Fundraisers' guide to working with board members

The fundraiser’s guide to working with board members

By Gayle L. Gifford, ACFRE President

www.ceffect.com 401.331.2272 [email protected] @gaylegifford

http://www.ceffect.com/

mailto:[email protected]

The Fundraisers Guide to Working With Your Board Date: October 15, 2012 Presenter: Gayle L. Gifford, ACFRE, President, Cause & Effect Inc. _______________________________________________________________

Copyright 2012. Reprint with acknowledgement. Not for commercial reuse.

www.ceffect.com [email protected] 401.331.2272

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Who knows others is clever, Who knows him/ herself has insight. Who conquers others has force, Who conquers him/ herself is truly strong. Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, 33, Adapted translation from John Wu

Topics for discussion Working with your board members Stages of change Four framing perspectives to improve your leadership

Essential board functions Understand and respond to community need Create a compelling vision and strategy for societal betterment Produce results Ensure that the organization is trustworthy, healthy, resilient and lives its

values Ensure an excellent board Set strategic goals and objectives that link money to outcomes Ensure a reasonably achievable revenue strategy with clear designation of

who is responsible for what results

Common mistakes in working with board members Thinking group decisions or job descriptions will motivate individual action Thinking scolding will produce action Failing to engage leadership Assuming high levels of board member commitment or understanding of the

mission Assuming your needs are high priority for your board member Assuming board member understanding and commitment to the case for

support Failure to provide a detailed action plan, broken into baby steps Treating every board member the same, with the same level of expectation Forgetting to create a developmental plan for each board member Failure to follow up Not respecting or leveraging board roles and protocols Recruiting board members for their connections without asking if they are

willing to use those connections for your organization. See http://bit.ly/SJFfr2

http://bit.ly/SJFfr2




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Stages of Change Model

1. Precontemplation: I haven’t thought about this yet Validate lack of readiness Create interest and awareness Encourage self-exploration

2. Contemplation: How will this turn out?

Is this good for me? Can I make this happen? How does this compare to other choices I have? Persuade Motivate and encourage Reduce costs

3. Preparation/Action: Do I have the skills to do this? Will my

environment allow me to adopt the behavior? Believe the behavior can actually be accomplished Provide instruction Teach new skills Practice Change beliefs about the system if those are incorrect Change conditions/change the system if beliefs about system are correct

4. Maintenance: Was this the right thing to do? Can I keep doing it?

Maintain action Provide rewards Reinforce behaviors

Overview of the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change. From James O. Prochaska, et. al. See http://www.uri.edu/research/cprc/transtheoretical.htm Marketing Social Change, Chapter 4, Alan R. Andreasen

Framing Tools

http://www.uri.edu/research/cprc/transtheoretical.htm




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Frame Definition Strategies

Structural About the systems, structures, organization

Attune structure to the task, technology and environment

Human Resource

All about the people Get the right people, in the right jobs, motivated, engaged and working together

Political About networks, influence, power

Use of agenda, authority, networks, power, bargaining, interests, ecosystems

Symbolic About meaning Use culture, story, ritual, myth, ceremony, symbols to create meaning and motivate action

From: Reframing Organizations, Lee G. Bolman & Terrence E. Deal

What Volunteers Need from Staff (or each other) to give or get Leadership and direction A compelling case for support that links money to outcomes The right assignment that corresponds to their movement up the ladder A plan with practical and doable actions Personalized training, coaching, and encouragement Logistical support Gratitude Celebration

Five Aspects of Fundraising Where Board Members Can Participate 1. Match making 2. Friend making 3. Asking 4. Thanking 5. Stewarding

A Few Common Fundraising Mistakes Board Members Make




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Not linking the fundraising goal to a powerful vision of the community change you are trying to create

Believing that spending hours in board meetings talking about the need for more money will actually raise more money

Launching events without calculating what it will take to raise the amount of money needed. Not assessing the work on the event against other investments of resources.

