How To Get Your Board To Raise More Money

Here’s How To Get Your Board To Raise More Money:

Many non-profit board members are willing to do anything other than ask others for money! But being a fundraiser is an essential role for board members. Board members must be fundraisers because foundations and corporate and major givers consider board giving as one of their key criteria before making their own gifts. The rule of thumb in assessing a charity’s capacity for fundraising, in fact, is taking the level of board giving and multiplying it by a factor of ten. Board members in a functional charity are required to give AND get---or get off. The amount they should be expected to get is also a factor of ten---ten times the amount they give.

Here’s how you can facilitate greater fundraising success by your board members:

Recruit an affluential and influential board committed to fundraising.

Have clear job descriptions.

Set clear board giving and getting fundraising expectations.

Be sure your board is on board with fundraising.

Provide ongoing board fundraising education.

Support your board members in their fundraising.

Have a strong board leader leading them.

Help them understand what to do as fundraisers.

Ask them to assist your fundraising in small specific ways at first, within their comfort zones.

Check in with them regularly.

Provide them fundraising tools and materials.

Bring in a fundraising expert to train, guide, inspire and advise them.

Celebrate their wins!

Commit to having an actively engaged board where all members are contributing financially.

Have a “give and get” policy.

Give them a firm grasp on your mission.

Teach them to be enthusiastic ambassadors and fundraisers.

Get them to be using their own unique gifts to your organization’s benefit.

Get them to buy into your annual fundraising plan.

Get every single board member to point out where they can assist.

Get every Board member to not only makes a personal donation, but make it one of their top charitable gifts for the year

Get each Board member to gladly connect you with people they know who are likely to give to your organization.

Provide opportunities for all your board members to become active in developing relationships with your donors that will likely lead to gifts.

Have each of your board members trained to be an ambassador and advocate for your organization.

Encourage board members to take prospects to lunch, invite them to events, and also host events for prospects.

Invite board members to accompany your executive director on calls to local government officials, foundation officers, corporate executives and other organizational or institutional donors

Invite board members to be part of your organization’s speakers' bureau.

Have board members engage in writing fundraising letters, add notes to fundraising letters, make fundraising phone calls, and meet prospective donors face to face.

Help your board members to think of everyone they regularly come into contact with in their networks who might be good prospects for donating to you such as those they volunteer with on other Boards of Directors, colleagues, friends, etc.

Acknowledge the fundraising roles that each board member plays.

Board members can catalyze greater fundraising success for you by:

Making their proud, personal individualized annual gift.

Helping thank donors.

Reaching out to donors and telling them about your organization’s great work.

Helping identify prospective donors.

Opening doors with introductions.

Helping cultivate donors.

Ensuring that fundraising has adequate resources and support.

Attending public events and bringing prospects and friends.

And, whenever possible and appropriate, asking for contributions.

P.S. Anything else that you would add?

The author, Dr. John b. Charnay, CEO of Charnay and Associates in Greater Los Angeles, is a top nonprofit fundraising advisor who has raised over a quarter of a billion dollars during his distinguished career. He has been in charge of numerous major fundraising special events. He often strategically advises board chairs and executive directors and development directors. He facilitates board fundraising retreats and has trained numerous boards and development directors and their staffs in fundraising. He has extensive experience teaching at the graduate and undergraduate levels at leading universities throughout the greater Los Angeles area, including USC, UCLA, CSUN, FIDM, Woodbury and Pepperdine. Additionally, he is an award-winning public relations professional. He has been a strategic PR advisor to many famous celebrities and fortune 1000 CEOs. Additionally, he serves as a trusted strategic philanthropic advisor to numerous high net worth individuals & families & family offices. To meet him and ask for his support, invite him to be LinkedIn (email in profile) and contact him today!