Nonprofit boards have a key role in fundraising

Last week I received a phone call at my office from Simon Blattner, president of the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art’s board of directors. He was calling me as a follow-up to the museum’s annual end-of-year financial appeal letter I had previously received. Simon thanked me for my support from the prior year and encouraged me to give again this year. Like so many Sonoma Valley residents, I get a plethora of annual appeal letters at this time of year, and quite frankly, didn’t remember if the letter from the museum was even in my growing stack of funding requests. I looked, and it was, and that call from Simon caused me to move the letter to the top of the pile and get out my checkbook.

What astonished me the most about Simon’s call was that I had never before received a personal phone call from a Sonoma Valley nonprofit board president asking me to contribute to the organization’s annual appeal. While I only donate to the museum at a modest level, the mere fact that the volunteer leader of that organization acknowledged that I was a donor worthy of a phone call and personally asked for my contribution caused me to take action.

Although it is quite common for board members of a nonprofit to claim that the organization’s staff is responsible for fundraising, a nonprofit board should actively support the organization’s fundraising efforts. BoardSource, a national organization that focuses on nonprofit governance best practices, asserts that “ensuring adequate financial resources” is one of a nonprofit board’s primary responsibilities. That means that all boards really need to be fundraising boards. The main reasons most boards are not fundraising boards include (1) lack of in-depth engagement with the organization; (2) lack of comfort in talking with others about the organization because they really can’t articulate the organization’s mission or community impact; (3) lack of willingness to introduce staff to their contacts; and (4) fear of asking others for money.

To create a true fundraising board, it’s important for everyone in leadership to know their roles. Whereas the executive director or staff development officer (if the organization is large enough to have a dedicated fundraising professional) facilitates the organization’s fund development efforts, the board chair should really provide the overall leadership by working with the executive director to establish and lead a board-level fund development committee and personally soliciting an annual gift from absolutely every board member in an amount that’s personally meaningful and significant to that individual. The fund development committee sets a donor-centric philanthropic culture in the organization; defines fundraising-related roles and related performance expectations; develops the organization’s fund development plan; engages all board members in performing some fundraising tasks; assures board members receive training in effective fund development practices; and monitors results and board participation.

In addition to making their own financial contribution, individual board members need to continually identify prospective donors who might have an interest in supporting the organization. If they are not comfortable asking their friends and acquaintances to donate, they can facilitate an introduction to the executive director, who will then follow-up. Board members can also execute their fundraising role by nurturing relationships with prospective donors at the organization’s programs and fundraising events or by accompanying the executive director or development officer on a visit to a foundation or to lunch with a prospective funder. They can also help write personal thank you notes, emails, and phone calls. And they can follow in Simon Blattner’s footsteps by personally soliciting gifts, if they feel comfortable doing so.

One way that executive directors can help turn their boards into fundraising boards is to help reconnect board members with the organization’s mission by igniting passion for the organization’s programs and services through increased interaction with clients and other program beneficiaries. Executive directors can also provide specific, meaningful ways for board members to contribute to the organization’s financial sustainability by breaking fundraising tasks into manageable phases and asking for their board members’ participation by phase. These phases involve identifying prospective donors, involving them with the organization, asking for their support, and thanking them.

Another important way for nonprofit staff to involve the board in fundraising is to provide training and other professional development opportunities so that board members feel more comfortable in their fund development role. At a recent workshop presented by the Wine Country Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Rachel Cusick, Director of Development and Marketing for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley, took five of her board members with her to the event to learn from noted philanthropy speaker, Kay Sprinkel Grace. It was a great decision on Rachel’s part to invite her board members to learn first-hand how they can become more engaged in leading the organization’s fundraising strategies.

When it comes to fundraising, instead of proclaiming, “that’s not my job,” the most effective organizations have board members who roll up their sleeves and say, “fundraising is definitely my job, and one I take seriously.”

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Another job to be taken seriously among nonprofit organizations is that of recognizing volunteers. This week, the Sonoma Valley Sun kicks off its annual Spirit of the Valley campaign to identify the unsung heroes among us who are making a difference in the community. Last year, Sonoma Valley Teen Services board member Jean Hopeman earned the first Spirit of the Valley award for her tireless efforts to help Sonoma Valley teens gain hands-on experiences to help prepare them for successful careers. Please take the time to nominate someone for the 2015 Spirit of the Valley award. Simply write a statement of 500 words or less describing what this community volunteer does, his or her commitment to the mission of the nonprofit he or she serves, and how this volunteer’s efforts have made a difference in our community. Send all nominations by January 30, 2015 to [email protected] or to Nomination, Sonoma Sun, 1051-F Broadway, Sonoma, CA 95476.

Dr. B.J. Bischoff is the owner of Bischoff Performance Improvement Consulting, a Sonoma firm specializing in building the capacity of nonprofit organizations and public sector agencies to better serve their stakeholders. She assists her clients with strategic planning, training resulting in performance improvement, fund development, and community relations.  She is Past President of Impact100 Sonoma and serves as a Sonoma County Board of Supervisors’ appointee to the Sonoma County Portfolio of Model Upstream Programs Review Committee. [email protected].