3 Reasons Why Your Board Doesn’t Fundraise and How to Fix That

featuring Barbara O'Reilly, Windmill Consulting

For many boards fundraising is truly an “f” word—and not in a good way. Yet, it is inherent in a board’s governance duty to ensure that their organization is financially sustainable and has access to funding. Fundraising is probably one of –if not THE--biggest priorities of any nonprofit yet it is the #1 cause of complaint by both CEOs and Boards. In BoardSource’s 2021 Leading With Intent report, CEOs gave their boards a C for fundraising citing strengths in internal responsibilities like understanding of the mission, fiduciary duties of financial and legal/ethical oversight rather than external ones.

Learn the three top reasons why board members don’t fundraise and how to change their mindsets. Learning objectives we will cover:

Transcript

1. Three Reasons Why
   Your Board Doesn’t
   Fundraise and How To
   Fix It
   Presented by: Barbara O’Reilly | CFRE Principal
   APRIL 2023
   

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2. 30 year career as a fundraiser, earning my
   stripes at big shops like Harvard, American
   Red Cross, National Trust for Historic
   Preservation
   CFRE, AFP Master Trainer, Past President, AFP
   Washington Area Metro Chapter, Advisory
   Panel, Rogare, The Fundraising Think Tank​
   Tailored 1:1 consulting on startups, major gifts,
   campaigns, assessments/studies, CEO/CDO
   coaching, and board training.​
   Nice to meet you!
   Barbara
   O'Reilly
   Principal
   www.whillconsulting.com
   

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3. What
   We’ll
   Learn
   Today…​
   Three
   common
   complaints
   about
   boards and
   fundraising
   Good
   governance
   practices to
   ensure your
   board is set up
   for success
   Solutions that
   can turn
   around your
   board into
   fundraising
   superstars
   

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4. It comes down to:
   Do you have the right people on your board?
   Do they know what you’d like them to do to
   help with fundraising?
   Do they have the training and tools they
   need to be successful?
   

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5. 1
   My board isn’t
   made up of the
   right people.
   

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6. POLL
   How many of
   you can relate to
   this complaint?
   

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7. You’re not alone…
   Strength A
   Understanding mission
   Area of Board Performance Average Grade from Executives
   Financial oversight
   Source: BoardSource, 2017 Leading With Intent
   

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8. You’re not alone…
   Strength
   Strength
   A
   B
   Understanding mission
   Legal & ethical oversight
   Understanding board roles & responsibilities
   Adopting & following a strategic plan
   Monitoring performance against strategic plan
   Area of Board Performance Average Grade from Executives
   Financial oversight
   Guiding & supporting the chief executive
   Thinking strategically as aboard
   Evaluating the chief executive
   Source: BoardSource, 2017 Leading With Intent
   

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9. You’re not alone…
   Strength
   Strength
   A
   B
   C
   Understanding mission
   Monitoring legislative & regulatory issues
   Fundraising
   Area of Board Performance Average Grade from Executives
   Financial oversight
   Understanding context of work
   Increasing board diversity
   Source: BoardSource, 2017 Leading With Intent
   Legal & ethical oversight
   Understanding board roles & responsibilities
   Adopting & following a strategic plan
   Monitoring performance against strategic plan
   Guiding & supporting the chiefexecutive
   Thinking strategically as a board
   Evaluating the chief executive
   

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10. Get the right people on the
    bus, the wrong people off the
    bus, and the right people in
    the right seats.
    Jim Collins,
    Good to Great
    

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11. Source: Consumer Health Foundation Board Matrix
    Who do you have now on your board?
    
    
    Who will you need?
    

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12. Who do you have now on your board?
    
    
    Who will you need?
    Source: Consumer Health Foundation Board Matrix
    

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13. Define Your Short-term and Long-term Needs
    Create a matrix that maps
    skills, networks, geography,
    demographics you currently
    have and what you may need
    to fill
    Identify your current gaps
    through an annual Board
    self-evaluation to gauge
    performance
    Work with Governance or
    Executive Committee to lead
    this ongoing process and set
    or adjust expectations
    

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14. Your Ideal Potential Board Members Have…
    Access
    Belief
    Capacity
    Does this person have a relationship to you or other
    board members, staff, donors, others related to you?
    Does this person genuinely care about your mission?
    Is this person historically philanthropic toward similar
    causes?
    Does this person have the financial ability and/or
    networks of those who can support you at a
    significant level?
    

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15. 2
    My board isn’t a
    fundraising
    board.
    

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16. POLL
    How many of
    you can relate to
    this complaint?
    

