Recruit Fundraising-Focused Board Members

The 2017 calendar year is well underway. I cannot believe we are quickly approaching the one-third mark of the year. Many nonprofits are just finding their calendar year groove, while others are either at their half-way point or three-quarter mark. Regardless of where you are in the fiscal year, you should be constantly looking for new volunteers and potential board members. These individuals, if chosen correctly, can bring much needed new contacts, finances and open doors for future possibilities to your organization. These individuals are also hard to find with a constant focus on fundraising.

Here are three major trends in nonprofit in 2017 via Forbes:

• Humanize your marketing for improving engagement with audiences and donors.
• Use mobile technology to simplify donations and provide new social media platforms for engagement.
• Seek fresh perspectives and a human connection by looking year-round for board members who can provide fundraising and networking expertise.

You may want to recruit board members with fundraising expertise, but not know how to do it correctly. According to Carol Weisman, people join boards for a variety of reasons. To get the right people in the boardroom, you need a recruiting plan targeting individuals who will help you achieve your goals.
Weisman’s nine tips are:

1. Start with a clear fundraising strategy and recruit board members who coincide with your plan.
2. Have a letter of commitment that clearly outlines expectations.
3. Choose your nominating committee wisely.
4. Never be afraid to cold call a community leader.
5. Create a list of potential board members and keep it going year-round.
6. Recruit a diverse board.
7. Do not make deals.
8. Promise and deliver on fundraising training.
9. Clearly define fundraising.

Where do you find potential board members with talents in the fundraising arena? GuideStar had their readers in the profession share several ideas for finding these important individuals: