Board members, like all people, want to feel appreciated. They want to feel that their time is valued. If any board member sits passively during a meeting and doesn’t contribute -- for any reason -- that meeting was a waste of their time. To put it another way, you know you're wasting their time if your board meetings are jam-packed with … [Read more...]
Difficult Nonprofit Board? 5 Ways to Evoke Full Cooperation
There’s a popular sentiment shared by many fundraisers: Managing a nonprofit board is a lot like herding cats. In other words, it can feel like a completely frustrating and unmanageable task. If you're frustrated with your board as a whole, with individual board members, or their inability to fundraise, you're not alone. Many … [Read more...]
Nonprofit Board Governance Best Practices: The Shocking Truth
The shocking truth about nonprofit board governance best practices (and how they impact raising major gifts) is that many nonprofit board governance best practices are often ignored by nonprofit professionals and volunteers -- including perhaps the most important best practice for any nonprofit board. So that begs the question: … [Read more...]
Nonprofit Board and Staff Retreat Agenda Sample (Stop Having Poor Retreats!)
If you’re like so many nonprofit professionals, you may believe that a nonprofit board and staff retreat agenda is simply a longer version of your regular board meetings. If that’s the case, let me be blunt... Your retreat will be a waste of time. That’s right. You don’t want to waste your board members' time by planning an extend … [Read more...]
Got a Fundraising-Resistant Board? Ask these 11 Questions
A few years back, I was facilitating a board retreat, where it quickly became clear to me that the majority of the board members were unwilling to participate in fundraising or even open to the idea of fundraising. The First Question is Key In all my years of working with boards, I had never encountered such a resistant group. So I asked … [Read more...]
Amy’s Top 9 Posts from 2015
As the year draws to a close, it’s important to reflect on the past as you begin to prepare for the coming year. Thank You, Sincerely I am so grateful for all the work you do to make our world a better place. Through my blog, consulting, speaking, and board retreat facilitating, I like to think I’m right there, in the trenches, with you. … [Read more...]
7 ‘Year of the Board’ Posts Worth a Second Look
This week, Jewish people around the world are celebrating the highest of holy days, including the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). I mention this because when this post goes live, I will be sitting in temple with my family, thinking about the year behind me and the year to come. This is an important … [Read more...]
Board Members Should NEVER Ask for Money – Here’s Why
Today’s question comes to us from Angela and it’s a great question. Angela writes: The trouble that I have is getting past the 'I don't want to ask my friends for money' response. What else can I do to motivate those board members who aren't comfortable asking directly? Share it with others -- Today’s Tweetable: Change the … [Read more...]
The Simplest Way to Get Your Board Members to Help with Fundraising
Donna writes: Some of my board members have said they are “hurt and offended” when I repeatedly ask for their cooperation in generating new leads. How do I get them to understand how important this is without sending them into the “fight or flight” response? Share it with others -- Today’s Tweetable: Use your #nonprofit board … [Read more...]
New Board? New Fundraisers? Here’s Where to Start
Today’s question comes from Melissa. Melissa asks: Where do you start with a board that hasn’t had to previously participate in fundraising? What expectations do you set and how do you hold them accountable? Share it with others -- Today’s Tweetable: Great #nonprofit board members have clear expectations, and understand their … [Read more...]
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