Avoiding personal fears by ignoring the advice of the professionals Thinking all you need to do to raise a lot of money is to know or recruit rich

people to the board

Action Items When You Return to the Office Interview three board members Develop strategy for each board member ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________

A Few Resources Asking by Jerold Panas Friendraising. Community engagement strategies for boards who hate

fundraising but love making friends by Hildy Gottlieb Keep your Donors, by Simone P. Joyaux and Tom Ahern How to Make Your Board Dramatically More Effective, Starting Today by

Gayle L. Gifford How to Raise $500 to $5000 From Almost Anyone, by Andy Robinson

(formerly Big Gifts for Small Groups) Network for Good Learning Center www.fundraising123.org For Impact Newsletter, www.forimpact.org Reframing Organizations by Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal. Transtheoretical Model of behavior change. From James O. Prochaska, et. al.

See http://www.uri.edu/research/cprc/transtheoretical.htm Marketing Social Change, Alan R. Andreasen

http://www.fundraising123.org/

http://www.forimpact.org/

http://www.uri.edu/research/cprc/transtheoretical.htm




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#1: What’s your vision?

Describe your ideal relationship with your board and individual board members.




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#2: Getting to know your board members

Let’s develop a list of questions that you can use to interview individual board members. Write down two questions you would like to ask that will help you gain a deeper understanding of your board member, help them gain insight about themselves, or help you design an engagement strategy for that person. We’ll go around the room and share questions to add to your list.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.




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#3: Action Plan for a Board Member

Board member Jane Smith is a very successful business person who grew up in Providence. She is in her 60s and seems to know almost everyone in town, both professionally and personally. She has been making a $500 annual gift to your organization, but you are fairly confident she has the capacity to give more.

You have not worked with Jane before. Jane says she is new to fundraising. She has volunteered to serve on your campaign planning committee which is getting ready to start a $3 million growth campaign. She is willing to participate in prospect screening and has offered to set up meetings for you. She has said that under no circumstances would she ask for money.

1. What is Jane’s potential? What are your aspirations for Jane?

2. In relationship to your aspirations, where do you think she is on the stages of change ladder in relationship to solicitation? What evidence points to that?

3. Considering what you have learned, outline at least four steps you will take to move this board member up the ladder. Why did you select those steps?




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#4: Board fundraising activities

Pretend you are your board member. Brainstorm two activities in each category that you are willing to do to help support fundraising. Then, consider what you need from staff to make you successful in undertaking this activity.

Board Member Activity

What you need from staff

Match making

Friend making

Asking

Thanking

Stewarding




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About the presenter

Gayle L. Gifford, ACFRE, is President of the consulting firm, Cause & Effect Inc. A

nationally respected consultant, writer and trainer, Gayle has over 25 years of

experience in building nonprofit capacity in governance, strategic and business

planning, fund raising, facilitation, program development, and communications.

Gayle’s work to strengthen nonprofits is fueled by her passion for a greener,

more just and peaceful world.

Author of the newly released How to Make Your Board Dramatically More

Effective, Starting Today, published by Emerson & Church, Gayle writes, blogs

and tweets on many aspects of nonprofits. She is an adjunct instructor in

nonprofit management and organization development in master’s programs at

Brown University and Simmons College.

Her nonprofit clients have ranged from the grassroots to international, including

the House of the Seven Gables, May Institute, PLAN International, Progreso

Latino, WaterFire Providence, the Rhode Island Foundation and Women’s Voices

for the Earth.

Gayle serves on the board of WaterFire Providence and Blackstone Academy

Charter School and serves on the Advisory Council of Latino Dollars for Scholars

and the Rhode Island Museum of Science and Art.

Gayle is one of the 100 fund development professionals worldwide (and only

two in RI) who have achieved the ACFRE advanced fundraising credential

awarded by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

You can reach Gayle at 401.331.2272 or [email protected]. Or follow her on

Twitter @gaylegifford or her blog, The Butterfly Effect, at

www.ceffect.com/blog. You can also sign up for her free monthly newsletter at

www.ceffect.com.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.ceffect.com/blog

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Fundraisers' guide to working with board members