Realtalk, y’all.
This is the #1 biggest problem I hear from EDs so here are my top five tips for motivating your board to take responsibility for fundraising along with a fun quiz.
First tenet: clear is kind.
Was your board recruited with the explicit expectation that they were charged with fundraising as a goal? Do they know what the goals are? Do they understand the fundraising cycle? Do they specifically know what you’re asking of them this year?
Tip #1: Assess your assets.
Your board is not a monolith. It’s comprised of individuals and each of them should be assessed as such. Using the template below, plot each of your board members along the SKILL and WILL matrix. Spend your time trying with the folks who have skill and will (upper right quadrant), spend time up-skilling and coaching those with will but limited skill. Stop focusing on the folks who will have no will. In other words, water the flowers, not the weeds.
Tip #2: Level set on goals + celebrate small wins.
Too often as EDs, we forget that a monetary goal is not inspiring. We forget to let people know the WHY behind the goal. For example, does $100,000 help us to serve more kids, save more puppies, clean up 100 miles of ocean? We need to tell the stories to remind people why they fell in love in the first place.
Also, setting achievable milestones and celebrating along the way will keep the energy up.
Imagine telling someone who has never run before that they’re going to run a marathon? That’s the quickest way to de-motivate anyone.
Tip #3: Identify your champions
Not all board members are created equal. You’ll need to have your allies and champions on the board who can help motivate the others. In a perfect world, your board chair will be a partner in this work, but it can be others who have the energy to help inspire, motivate and get the board moving forward. The tipping point of a board can be a handful of people. Remember peer pressure works for middle schoolers and board members.
Tip #4: Individualize the approach
Another mistake we make: assuming that all people will do all the things. Instead, have an individual conversation with each board member to see what it is they’re willing to take responsibility for. Maybe they’re uncomfortable with solicitation, but love to throw parties. Maybe they are happy to take donors out to lunch, but hate galas. There is a place for them. The rule is: you don’t have to do EVERYTHING but you have to do SOMETHING.
Tip #5: Keep it front and center
As they say, what you measure is what matters. Use your board meetings to keep the conversation front and center. What I mean by that is not your ED reporting on fundraising, but rather the board reporting on its own activities and completion of assigned tasks. Doing it in public ensures a level of accountability.
And, if all else fails, you might have to ask yourself if this is the wrong board. It’s slow work. It took me six years to finally recruit the board that I wanted, but when you get it right, it’s a lever to help you to multiply your efforts.
Want some concrete ideas about what to do with your board? Take the board quiz here.
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