Archive for the ‘Motivating Board Members’ Category

Ah, death by strategic planning!

Don’t get me started on how AWFUL and what a TIME WASTER strategic planning can be. At least the way we do it in the noprofit sector.

I am organizing a “hard-hitting, hands-on planning session” with an organization that has been wandering aimlessly for a few years. They wonder why they can’t raise money? Here’s the answer – their vision is not juicy enough to get excited about.

Here’s our agenda for our planning session: (I’ve changed the names to protect the innocent!)

• Reconfirm Good Cause’s vision and mission.
• Reach consensus on what Good Cause wants to do in order to implement its vision and mission in the coming year and in the next 5 years. (broad framework here for the longer time period.)
• Identify strategic directions and set some firm goals around each direction.
• Answer the question: “how will we know if we have been successful?”
• Determine the critical success factors that will make or break the new goals.
• Agree on the board’s role in creating success for Good Cause and what each person is committed to doing.
• Set next steps so that the staff can flesh out a complete operational plan for the coming year.

I had to tell the staff – you can TRUST me that it will not be a WASTE of time. I told her that I will not facilitate a meeting that I wouldn’t attend myself. : )

This board has GOT to pull itself together around a plan or the organization probably doesn’t have much of a future.

Do you know what the critical success factor is in this meeting? The facilitator. He or she is the person who will challenge, direct, pull together, referee, and ultimately ensure actual results. I take this role very very seriously! It’s an honor and a burden at the same time.

I’ll let you know how it comes out!

The New York Times today ran an opinion article about a new study from the national organization Feeding America.

The study showed that one in 8 Americans sought emergency food aid last year. (This is 37 MILLION PEOPLE!)

Lord have mercy, as we say in the south! They are feeding one million more Americans a week than they were in 2006.

Hunger is alive and well in America, it is awful to say.

The need is so very clear. All over our country and the world, there are people desperately in need.

We fundraisers and nonprofit leaders are on the front lines of the battle for safe, decently-fed, healthy families in our communities.

If you ever start to lose heart and feel that what you do is not making a difference, do step back and look at the real results of your work.

I think fundraising is one of the most noble professions ever.

When I say we are on the front lines of the battle, I am not kidding.  We literally can make the difference between tragedy and safty, or hunger and food, or the difference between illness and health. We do this because we bring in the resources to make it happen.

We are the catalyst. We bridge between the well-meaning people who want to help and those who so desperately need the help.

Don’t ever lose heart. Call me or email me if you need to and I’ll pump you up.  Find other fundraisers and bond with them for support. Our causes need us more than ever, ever before!

Onward, and may the force be with you!

I think we approach our board members ALL WRONG.

We nonprofit folks have this idea that our board members should be devoted to the cause 24/7. And when they place other priorities in front of our to-do list, we are disappointed in the least.

I hear a lot of complaining about board members. “My board members won’t raise money,” the executive director sadly whispers to me. “They won’t even open doors,” another friend confided.

I thought to myself, well do these board members think they are supposed to raise money or not? I could have bet a case of beer that the staff’s notion of what board members were supposed to do was not at all the same as the board members’ idea of what to do.

My nonprofit friends think, “Of course board members are supposed to raise money!”

But the board members are probably thinking secretly to themselves, “I’ll do anything BUT ask for money.”

Is there a conflict here?

And here’s the rub. There is bound to be disappointment on one side or the other unless there is a frank conversation about what you need your board members to do.

If you want your board members to help in fundraising  –

And if you do need them to “raise money,” then you have to give them a format for this work. You have to tell them exactly how to do it and make it easy for them. They need a lot of encouragement and hand holding, and that’s fine! They aren’t the “hardened professionals” that we are.

So DO be realistic about your expectations and treat your board members like you’d want to be treated. They are volunteers. Wonderful, well meaning community volunteers. But they are untrained.  They are not fundraising professionals. Treat them like the real people they are.

Here’s what my new friend Dovie Prather of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America has to say about face-to-face “asks.”

Dovie is a true believer in the person-to-person appeal. She told me that she coaches her volunteers with these words:  “Don’t be shy about looking in your prospect’s eye and asking!”

