An active and effective board is one in which its members use their skills to acquire, retain or increase resources.
There are many reasons people join nonprofit boards. For some it may to be to improve their business networking, for others to improve their profile in their organization or company and some want to improve their leadership skills. However, most people join boards because they want to make a difference for your organization or cause. Simply put, they want to do their part to solve a problem. It is our job to help them do that.
Be flexible
Too often, fundraisers have a rigid sense of what board members should be doing and how they should be doing it. Fundraising takes all kinds of forms yet we often get focused solely on our board members writing their own checks or asking everyone they know - friends, family and colleagues- for money on our behalf. In doing so, we can overlook or underutilize our board member’s individual talents or desires. As experienced fundraisers know, solicitation is just one aspect of fundraising. Yet this commonly the only thing we focus on with our board.
An effective development program uses multiple strategies to secure resources from broad-based campaigns and events to one-to-one solicitations. Each strategy requires different skill sets and talents – not all of which can or should be fulfilled by paid staff. Highly effective fundraising operations use the expertise of their board members to augment the work of the organization in practical and resourceful ways.
An easy way to determine your board member’s talents is to ask them during your board member orientation. Generally, the orientation focuses on what we want them to know about us; we teach them all about our organization, from our history, to our culture to our vision for the future. Yet, we spend little time learning about them, their interests, expertise and knowledge. Below are some questions that you could incorporate into your orientation:
Once you have an understanding of the talents of each board member, think broadly about how to engage them. It is critical to be strategic in how you engage board members, however, as they might get overly involved in administration and expect to make programmatic decisions. Before you make any request of your board members, be sure it will enhance the overall fundraising efforts and set clear expectations and boundaries.
Think differently
Below are examples of board member profiles and how each type might be able to help you achieve your goals
Partner: These are the board members who have a very specific skill set. For example, if you have a board member who is talented in writing, involve them with messaging in your fundraising event program: writing scripts, creating content, interviewing your clients. Ask them to edit your e-newsletter or develop case statements. Or, you may have a board member who specializes in social media. If they cannot manage your Facebook page because of internal policies, perhaps they could ensure that all board members have ‘liked’ your Facebook page and are using it to network on your behalf.
Socializer: These individuals can make thank you calls and stewardship visits. If your organization has third-party events (events where you are the beneficiary, but hosted and managed by someone else), ask the socializer to attend on your behalf. Or perhaps you have a scratch golfer on your board: purchase a foursome in another tournament and match up your golfer board member with a donor. You don’t have to host a golf tournament to take advantage of the networking that happens on the course.
Strategist: involve them in problem solving at the highest level possible in your organization. If possible, work with your CEO to determine what keeps her up at night and connect your strategist board members and your CEO in occasional strategy sessions. Or, invite your strategist board member to be part of the CEO’s ‘kitchen cabinet,’ the group she can turn to for advice and input.
Worker Bee: These are the most under-utilized board members. They are willing to set up for your event, stuff envelopes and take registration at your walk-a-thon - so let them! If your event invitation would get more attention with a real stamp instead of metered, ask your worker bee board member to come in and do it. If you need logistical help for your staff party, or you need a list of participant names organized, ask your worker bee board member – it keeps them engaged and allows staff to focus on other things.
Connector: Every board benefits from board members who are well-connected. These are often people who work with a lot of clients or vendors. Ask them to identify potential supporters; invite their clients to your golf tournament or charity event; send a letter to their vendors asking for support under their signature. Make it easy for them, though. These can be your busiest board members: so give them a profile of a potential donor; ask about a limited list of people (not a list of 500 names) and write the letter for them (or better yet, get your writer board member to write the letter for them!)
Check-writer: These are the people who may stay longer than the term limits, make a generous gift each year, but don’t attend meetings. So, let them. There might be a policy, but there’s no law that says that every board member has to be active in a particular way. I’ve worked with board members like these; I make it a point to connect with them every so often and personally update them on important information or seek their advice. I talk with them in anticipation of heated issues at board meetings and share their thoughts at the meeting. They appreciate the ability to give input and the organization appreciates their support.
Historian: The historians are those who have been involved with your organization for a long-time and who “remember when.” With the average length of stay of a fundraiser within any particular organization being 18 months to three years, the historians will have more organizational knowledge than the development staff! They are particularly helpful at times of anniversary celebrations or significant change. And, if their input is heeded, they can help you not repeat the mistakes of the past.
Of course, most board members will likely have a variety of these talents (and more not listed). Most importantly is to realize that there is no one prototype for a good board member. The opportunity for the development staff is to recognize and utilize these talents in a cohesive manner.
If non-profit leaders can broaden their thinking about board members roles, they might find the real gold they have been looking for in their board members.
Karen Santangelo, Executive Director of Providence Child Center Foundation, Portland, Oregon, USA. Karen is an experienced fundraising and project management professional with 20 years of work in healthcare, education and social service environments. Her resourcefulness has gained her a reputation for improving existing and initiating new methods of fundraising. She has significant strategic work with leadership volunteers and board members to enhance their contribution and help them increase their effectiveness in management and fundraising.
