5 tips for working together in creating your board member’s fundraising experience

This is too much fun to be “fundraising training.” 

And it’s not.  I call my sessions with Boards “experiences.”  First off, who really wants to be “trained?” Your dog? Maybe. Your board – not really. Rather, they long to experience a deeper comfort level with this thing called “fundraising.” And besides, I sing – who does THAT in “training?” By the end of the day, taking artful action towards more major gifts looks SO doable.  MUCH more doable!  Why? They understand what it should FEEL like to Create Joyful Givers, what to look out for in their thoughts and what actions to take.

Major gifts are the result of authentic relationships. And no two are exactly alike. 

Just to set the record straight…it’s really rather arrogant to EXPECT your board members to ask for money. I have been saying this for 22 years at our annual Fundraising and Development Conference held in Madison, Wisconsin. Rather, Board members must be engaged and inspired and clearly see how they can help.

Why then do I still hear, “My board won’t raise the money?”  And from Board members, “They just want me to hit up my friends for money.” Yuck. A better question, “How do we work together to share the joy and results investing in this organization will bring to another person?

Here are 5 tips for working together in creating your board member’s fundraising experience.

1. GET CLEAR. Be sure YOU, as the development professional are both comfortable talking about money, your organization and your needs and that you have my 3-sentence ask down and use it! You have…You understand…Will you consider. If you are at ease, your board members will feel this.

   Get clear yourself, and help your board see, that your giver sets the pace – not you. Some want details on your first visit. Some need hands-on experiences to deeply feel connected to make a gift major for them.  It’s not your agenda. It’s like the parent who says to the son bringing a gal home for the first time…”Can’t wait for grandkids!” That would be pushing the relationship!

2. But you do need to MOVE. Come from a place of authentically wanting both your board member and their friends to get excited about what you accomplish. Seek to learn what they want, not what your organization NEEDS.  Who wants a needy girlfriend/boyfriend?

3. SHARE THE CYCLE.Use my cycle and explain that it takes different kinds of “touches” for different folks to both see if your cause is a fit and then to learn how they can best help.  And these “touches” can be those that a board member is comfortable taking.  Don’t ask them to host an event if they shy away from parties.  Do find things each board member enjoys doing and can get really good at doing for you with a prospective giver.
4. The ASK. Make sure you all understand that the ask is just this moment in time when you clarify how your prospective giver can help. Creating a Joyful Giver and Being a Grateful Recipient should compose most of your time. Here is where your Board can dig in! But…do get good Making an Artful Ask coaching for your board so they understand what YOU do.  The funny thing is with experience and this good education many board members are comfortable asking…but it grows out of the initial relief that they don’t HAVE to.
5. SHARED VALUES. Get out of your Board member’s rolodex.  That old school strategy really bugs me. Would you want to share your holiday list with an organization you support if you’re not sure they have any interest at all? Rather, point out that “People like people like themselves” so perhaps they have friends who share their interests and values and would resonate with your cause.  Or perhaps a board member has dear friends who will get involved in the diabetes association because your child is struggling with it. Great! As development professionals we need to lose the judgment. It is never our place to tell someone else how to give their money, If a Board member goes off the board and the friend moves on to something else — fine! Celebrate the years of support you received. I worked with a board member in Arizona who shared he had a hard time just catching up with his friends because they thought he only saw them when he was “pedaling some cause.” Why should they push their passion on someone else? No one wants to feel obligated to give. Certainly no one wants they friends to be their friends just so they can give money. Your board member’s genuine enthusiasm for why they give will ignite the passion in others IF IT IS A FIT FOR THEM. Yeah!

Enjoy this honorable and noble profession and help your board share this spirit!  If you like, hit reply and tell me about the biggest challenge you have connecting with your board.  I’d be delighted to help!