I met Dovie at the Boys and Girls Club of America NE Leadership Conference where I gave a plenary presentation last week. I asked her about the BGCA’s year-end fundraising strategies.

Here’s how she motivates her volunteers to go out and visit people one-on-one to ask for support:

“While the recession has hurt many people, some people ARE still making money in the recession. We are still there for our community. The kids still need a place to go where people care about them. Our doors are still open for any kid who needs help.

You MUST go to your regular supporters with an annual ask.”

That’s a lesson for all of us:  go to the loyal donors we’ve always depended on. Those folks who we KNOW believe in our cause and our mission.

And what will we find?

They will still be there for us.

Dovie told me that their annual campaign strategy RELIES on the face to face appeal.

And when you are thinking that all those donors out there are feeling pinched and nervous about the economy, just remember this:

“It only takes ONE DONOR to make a difference in the life of a child.”

It’s wonderful to see a board chair assume rightful leadership and challenge her board members to action.  Here’s a brilliant example of excellent leadership from a nonprofit board chair.

I’m on the board of our local AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) chapter here in North Carolina’s Research Triangle. (If you don’t know about AFP, you need to join!

Our wonderful board chair, Eli Jordfald, took on a personal priority this year – to reinvent our annual “National Philanthropy Day” celebration in November.

If this “reinvention” was going to happen, Eli needed every single one of us board members to commit to a part in making this successful.  With only a part-time staff person, we rely on our board volunteers to make it happen.  So if we didn’t pull through, then we wouldn’t even have an event.

Eli send out an email last week with the subject line: “Call to Action.”  Take a look at this professional and very specific note to her board members.

She was not necessarily “asking for help.” Instead it was “rallying the troops.”

How long has it been since you issued a Call to Action to your board,  your staff or your volunteers? These words alone get immediate attention.

Good morning,

Our NPD committees have been working diligently to re-invent NPD for the
Triangle.  I’m proud of their efforts and the incredible creativity they
have brought to the event planning.

The ultimate success of NPD will depend on the community’s response and we, as board members, must lead by example.

*This week, I am asking each of you to consider how you
personally (and your organization) can participate. Please consider
these 3 opportunities to help your donors, volunteers, your cause, and
AFP shine:

* Commit to a table of 10 at the non-profit, special rate of $400 to
honor an outstanding volunteer
* Nominate one, two or more donors and volunteers in any of the
categories Bert’s committee recently announced.  It’s so easy and
you can do it on-line.  Lineberger is nominating in two categories
this year
* Help secure a sponsor at the $500 or $1000 levels.  Jeff has
turn-key packets for you to personalize for your prospect

I would like to ask each of you to either reply to all or send me an
e-mail indicating to what extent you are able to commit to one, two or
all three of the above*.  It will boost our “ask” to others to step up.
It will also help us get an early snap shot of what our board
participation will be.

I appreciate all that you do to make our chapter excellent and look
forward to hearing back from you by the end of the week.

Warm regards, Eli

Here are the things that she did right in this note:

1. She made it clear that “we, as board members, must lead by example.”  I can’t think of another way to say this more plainly!  She reminded us of our responsibility as board members.

2. Her tone (attitude toward us) was correct: she was not lecturing us; she was not wagging her finger like a schoolmarm.

3. Her request was professional and business-like – she was not pleading or begging or manipulating. She simply requested plainly and succinctly, treating us as the capable professionals we all are.

4. Her words were inspirational. She rallied us to our higher purpose and reminded us of what we all wanted to accomplish.

5. She is putting her money where her mouth is and leading by example. She let us know that her organization is buying a table.

6. She gave us clear actions we needed to take and a choice of actions.

7. She asked us to respond to her personally, not to someone else. That way you know that she herself is keeping tabs on who is doing what.

8. She gave us a deadline to respond to her. That way there was a clear time frame for us to take action.

This is the right way to motivate and activate your own board. Give it a try and you’ll get some great results.

Tell you what – I’ll let you know how this Call to Action did as we go forward. I, for one, leapt to action. I have already made two sponsorship solicitations and will do more!

Can you share an experience when a board chair issued a Call to Action?  Let’s hear your own stories!

