Better Boards
Apr 27, 2018
This week, we were lucky to listen to Anne Wallestad, CEO of BoardSource. She presented findings of their excellent report, Leading with Intent.
This survey of over 1,700 nonprofit leaders showed that 67% of executives and 64% of board chairs said fundraising performance needs to improve. So, if you're wishing your board would step up to raise money, you are not alone!
Two things we can all do to help:
- Be clear about fundraising expectations when recruiting and orienting new board members.
- Provide lots of "mission moments" so that board members really know what your org is up to and can tell personal stories about why it matters.
Check out the report for tons of nuggets on how to help your board be the one everyone wants to join - and the one that makes an inspiring difference.
Need a little help with board inspiration? We are reading THE POWER OF MOMENTS, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. This book is full of amazing ideas to provide moments of elevation, insight, pride and connection.
One to try: Greet board members at the front door with notepads and a pen and ask them to do a 15-minute walk-through, recording every insight. For extra credit, give them a role (at the Humane Society: a visiting veterinarian, a child looking for a cat, a potential benefactor considering a big gift, etc.). Then use the first 10 minutes of the board meeting to discuss.
Which reminded us of this quote:
"Individuals play the game, but teams beat the odds." - Navy SEALs
We're in this together, peeps! Here's to raising the bar, raising each other's frequency, raising a glass. We applaud your great work to support an important mission.
Thank you for showing up every day and making the world a better place.
- Nancy & Jenna
P.S. We're thinking about devoting next month's Fundraisers' Monthly to boards - let us know in the comments if you vote yes?
