When a nonprofit board member is reluctant to open the door to a personal friend

This question is from my last webinar Six New Rules for Board Members in Changing Times, which I’ll be repeating on July 16 because it sold out so quickly.

This is such a typical problem for board members – and for staff.

The answer to this problem is that you move very very slowly.  It’s important that your board member doesn’t feel like you are pushing him or her.

Look at it from your board member’s point of view. They don’t want to take advantage of a friendship! That would be the same as using people – and worse, using their friends.  That kind of action is pretty low down if you ask me.

So you really do need to go slowly with your board member and help him or her look at it from another perspective.

Let’s assume that your board members is in fact passionate, and really does want to make the connection but they can’t think of a polite way to go about it.  You, as staff, could just make an appointment for a professional visit with their friend, but your board member can’t do this.

But consider these strategies to open the door in a natural way and introduce their friend to your organization.  THese don’t feel like pressure or taking advantage of anybody:

1.  SNEEZE!  The number one thing your board members should be doing is spreading the viral message about your cause all over town.  If ideas are like viruses, then they are catching!  And every single friend of your board member should be hearing great things about the cause all the time. It’s just a natural thing between friends.

2. Host a party!  You may know that my favorite motto is “when in doubt, throw a party!”  But what an easy way to introduce friends to the cause.  Your board member could host a picnic, a porch party, a social to introduce friends and contacts to your organization. The best thing is that the friends can decide to come or not.  No pressure.

3. Host a tour.  I love to see board members taking their friends on field trips to see how an organization changes the world.  Or take them on a tour of your organization with lots of different people talking about their work.  Again, the tour attendees self-select to come – they can choose not to come as well.

4. Host a table at your big event.  It’s certainly easy for your board member to invite their friend to come attend and sit at their table. And it offers you a perfect chance to meet them personally yourself.  Then you can take the ball and run with it!