A question I am frequently asked is, “Once I get my board fired-up, then how on earth do I keep my board members motivated and enthusiastic? Whenever the board members gather together, we get excited and energized about our work. But my board members frequently get distracted with other priorities.  What to do?”

The first thing you must do is take responsibility for keeping your board energized.   If you are the nonprofit CEO, do everything you can to keep them going.  AND if you are the chair of the board, also, do everything YOU can to fan the flames of your board members’ energy.

When you assume responsibility, then you can’t expect that someone else will assume this role. Do you know the saying, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me?“  Well, here’s the perfect place to implement that idea.

If your board is gonna stay excited, motivated and energized, it won’t happen without YOU taking the lead.

You can’t expect your busy board members to keep focused and energized on their own. If you leave it up to them, you just may be disappointed. This is “Volunteer Management 101” – and the number one job of managing volunteers is motivating them.

Here is a real life best practice example from a board I am currently serving on. This is from the CEO of  Lillian’s List, a political action group on whose board I serve.  Our CEO, Carol Teal, is just about the best nonprofit CEO I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.

Here is a recent “cheerleading” email Carol sent us board members. Needless to say, it pumped us up and made us feel really good about the results we are creating in the world. We are all engaged in a big project to systematically and personally thank our donors.

Carol wrote:

‘Thank you to all the Board members for taking the time to help us say thank you.  The connections that we all have with each other is what sets this organization apart from any other I have been involved with in the past 20 years.

“Thank you to Karen and Ernestine for joining the Trailblazer Major Donor Club and thank you to Kim for providing the excellent support to all of us so we can say thank you.  And thanks to Claire for keeping us all engaged with the Fund Development part of our mission.  Onward!

“I’m leaving now to meet with another potential Trailblazer. I love asking and I thank all of you for being part of thanking.”

Carol complimented various board members for their efforts and successes.  By praising them in front of other board members (which is something all board members love), she sets the bar higher for all the other board members. She holds these folks up as examples for the rest of us.

And do note that she ended by letting us know how excited she was about raising money. She is out there making solicitations all the time. We can’t let her down!  It makes us feel like we are all in this together.

It’s a wonderful feeling! And you can bet that this board is sure FIRED-UP!

Do you ever consider what we fundraising folks are really up to when we appeal to our donors?  Is it hype? Is it promises that we will keep? Is it mission, vision and values?  Is it changing the world?

Last month at the Bridge Fundraising Conference in DC, I kept hearing a theme echoing through many of the presentations I attended.

“We are in the dream business.”

It really means that we are telling stories of a happy dream of the future. Of a better world. A better community. People being helped. Smiles. Comfort. Happiness.

But in our appeals for help, we forget this all too often. Instead we focus on problems, what’s wrong, what we will do to fix things.

But the most successful approach – whether you are doing fundraising, sales, bringing together groups of people for a common purpose, teamwork – whenever leadership and inspriation are required – is to picture your dream for the future.

Think Martin Luther King, one of the greatest inspirational leaders – and orators – of recent times. His “I have a dream speech” is a spectacular example of inspired dreaming.

The dream is so powerful that it’s like a great river sweeping everyone up in its path, surging inevitably downstream to a much happier future.

When we paint a picture of our dream for happy students, healthy children, cared-for elderly, majestic symphonies, clean sparkling water – whatever we are raising money for – we also capture the power of that mighty river of energy sweeping everyone together.

When I work with boards, we talk about dreaming. I tell them they should always be standing high on the hill sharing their vision of a happier world with everyone they know.  When they are standing on that hill, solid in their dream, focused on the future, they are more powerful than they can imagine.

When you, your board members and your volunteers take a firm stand on the mountain, that’s when you have the energy and the power to change the world.

That’s when nothing can stop you.

So many nonprofit board members are enthusiastic and well-meaning but too often they back out of their commitments.  Bet you have run into this problem!

And I have been on the other side too, as a board member. In the heat of an exciting discussion, I suddenly found myself making personal commitments. Then later, in my office, I thought better of those ideas and was not so very enthusiastic about them.

In nonprofit organizations, it’s hard working with volunteers, who actually don’t HAVE to do anything anyway.  You simply can’t MAKE volunteers work.  That’s why I always say that we are in the motivation business.

