Gail Perry How to Activate Your Board Members' Energy for Fundraising

By Gail Perry

Have you ever asked board members to participate in fundraising?

What happened? Did they return your email or phone calls? Did they look away, avoiding your gaze?

Well, I don't blame them. Why? Because many board members think that fundraising is something quite awful. They have made up all these myths in about fundraising.

They are especially afraid that you will ask them to monetize their friends (which you should never do!).

Many board members are especially confused about what fundraising is and what it is not.

You have a wonderful opportunity to educate your board members about what good fundraising really looks like. This is the first step to activate them to happily help in fundraising.

Let's correct the myths that they conjure up and clear up the confusion. Let's take this chance to educate our board members about how good fundraising really works in 2014.

Correct these 3 myths about fundraising

Many board members think three things about fundraising. It's about asking. It's about strangers. And it's about money. They think fundraising equals "asking strangers for money."

They think fundraising is about asking:

We all know that good fundraising is not about asking. If you make it all about asking, your donors will think all you want is their money. And they won't stick with you or renew their gifts.
Smart fundraising today works toward a longer-term relationship with your donors, a partnership, participation, involvement and a bit of joy.
Today we know that treating donors like ATMs will not create long-term revenue. Treating them like friends and family will keep them giving.

They think fundraising is about approaching strangers:

Does good fundraising focus on strangers and cold calls? Rarely!
Smart fundraising today focuses on our current donors — who already know us. Who believe in us. Who have already invested in our cause.
Today good fundraising is all about retention: keeping our current donors on board and hopefully turning them into raving fans for the cause, die-hard friends who will stick with us for the long run.

They think fundraising is all about money:

Good fundraising is emphatically not about money. If you make it about money, then you are shooting yourself in the foot. And you are probably not very successful.
Smart fundraising today is not about money. It's about the kids, the streams, the art, the work, the change you are creating.
Today, good fundraising asks donors for more than money. We want to pull in donors to participating, taking action, feeling like partners and friends for the cause.

When you take the time to educate board members about how fundraising really works, you'll be surprised to find that they can become enthusiastic about helping.

Here's how to lower their fears and activate new energy for helping in fundraising!

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Gail Perry Author's page Gail believes in parties first, rabble-rousing second, and having fun while changing the world. Gail Perry CFRE is an international fundraising coach, speaker, trainer and thought-leader. She is a leader in a new breed of fundraisers who are on the cutting edge of fundraising today. Her Fired-Up Fundraising approach, developed over the past 25 years as a nonprofit philanthropy expert, has helped organizations raise hundreds of millions in gifts. Gail's practical and refreshing approach to raising money in today's world is based on the very latest innovative fundraising strategies. An inspirational and popular speaker, she leads energizing fundraising workshops and board retreats around the globe. She particularly enjoys working with nonprofit board members, introducing them to a new perspective on fundraising and ways they can be successful at it. Gail's book, Fired-Up Fundraising, has been called the "gold standard guide to building successful fundraising boards." Gail got her start in fundraising at Duke University, and then went on to lead fundraising at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can read Gail's weekly blogs at FiredUpFundraising.com, and also find her provocative articles at FundraisingSuccess, Guidestar, and Capital Campaign Magic.