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Ten Tips for Staying Sane about Your Board
April 2005- Let go of any written or unwritten rules you may have about the "right" way for board members to participate in fundraising.
- Above all, let go of the notion that all board members must ask others for money.
- Accept the 20-60-20 rule when it comes to fundraising and your board. That is, 20 percent of the board will enjoy being involved in fundraising, 60 percent will be neutral about it, and the remaining 20 percent will want nothing to do with it.
- Stop thinking that every other nonprofit organization's board members do more fundraising than your board members do. It's irrelevant (and highly improbable, anyway).
- Recognize that your board members are volunteers who are giving you the gifts of their time and attention. In today's world, those gifts are more precious than money. They are not paid staff nor, in most cases, do they wish to become paid staff.
- Know that your board members are looking to you to steer the fundraising process and to make requests of them as needed. Do not assume that anyone on your board wakes up each morning worrying about the fundraising needs of your organization.
- Treat each board member with the care and respect that with which you would treat each major donor or potential major donor. If, over time, you consistently shower your board members with that level of personal attention and respect, many of them will naturally become significant donors.
- Thank your board members sincerely and promptly for every little thing they do. A quick e-mail or voicemail "thank you" tells them that what they did mattered to you. Whether they have served on your board for ten months or ten years, make certain they know you do not take them for granted.
- Meet with each board member individually once a year to be sure you understand what interests them most about your organization. Find out why they got involved on your board in the first place and what keeps them involved. When interacting with each board member, keep these interests and self-interests foremost in your mind. Let go of any expectations or illusions that these will ever change. Do your very best to fulfill these interests.
- When you meet with each board member, have a list of concrete ideas for how that board member can assist your organization. For example, ask the board member to host an event for your organization (not necessarily a fund-raising event-it could be an open house or similar type of event), attend a presentation you or one your colleagues is giving, or invite friends to an event or presentation given by your organization.
Terry Axelrod, Raising More Money
© 2004, 2005, Raising More Money
Terry Axelrod is founder and CEO of Raising More Money, which trains and coaches nonprofit organizations in implementing a mission-based system for raising sustainable funding from individual donors. This system ends the suffering about fundraising and builds passionate and committed lifelong donors. For more information, go to www.raisingmoremoney.com.