You have to be able to motivate and charge up your board members and volunteers if you want them to be productive.  It’s a rare nonprofit volunteer who can keep herself fully pumped up with excitement and enthusaism all the time!

Here’s my secret weapon in motivating my volunteer committees. And it’s an old standby of teamwork and leadership theory:  PEER PRESSURE.

Here’s the most important thing to know about board members: they never, repeat, never want to look bad in front of their peers.

In fact, if for some reason you should inadvertently embarrass a board member in front of the group (or if another board member does so) – it’s likely they will never forgive you.

I remember a board meeting I was attending last summer. The chair of the development committee publicly called a certain committee to task for not coming through on their fundraising event, when all the other board members had done so.

Ooooh boy. Those were fightin’ words.  We had a behind the scenes uproar later because those board members were embarassed and angry.  We are still picking up the pieces of this one!

So if peer pressure is the best way to motivate your nonprofit board members, how do you employ this?

Lots of ways:

1.  In the meeting packets for every board meeting, include a list of board members and the actions they have taken on behalf of the organization since the last meeting.

2. In your meetings, go around the table with everybody reporting in on their accomplishments. I can guarantee you that there will be a flurry of work right there at the last minute so that everyone will have something to report.  They don’t want to look bad in front of their peers!

3. Publicly praise the board members who are pulling through. Send emails out to everyone lauding accomplishments. And in meetings, hold up the high-performing board members as examples and honor them.

4. Send emails out with lists of board members and their “to-do” commitments so that everyone can see who has committed to do what.

5.  And when you have a board member who is lagging on his or her promises, just call them up and ask them if there is any way you can help them.  You’ll then have a friend as well as a board member!

What are your favorite ways to motivate your own board members?

Here’s another question that came in for my June webinar “Six New Rules for Board Members in Changing Times.  I’m repeating this webinar on July 16 because it quickly sold out if you’d like to attend.

I can’t tell you how often I hear this question all around the country and beyond our borders.  We do in fact have board members who are passionate.  But  - with few exceptions – they are  perennially afraid of fundraising.

And there are lots of reasons they avoid fundraising.  We all hear these reasons every day!

But you CAN change their nervousness and fear.  You have to take them through a specific “attitude adjustment” process.  You have to change their mind about fundraising – that it’s NOT asking for money. It’s changing the world. I’ll show you how to do this in my webinar next week. I also take individual boards thru this process in my seminar “Easy Fundraising for Board Members.”  And I’ll walk you through my exercises right here.

You have to take the idea of soliciting completely off the table. But wait, you might say, I NEED them to be out there raising money. But I say in response, you have to bring them along gently.

Start them out with simple easy jobs in the fundraising arena that don’t require “asking.”  Show them how it can be fun and easy to phone donors and thank them.  Or how it’s fun to to go around spreading the viral message about your cause.

Here’s what I would recommend:

1.  Have them share why they care about the cause.  You’ll be amazed at the results.

2. Have an in-depth discussion about how funds raised are actually used to carry out your mission. Drill down to discuss specific programs. Encourage questions.

3. Let them talk about why they don’t like fundraising. Encourage them to “throw up.”  Then have them talk about how they felt the last time they made a gift to their favorite cause.

4. Have a discussion about why board members are important in fundraising.

5. Discuss the concept of “friendraising” – and how it is more important to have a “friend” of your organization’s rather than a “donor.” Ask them how they might like to help spread the word and raise friends for your organization.

6. Show them the fundraising cycle – and point out how asking is only one tiny moment in the cycle. The rest of the time we are cultivating and thanking donors.

7.  Then give them easy jobs to do that don’t involve soliciting. Throw a porch party.  Host a breakfast.  Take people out to the field to see your organization making a difference. Call donors to thank them.  Pile everyone they know on your organization’s bandwagon!

I have several articles on my website that go into much more depth about these exercises and discussions.  Or, join me for the July 16 webinar when I’ll discuss these ideas in more depth as well.

Morale is an issue for everyone these days, particularly with the end of the fiscal year staring us in the face.  Morale is often an issue with board members as well who liable to lose heart with all too much bad news.  

