News & Views

 In a word, yes!  Agreeing on the best role for the Board of Directors to play in fundraising is the source of perennial tension in many nonprofit organizations.  Few people join Boards looking for opportunities to fundraise, but Board members should recognize that they have a special responsibility for the financial health and accountability of an organization.  As a body, your Board must ensure that your organization has a fundraising strategy that is in line with your group’s projected spending.  In addition, each Board member can and should be an advocate for your group within the greater community, and should make a financial contribution to the organization in an amount that’s significant to him or her.

There are many ways that Board members can support fundraising.  Board members can:

• Join the Fundraising or Development Committee
• Participate in a visit to a foundation
• Help write proposals, or research and follow up with institutions
• Ask businesses for donations and in-kind contributions
• Talk to friends about your group’s work and ask them to support it, or invite them to special events
• Contribute professional skills such as photography or printing

To help with beginning a series of conversations about the Board’s role in fundraising, emphasize the following points:

• To build a solid fundraising program, your group needs to raise money from many sources, including the community.
• Government and foundation funders see financial support from your constituency as a sign that your work is necessary and appreciated.
• If you describe your work as grassroots then you need to be able to show some level of accountability to and validation from your constituency.
• If the organization’s own leadership and constituents can’t be convinced to support the organization, why should outsiders choose to do so?
• A diversified fundraising program can’t be built solely by the Executive Director or the Board Fundraising Committee.  All staff and Board members must be committee to bring in resources to support the organization’s mission.  (That is not to say that staff members should be required to donate, but they should help with fundraising activities and events; promote the agency within their own networks; and participate in foundation site visits.)

Wednesday, August 04, 2010 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink