Get Your Board To Fundraise

Lab. Part of building relationships and getting your nonprofit to the next level is activating the catalysts on your board. When I say catalyst, It's usually one or two people on the board who want to be great board members. they care about new business, right? They ask you questions about how is fundraising going? How are we recruiting new donors?

They are the ones typically asking these questions because they're the most interested and perhaps they care the most about that part of your organiz. and they're usually pretty adept and open to talk about your work and what you do and why. They are a board member. They're typically proud to be on the board and they're catalysts, they are catalytic, and part of growth is activating them, getting them to leverage their strengths so that they can. Fundraising growth for you? Right.

So one of the biggest challenges that I see in doing this is that, nonprofit leaders forget that board members want to be good board members. They want to do a good job. And a lot of times when folks come into Courage Lab, their board isn't really involved in much of the fundraising at all. They. Look at the budget, they might make approvals on the budget. They might not really understand fundraising, and so they're probably pretty intimidated by it.

They don't really want to hit up their friends, or at least that's how the leader views the board. And in my program, my clients learn how to build powerful relationships with their board members. So, they make it as easy as possible for their board to essentially be an extension of the team like they are. The way in which you as the executive director, the ceo, the development director, you are multiplying your efforts and multiplying yourself through your board member Catalyst.

I'll give you an example. So I was working with a board chair who was. He had been on the board and was now the chair, and he's a pretty competitive guy. And I knew this and I had a meeting with him and we were talking about him being board chair, and I asked him what success would look like for him as board chair. And he was like, Look, I just really wanna be better than the person who was here before me. And, uh, I. Amazing.

You just really wanna do a great job and you wanna blow your predecessor out of the water. I totally get it. That's great. So we met about once a month and we would talk about his network, we would talk about his friends who are successful, and we would go name by name. And he was really committed to doing a really great job, and fundraising was a of that. And he knew it because that was communicated clearly in the expectations of what it means to be the board chair.

And he was up for the challenge. And so it was his first time being board chair, and he really leaned on me. To guide him and support him because again, he wanted to do a great job and I knew that. And, he ended up through his friends and us partnering together, raising $225,000 from his network, in a matter of months because I followed up on the things that he to do. You likely have members and volunteers who are offering to do things for you, they're to help you.

And it might even be vague, like, Hey, let me know what you need. I'm here to help. And part of why your growth has stalled and maybe you aren't seeing results from your board members is because you don't follow up when they offer to help. So that's a big piece. I want you to change your mind around the way that you're viewing your board members and understand that they really do want to create an impact. They want to be good at being a board member.

Some of them are competitive and they wanna be better than anyone who came before them, and this is to your advantage. So instead of expecting them to step up on their own, they likely need your guidance, your leadership, your coaching. Around their own mindset in approaching their friends and thinking through their network in a very thoughtful way, and this is done through asking powerful questions.

One of the things that we go through inside my program Courage Lab, is how to ask better questions of your donors and your board members so that you actually move the relationship forward and they can be partners with you in this. Okay. One powerful question that I love is, what would success look like for you being on this board, right?

How will you know at the end of your term, in two or three years from now, whatever your term limit is, Or if you don't have term limits, by the way, get term limits, uh, but you could just pick a time. So between now and 12 months from. how will we know that you have been successful as a board member?

Like what is the evidence we are going to point to that this has been a successful partnership, a successful volunteer opportunity for you, Like that this has been worthy of your time and your effort, and what does failure look like? Like let's get out in front of it and talk about it. It would be a failure if what? Have you ever asked your board those questions? Have you asked them one on one individually?

Building relationships with board members one on one is so If you are likely not having productive board meetings, it's because you don't spend enough time getting buy-in from the most influential, catalytic leaders on your board, one on one in advance of the board meeting. So that's really where the magic happens, is being able to build powerful relationships that are personal or you know each other. You know why they do this.

You understand their motivation, you understand success looks like for them, and you can them in being success. Some of you would really benefit from just going to the person who is the greatest influencer on your board, whether that's the board chair or not, and saying, Hey, look, you have tremendous influence on this board, and I need your help to raise more money.

I need your help to get the board to come to these meetings, to show up on time, to bring their full selves to ask better questions. One way that you can know your board is not really bringing their full self is they don't really challenge you. They just say, Yeah, that sounds great. Whatever you wanna do. No, no, no. I guarantee you, in their board meetings at their job, that is not what they do. They are like, Hey, what about this?

They're poking holes because they care and they're bought in and they truly want to get to the best result. They truly want to see growth happen, so don't be discouraged if your board is asking really tough questions, because that means they're actually paying attention. They're bringing their full selves, they're bringing their entire brain to the meeting. This is a good sign.

Another way that I've, helped my clients encourage lab is once they learn how to tap into their own strengths and relationship building, they become better coaches in their board members, in building relationships and bringing in new donors. And you've gotta go where the energy is. So some of you are so focused on board members. Maybe it's past time for them and they need to step down.

And the best thing that you can do is have a conversation and just say, Hey, I can tell that you've got a lot on your plate, and I think that it's time for you to step back from the board, what do you think? And just set them free. Release them from the obligation that even like just their name being on the board is somehow helping you because it's. and that can create space for new people to come in with new energy, new ideas, new relationships, new expertise.

So I wanna encourage you, if you know that you need to have a bold conversation about a board member stepping back that do not delay that any longer, it isn't going to get easier the longer that you wait. And this is something that we cover in Courage Lab. It's, it is such a huge component of major gifts. Your board members want to be useful. They wanna do a good job, and they likely have people in their network who have the capacity to give something significant.

And once they learn about the work, they could become passionate about the mission. And so it's your job. To activate the catalysts, the ones who are eager and willing, and they just need some coaching and support and accountability. That is what we cover in Courage Lab. I teach you how to get that for yourself, and then you begin to learn the skills of implementing that culture in your board and within your organiz.

It is something that is so encouraging to see clients raise money because their board member had one conversation with one friend. You know, like a volunteer decides that they're gonna give, and then that energy of giving creates momentum and excitement and more buy-in for the. They're, they become even more invested literally in the team and the success of the organization and that momentum. If you recognize when that inflection point is happening, the timing is everything.

I can teach you how to identify that timing and take strategic, thoughtful, action to be able to capitalize on that moment when they're giving. That's when. There are people in their network, in their community who may be inspired to join them. And the board members who give are the ones who have so much credibility to be able to raise money, because now it's an invitation of Join me. Rather than, Hey, this is somewhere where I sit on the board, be a part of it. Will you donate?

You know, it's like, hey. I'm on the board and I'm a donor and a long time supporter, and this is why this is personal to me, and I'd love for you to match my donation, or I'd love for you to also consider making a year end contribution, something that's meaningful to you. Your board members will do this. I have seen it over and over and over again.

The barrier is usually all of the history and the experiences, and frankly, the things that you have made up in your mind about what they are willing and unwilling to do without actually having real clear direct conversations with board members one on one about what they would be willing to do to help you grow your major gifts.

Because there's a lot more to it than just making the ask your board member's recommendations and testimonials and saying, Hey, I approve this organization can be a huge thing that takes something over the edge for you, and that's I want to help you inside. Courage Lab. So I've seen so many clients. raise more money by being able to multiply themselves through their board members. And a lot of that happens because of one on one relationship building with your board.

So my challenge for you today is call up a board member, ask them some of these powerful questions and create a plan so that you can support them in helping you raise more. And expand your mission. They want to help. They will do it. They need to be in the know and you need to ask them. You need to invite them to be your teammate and they will do it. Until next time, thanks so much for joining.