How to Get Board Members to Fundraise? Engage Them in the Mission

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I interviewed Hal Abrams, a major gift consultant, about how to involve board members in fundraising. He said the first step is to engage them in the mission. Tell me about what you do. Many organizations live hand to mouth off their gala or just one big push. As a major gift consultant, I try to help nonprofits be more efficient with their time and change their processes to build relationships with donors and to help donors accomplish their philanthropic goals. What role do board members have in fundraising? Board members have an important role in fundraising. But I think… Read more

How Do We Keep Helping the Kids?

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I spoke to the board chair of an organization that works in community mental health. Reflecting on the last year and a half, he described how the board focused on making sure their organization could continue providing vital services. He expressed their commitment to the core work which meant the board stepping up to raise sufficient funds. Kids’ Problems Don’t Go Away As told by a Board Chair somewhere in the U.S. My organization serves kids and families coping with mental illness, substance abuse, and violence. We work in schools as well as directly. When COVID hit, the board’s first… Read more

COVID Forces Hard Decisions

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I spoke with the CEO and several board members of an organization that focuses on immigrants and refugees. We talked about the impact of COVID, protests, and the election on their organization and the people they serve – and how the board was involved in the tough decisions they have had to make. Work with Your Board to Develop Contingency Plans CEO: We went into the pandemic thinking we would be tapping our board to do more. There were lots of questions of the impact it would have on the economy, on foundations, on philanthropy. Our board has a governance… Read more

A Year of Pandemic, Protest, and Propaganda — What Now?

Categories: Advocacy · Board Diversity · Board Member Roles · Board, Board Chair, ED/CEO Roles · Executive Session · Fundraising · Good Board Practices · Leadership · Nonprofit FundingLeave a comment

We made it to 2021 — happy to get beyond 2020 – the year of pandemic, protests, and propaganda. There is a light at the end of the tunnel as COVID vaccines are approved and distributed. We will have a new president who believes in science and real facts. Our journeys toward racial equity are accelerating. What now? Seize the opportunity. Now is the time to make changes – some long overdue, some bold. Center Equity The tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many others plus the subsequent protests have – hopefully – catalyzed our country to… Read more

Involve Your Board, Don’t Push Them Away!

Categories: Board Member Roles · Board, Board Chair, ED/CEO Roles · Fundraising · Good Board Practices · LeadershipTags: · · · · Leave a comment

In this unprecedented time, how is your organization treating its board members? What can and should board members be doing to support your organization now? I have spoken to a handful of board members in the last couple weeks. These have been casual conversations as we all check in on each other. I have heard two very different scenarios. Increase Reliance on Your Board in a Time of Crisis In one group, board members feel their organization’s staff and leadership have reached out to the board and all are working together on short- and long-term planning. Staff at some front-line… Read more