Manifesto for a Fundraising Board
Is your board ready to assume real leadership for your organization’s future?
Create a board that's ready to ROCK!
If your board is ready to move from “managing” to “leading,” here’s a Manifesto for them to embrace.
Wikipedia defines “manifesto” as “a public declaration of principles and intentions.”
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your board members had an open discussion about their responsibilities in fundraising?
Why don’t you add this to your next board meeting agenda as a discussion item?
And ask, “what are your impressions of this set of principles?”
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Manifesto for a Fundraising Board
We agree that ALL board members are responsible for actively supporting our organization’s resource development. It is everybody’s job.
We agree that ALL board members can take an active role in fundraising by:
• thanking donors and helping to develop long term relationships with them
• building connections for fundraising
• lobbying for grants and gifts
• asking for contributions when appropriate
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• raising the visibility of our organization in the community.
We acknowledge that this will help
• increase contributions
• build organizational credibility
• create long term donors who will sustain and support our organization for the long haul
• help lay the groundwork for future capital campaigns.
Do you think your board is ready for this?
Leave me a comment and tell me why, or why not.
I love this and plan to share it with my Resource Development Committee and let our Chair present it to our Board. Thank you so much!
I still have people on my Board that are terrified of asking but I will share this with the new President of the BOD..
No I don’t think my board is ready. They don’t even want to get close to taking on the responsiblity of making money for our organization even though that is their main function. They are more interested in micro-managing me.
Oh dear, looks like we need to send them to “governance” school or do an intervention. My sympathies!
Jennifer, the key is having them understand that there are many things they can do to support fundraising without having to solicit.
Thanks I have dealt with it for quite a few years and to tell you the truth I am getting very tired of it.
My Board gets it, though sometimes I have to remind them that they are contributing to our fundraising goals when they are setting up presentations and attending cultivation events.
I have people on my Board who are assets to the organization and who are dedicated to our work — but they outright refuse to actively participate in fundraising. They “don’t know how to” or “will do it next month when things are less busy”. They seem to understand in some abstract sense we need donations to survive. They just don’t connect their actions with the financial support.
The key is getting them to see that there’s more to fundraising than “asking.” They can impact the bottom line by thanking donors (improves retention and raises future gifts.) Or by hosting small socials to open doors to new prospects.
You’re exactly right! Let them see that they are a huge help when they do these things.
in my professional life now I work with fundraising pro’s (we’re a donation solutions provider online) but my past employer and an org I still volunteer with (tho not at a board level) this would NEVER fly. And it’s killing them. Old board / founder board. It’s been around for 70 years, some very smart / wise people – but ask them to ask for money / cultivate donor relationships? never / not a chance. It’s so funny how we think fund raising can be isolated to the work of a “staff member” or a “volunteer” and not have it be the central role of the board. While this board sees themselves as “Stewards” of the ministry, and arguably even “financial stewards” in terms of how they spend money, ‘financial stewards’ in terms of raising it is not even on their radar. Will pass it on – good post as always.
I love this post, Gail. It’s a nice fit with my post today about What Fund Development Committees do. Thanks for outlining the manifesto! http://lorijacobwith.com/2011/07/fund-development-committees-%E2%80%93-what-do-they-do-anyway/