Blackbaud in the News: "Ideas that work: Engaging board members in stewardship first"

from the Philanthropy Journal
by Susan U. McLaughlin, CFRE, is Blackbaud Principal Consultant for Healthcare & Human Services

When recruiting members to serve on your board, it's a best practice to provide a job description that states the duties, qualifications and responsibilities of board membership.

In addition to attending meetings, articulating the organization's mission, providing governance and fiduciary oversight and making a gift, board members must be an active participant in raising money.

And that is where you might find the most reluctance and resistance from your board.

Your annual goals are set and board members are receptive to your Fundraising 101 pitch and how they can support your organization's efforts.

But repeated requests to board members for names of prospective donors or for them to arrange for a personal visit with the prospect garner no results. How can you help your board members get past the fear of asking for money?

Instead of pushing your reluctant board members into cultivating and soliciting donors, ease them into fundraising at the stewardship phase of the donor lifecycle. Engage your board members in a simple thank you or stewardship program.

The impact of a board member's thanks

Author Penelope Burk provided study results in "Donor-Centered Fundraising," which suggests that 95 percent of study donors would be very appreciative if a member of the board of directors called just to say thank you within a day or two of receiving their gifts.

Additionally, 85 percent of individual donors and 100 percent of corporate donors said this would influence them to give again to the organizations that made this gesture.

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