I have developed a sure-fire exercise that wakes everybody up, gets them talking, smiling and enjoying themselves, gives them their own chance to speak, fans the flames of their energy and passion, and reconnects them with the reason they are taking the time out of their busy lives to serve on the board.

Tall order you might say! But try this – and I’ll bet you get the same results!  I described this morale-boosting exercise for board members in my recent webinar “Six New Rules for Board Members in Changing Times,” which was sold out early. (I’ve decided to offer the webinar again on July 16th if you’d like to join us.)

So let me share with you this fabulous exercise: You won’t believe how easy it is. But it does require some discipline on your part and willingness to try something new on your board’s part.

I begin every single one of my “Easy Fundraising for Board Members” retreats with this exercise – and it never fails.

Here’s a simple question to ask them: “Why do you care about our organization?” It’s a pretty unusual question because board members don’t often get a chance to talk about why they care. They are too busy doing business and being efficient.

In the interest of using their time wisely, we too often just don’t take the time to go deeper and touch their hearts or hear their story. We’re responsible if they are disengaged or bored, because we are the ones who make the agendas and decide how they are going to use their time with us.

But you won’t believe what happens when you just ask this question! This is the conversation that can fan the flames of a board member’s energy and passion. I am always amazed and pleased with what it evokes in people. It helps them get back in touch with that deep caring they have in their hearts for your cause.

This is the core reason why they are with you, and why they are willing to share their precious spare time on your cause instead of something else.

Here’s how I set up this most important conversation so that no one is self conscious or feels put on the spot. I do a “mingle exercise.” It’s an exercise in which board members mingle around the room and share their own perspective with four or five different people.

Here’s how to set this exercise up.
     1. Ask your board members what they would say to someone who asked them why they cared enough to serve on this board. If they ran into someone at work or socially, what would they say?
   – (You might also ask them “what legacy do you want to leave from serving on the board?” or perhaps “what speaks to you personally about the good work we do in the world?”)
     2. Give them a few moments to write down some notes to themselves – what would they really say if given the chance?
     3. Then tell them in just a minute we will ask everyone in the room to share these thoughts with FOUR other board members.
     4. Explain the exercise: “Find a partner, introduce yourself to them in case they may not know you well, and then share your story. Each person should take just about 30 seconds. When you finish with your partner, then go find another partner and chat with them.”
     5.  Then launch them: “Everybody up!” Have them stand up, go around the room, and share their perspective briefly with four or five other board members, one after the other.

It’s great to debrief when everyone is finished.  Ask everybody first what their experience was when they were doing this.  What were they saying? How were they being? Was it easy?  Was it even fun? What did you learn from other board members?

When they do the mingle exercise, they will find themselves saying over and over why they really care about the organization and what is deeply meaningful to them about your mission.

It evokes exactly what they should be saying to their friends and acquaintances: something personal and from the heart. And it reinforces it because they repeat it again and again.

This mingle exercise has a very special added benefit: it is also a “re-kindling” conversation.

As your board member talks repeatedly about what sparks his enthusiasm or interest in your organization’s work, he is re-igniting his own passion as he speaks. He is reminding himself about the difference you make; and why it is personally important to him.

Remember, most board members don’t know what to say about your organization! This exercise gives them low-key, but most valuable, practice talking about your cause, in a natural and spontaneous way.

They also learn from other board members; they get great energy from the other folks in the room; and they enjoy themselves.

When you do this exercise, you’ll be surprised by the excitement and fun that it generates. You’ll see people laughing and smiling. Board members love to talk to each other and they rarely get the chance.

It’s a great energy boost and refreshing shift away from boring board meetings – AND it’s the best morale booster I’ve ever seen.

When they are re-inspired by their own passion for the cause, board members are now ready to go to work. Because they get back in touch with the deeper issue of why they care, then they are much more ready to tackle the work at hand with vigor – and commitment.

I’ll bet that if you do this before a meeting, you’ll find that it’s one of the best meetings you’ve ever had with this group. At least that’s what some of my fundraising friends say who have put this conversation in front of their board.

Try it and post a comment here to let me know how it worked!