accomplish – in the biggest sense possible.
4. Clear Set of Actions to Take
Lay the problem out clearly. Then, point out possible solutions or steps the board can take to move forward.
By all means, give everyone clear actions they can take – and a choice of actions.
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5. Ask Board Members to Personally Respond Back to You
When you write your board members, here’s a way to get their attention. Ask them to respond back to you directly – not to respond to someone else.
When you do that, you let them know that this is a direct and personal request from you, the board chair. And you can keep tabs on who is doing what.
6. A Deadline!
Absolutely, everyone performs better with a deadline. Why? Because it provides a clear time frame, and accountability to take action.
Board Chairs Can Make It Happen:
Once, our local AFP chapter needed an intervention. We were facing a major event – our National Philanthropy Day celebration, and everyone needed to jump into action.
Fortunately our chair was a skilled leader. She wrote us a Call to Action email, asking us all to step it up. With only a part-time staff person, we had to rely on our board volunteers to make it happen. So, if we didn’t pull through, we wouldn’t even have an event.
Take a look at this professional and very specific note to her board members:
Good morning,
Our event committees have been working diligently to make this occasion a great success. I’m proud of their efforts and the incredible creativity they have brought to the event planning.
However, the ultimate success of our event will depend on the community’s response and we, as board members, must lead by example.
This week, I am asking each of you to consider how you personally (and your organization) can participate. Please consider these 3 opportunities to help your donors, volunteers, your cause, and AFP shine:
* Commit to a table of 10 at the non-profit, special rate of $400 to honor an outstanding volunteer.
*Nominate one, two or more donors and volunteers for an award. It’s so easy and you can do it online. My organization is nominating in two categories this year.
* Help secure a sponsor at the $500 or $1000 levels. We have turn-key packets for you to personalize for your prospect.
I would like to ask each person to either reply to all or send me an e-mail indicating to what extent you are able to commit to one, two or all three of the above. It will boost our “ask” to others to step up. It will also help us get an early snap shot of what our board participation will be.
I appreciate all that you do to make our chapter excellent and look forward to hearing back from you by the end of the week.
Warm regards,
Bottom Line: Board Chairs – Try this Approach When You Need to Rally Everyone.
These difficult times need us all to pull together and make it happen. If not us, then who? If not now, then when?
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Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