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17. Fundraising Isn’t Just Asking For Money
    Donor
    Closer
    Spokesperson
    Ambassador
    Steward
    Cultivator
    

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18. Hospitality
    Integrity
    Community
    Gratitude
    (We welcome donors to
    our organization)
    (We are transparent
    and accountable)
    (We inspire others to
    want to be involved in
    our work)
    (We thank donors)
    Your
    Board
    Source: “Major Gift Fundraising: Unlocking the Potential for Smaller Nonprofits,” Amy Eisenstein and Adrian Sargeant, 2015
    I can't picture in my mind
    a major gifts circle
    without the board being
    at the center of that. That
    culture just kind of
    permeates, emanates out
    from that circle. They're
    right there in the heart of
    it because they helped
    grow that culture…There's
    a hunger and experience
    of our mission, of our
    integrity, of our welcome,
    of our gratitude.
    —Board member
    Boards Lead a Culture of Giving
    

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19. Give or Get? Give AND Get?
    

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20. 1 Board member giving is a public commitment to the
    organization’s work
    Board members might pay increased attention to the
    nonprofit’s mission and financial health when their own
    money is engaged
    Many other donors and institutional funders will not
    give to organizations that don’t have 100 percent
    board participation as current donors.
    2
    3
    Here’s Why Board Giving Matters
    

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21. Agree to a
    Role for
    Each Board
    Member
    Offering names of personal/business contacts
    which are moved to prospects lists and into active
    cultivation
    Reviewing donor lists from other organizations and
    identifying potential supporters and/or “rating”
    current donors
    Augmenting information on current donors (i.e.,
    who should contact, qualifying info)
    Being the primary member of a team making asks
    Writing personal, hand-written thank you notes to
    donors
    Making the initial contact with a donor or prospect
    to move towards further cultivation
    

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22. Agree to a
    Role for
    Each Board
    Member
    Making calls to donors, e.g. thank you calls, outreach
    to lapsed donors, calls to current for renewed
    contributions this year.
    Taking responsibility for personally cultivating or
    stewarding donors/guests at a special event
    Hosting a small event that introduces new networks
    to your organization
    Participating in training: during meeting, offsite,
    other
    Contributing to fundraising events: raising money,
    acquiring in-kind services/items, volunteering time
    

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23. 93% They would “definitely or probably give again the next
    time they were asked”
    They would “make a larger gift.”
    They would “continue giving indefinitely”
    84%
    74%
    Boards Influence Donor Retention
    

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24. 3
    My board
    doesn’t seem to
    follow-through.
    

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25. POLL
    How many of
    you can relate to
    this complaint?
    

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26. Do They Know What You’d Like Them To Do?
    

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27. 1 Job Description
    Getting to Know You
    Fundraising 101
    Your expectations (time, meetings, financial)
    How they can be involved in fundraising
    Mission and Vision
    Strategic Plan
    Your fundraising trends
    Opportunities and challenges
    Ways they can “fundraise”
    Tips on how to be successful
    Your goals and challenges
    Their role and responsibilities
    2
    3
    Set Expectations from the Beginning
    

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28. Do they have the fundraising tools
    they need to be successful?
    Templates and
    Scripts
    
    
    Donor Meeting Strategy
    Talking Points
    
    
    Canned call to action
    Donor
    background and
    research
    

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29. What’s Holding Your Board Back?
    Inspire them
    Lead them
    Fear of Rejection
    Use a mission moment at the beginning of every
    board meeting
    Connect them with donors—thank you calls & notes
    at every meeting
    Bring beneficiaries to tell their stories
    Orientation and training sets expectations
    Give them tools and resources they need
    Follow-up with them
    Role play
    Discuss scenarios and responses
    

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30. When Do You “Bless and Release?”
    
    
    Annual
    Self-Evaluation
    Term Limits —YES!
    Bless and Release
    Are we honestly assessing how we’re doing as a
    leadership group and as individual members?
    Can help you avoid burnout
    Without them, limits your access to networks
    Otherwise, there’s no easy way to remove
    ineffective members
    Self-evaluation is a good conversation opener
    Review Board expectations
    Set personal meeting to learn what’s preventing
    them from fully embracing their duties.
    Thank them for their service
    

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31. Bonus
    My board can
    help with events.
    

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32. There’s a Role For Every Member
    Leading By Example Showing Gratitude
    Inspiring Others
    Every board member
    can play a part in
    helping you reach
    your goal.
    Issue challenge grant
    to use night/day of
    event
    Thank you notes and
    phone calls following
    the event.
    Call attendees to ask
    about their experience
    attending the event.
    Personally reach out to
    invitees—new to the
    event, longstanding
    attendees, etc.
    Be a social ambassador
    promoting the cause
    and event
    Welcome attendees
    during the event—give
    them assignments!
    Purchase a table (or
    two)
    

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33. whillconsulting.com
    
    
    

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34. LET’S STAY
    CONNECTED
    Want to chat further?
    Barbara O'Reilly
    linktr.ee/boreillywhc
    boreilly@whillconsulting.com
    Follow Us
    

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