Conference Roundup: Preaching to the Board

First and foremost, fundraisers who want board members on their side need to avoid fundraising jargon. Board members and senior managers can’t relate to terms like “donor retention” and “donor pyramid,” Terpstra said.

“Make it easy for them to say yes,” he advised.

For example, instead of explaining a direct-marketing program as a consistent source of “non-dues income,” call it “working capital” — a business term they can relate to.