In order to ensure success in getting board members to help with fundraising, it’s critical that you manage expectations — both theirs, and yours!
Many board members who don’t currently help with fundraising might get involved if they clearly understood what was expected of them… and HOW to be successful.
In part 1 of this series, you learned about the importance of board members being able to overcome their fear of fundraising. A big part of the fear of fundraising is fear of the unknown. Board members may only be familiar with fundraising from experience with telemarketers and school bake sales. And, that’s probably not the kind of fundraising you want help with.
In Get Your Board on Board with Fundraising part 2, we’ll focus on the importance of managing expectations and increasing chances of success by simplifying fundraising.
First, Manage Your Own Expectations
First, it’s important to manage your own expectations. If you expect that your board members will miraculously start to love fundraising or dedicate as much time as you do, think again.
Remember that this is a volunteer role!
Board members have several other priorities ahead of your organization, including family responsibilities and their own job or career. Those are always going to dominate when it comes to time and resource allocation. They may even have another charity or two ahead of yours in terms of order of importance.
Next, Manage Your Board’s Expectations — In Three Steps
Second, it’s important to recruit board members with appropriate expectations and remind them of their roles and responsibilities on a regular basis.
1. Make your expectations reasonable and manageable.
A board member expectation form will help your nonprofit’s board members understand what’s fully expected of them — and that will make things easier for everyone in the long run. Use this sample board member expectation form as a guide.
You’ll want to include board member expectations like:
- Make a significant, personal donation
- Attend and participate in board meetings
- Advocate on behalf of the organization
- Serve and contribute on a sub-committee
- Help with fundraising
The “help with fundraising” is what we’re going to focus on here.
2. Simplify fundraising for your board.
Ask board members to commit to 15 minutes per month to help with fundraising.
Then, give them the tools and resources to be successful. Here’s a list of tasks board members can do to help with fundraising in 15 minutes per month.
- Write 2 thank you notes
- Add a note to 3 appeal letters
- Make 2 thank you calls
- Make an e-introduction to the executive director
- Invite friends to take a tour
- Encourage colleagues to volunteer
- Post to social media
- Share an article or invitation
As long as you give board members scripts or bullet points, they can be successful at all of these in 15 minutes or less per month. Ask them to pick one every month and report back at the next meeting.
3. Get started at your NEXT board meeting.
You can start each board meeting with one small fundraising activity.
For example, bring note cards, bullet points and envelopes and have each board member write one thank you note. Alternatively, you can bring names of phone numbers of people needing thank you calls. Have board members pull out their cell phones, go into the hallway and make a thank you call. They need scripts to know what to say and to know how to leave a message.
The Key to Managing Expectations and Keeping Fundraising Simple
Ensure board and staff members know what’s expected of one another. Keep tasks short, sweet, and simple. Give board members clear instructions, an opportunity to succeed, and encouragement.
What have you done to keep your own expectations and that of your board members’ expectations in check? Please share your struggles and wins in the comments.
Check out the other posts in this series…
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