Board

A few years back, I was facilitating a board retreat, where it quickly became clear to me that the majority of the board members were unwilling to participate in fundraising or even open to the idea of fundraising. The First Question Is Key In all my years of working with boards, I had never encountered…

Planned giving needs to be intentional. According to Giving USA, 8 percent of contributions in 2014 were in the form of bequests. That means nonprofit organizations received $10.75 billion as a result of people making gifts through their estates. We love the news reports of the organization that receives millions of dollars from someone it has never before heard of. But every day, unreported by any news agency in America, are the people who set aside a portion of their estates for charities they are supporting, have supported, have some affiliation with, or have benefitted from at some time.

I’m going to assume your board members fundraise. Or at least they mean well and want to fundraise. If that’s not the case, read Joan’s post about how to convince your board to fundraise. But let’s assume that is the case. That doesn’t mean it’s easy for them. After all, they don’t work for your…

The crux of Russell Conway's famous essay, “Acres of Diamonds,” actually translates to one of the greatest secrets of fundraising ever revealed. It’s been my experience that virtually every organization fails to fully mine the innumerable diamonds hidden within its own database. So how can you find “Acres of Diamonds” within your own organization? Focus on developing a positive, forward-thinking attitude...

When fundraising isn’t going well, the budget is in jeopardy and a nonprofit needs a miracle, the conversations seem to start the same way. “Our organization needs to raise a lot of money, more than we’ve ever raised before, and as soon as possible. Can you help?” Over the years I’ve received far too many…

“I don’t want to go to my board meeting.” Come on. You’ve said it, right? Oh please, be honest. You believe in your organization. You love the work. But preparing for a board meeting? Ugh. Board members–you hate them, too. Do you even bother to read the reports? You wanted to but (a) had no…

Mia and spoke last week regarding her organization’s donor acquisition program for 2016. Mia is the development director for an environmental organization in the Northwest. As she reviewed her plans, two words kept ringing in my head: “advocacy” and “fundraising.” What struck me was how she seemed to be conflating the two...

The pleasures of being a nonprofit board member are many. But here’s one thing many board members don’t want to be: cash machines. As new board members, they may resent being asked to fill in a charity’s year-end budget gap or having to constantly solicit their friends and family for donations. They also may be…

A former chairman of the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) board of directors is suing the museum, alleging misuse of his $1.4 million donation. In 2004, Robert Lang made a donation to name a wing of MOSI after his wife, Whitney Lang, who died the year before. Under the agreed-upon terms, the wing was…

The Hancock County Board of Supervisors wants a state audit of a nonprofit agency that receives federal funding to assist the underprivileged because four board members have resigned, saying they fear they will be liable because of mismanagement by other key board members. The four board members who resigned from the Gulf Coast Community Action…