Fundraising professionals are great at getting things done, but that’s often because we do it all ourselves. We’ll write every appeal, call all the donors, launch the online campaign, and then post to social media, because we figure someone has to do it, and at least we know we’ll do it right.
While being the Lone Development Ranger isn’t a sustainable strategy anytime of year, during the year-end season, going it alone is impossible– there’s just too much to do.
Luckily, there’s a group of supporters who are already enthusiastic about your cause, perfectly poised to join your fundraising effort. They’ve got networks and skills and they think your organization is great.
It’s your board of directors.
Stop laughing.
I see you over there, with your eyes rolling, and your rueful chuckling, and your “I say, ‘fundraising’ and they look at me like I’m from Mars.’” I know lots of boards are notoriously hesitant about fundraising, and I know adding, “Get board members excited about year-end fundraising” feels like yet another thing to do.
But let’s imagine you didn’t need to convince anyone of anything, and your board was already enthusiastic about fundraising. Picture what that would be like. Aren’t they a great team of people to have raising funds for your cause, serving as ambassadors into the community, and getting their networks excited about your organization?
Transforming your board into powerhouse fundraisers isn’t magic–it’s about giving them the tools and resources they need to be successful. That’s good news, because those tools and resources are things you already have.
You can equip your board for fundraising success this year-end season in five simple ways.
Asking for money is hard for many people. It can feel awkward or pushy, and most of us want to avoid those feelings. That’s why it’s so important to give your board members tools to facilitate asking.
Children of Vietnam, an organization dedicated to alleviating child poverty in Vietnam, raised over $56,000 in their campaign, powered by CauseVox. Recruiting their entire board to fundraise was a key component to their success, but they didn’t stop at recruitment.
They also created a toolkit for fundraisers to use, and focused especially on making things easy for people who weren’t tech-savvy, complete with Power Point slides on how to do all of their online fundraising tasks.
Equip your board with:
Keep your board members in the loop. They should know what your goals are, and how close you are to achieving them. Invite them to celebrate every win with you. In addition to giving them a better understanding of the campaign, this also gives them the opportunity to keep momentum going and push harder within their own networks.
Consider:
Storytelling is fundraising fuel–make sure your board members’ tanks are full. Share stories of the work you do, the difference you’re making, and how donations make it happen. These stories will build their enthusiasm for the organization, and give them something to share with their networks.
CauseVox is built to make telling and sharing stories simple. There’s space for blog posts, and participants in your campaign can tell their own stories. Take a look at Dylan’s story about how World Bicycle Relief’s work will change someone’s life, or Joe’s story about being involved with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth. Powerful stories can come from every corner of your organization.
Saying, “Please raise $5,000 by December 31,” and then going on your merry way will probably not get the results you’re hoping for, unless your board members are already fundraising superstars. Instead, give them very specific jobs, such as:
As your board tackles these jobs, be sure to encourage them. Let them know when they’re doing well, and provide opportunities to check in. After a job is done, show them how much you value their contributions by sitting down with each board member one-on-one to debrief on how it went.
Despite your tools and education, you may have board members who would much rather write you a check themselves than ask anyone else for money. In that case, consider how you can use that gift to build your fundraising campaign, such as creating a challenge or matching gift.
Board members who don’t want to make direct asks can still be involved in the campaign. Ask them to write thank you notes, or share stories about your organization within their networks.
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