Board

If a substantial portion of a nonprofit’s income comes from philanthropy, it is essential that the board is engaged in fundraising.

Few folks are “born” to be the volunteer leadership of a nonprofit, never mind the leader of the volunteers who are governing.

Engaging nonprofit board members in fundraising is one of the most persistent challenges that organizational leaders face. Sure, we can hire and train better staff members, find contractors to produce beautiful promotional materials and design the most impactful programming possible.

Board members for any nonprofit represent a team dedicated to advancing a nonprofit through the acquisition of time, talent and treasure. Every nonprofit board member before agreeing to serve on a board must agree to their role in the fundraising process.

You have a mission in mind. You’ve drawn up your bylaws and values, you understand your business model and what you’re trying to achieve, you have a few people working on the internal team and there are a handful of trusted advisors acting as your board.

A nonprofit sustainability plan identifies what and how resources will be generated to implement strategic and annual goals. The sustainability plan is the long-range income side of a nonprofit’s budget: a goal and strategies that demand the board’s understanding and commitment.

In the past, the makeup of a nonprofit board of directors primarily consisted of people with a vested interest in your organization—early investors, lead donors or people the organization’s leader knows well and trusts. Board chairs would look to match certain kinds of experience and expertise, such as legal or financial.

One of the many activities that I have been asked to perform over the years is board training. Whether it is a governing board or advisory board, every nonprofit board needs structure and guidelines to follow. Recently, I was asked for board advice by a new CEO of a nonprofit.

Smart nonprofits are always looking for better tools to engage their boards of directors. It’s an incredible time for productivity; there are digital solutions for almost every single need. However, there’s also a danger of overkill.

Effective nonprofit board management is about more than To-Do lists or getting through an agenda. You need to be able to communicate effectively, to let your board know what your organization expects from them and, above all, respect your members’ time and service...