Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Board members are the primary stewards of nonprofits — the men and women charged with setting the direction and with making changes should the organizations drift away from that direction. It should be obvious that in addition to their leadership, the most visible and importantly symbolic way for boards to benefit their nonprofits is through giving, in terms of both opening their own checkbooks and asking others to do the same. This action proves to the donor community that the stewards believe firmly — in a way they’re willing to back up with their own assets — in the direction they’ve set.
Yet according to BoardSource’s “Nonprofit Governance Index 2007,” less than half of public charities get contributions from every member of their boards, and less than half of board members deem themselves “comfortable” either asking for money directly or calling potential donors. As Bob Carter of Archimede Philanthropy Partners writes in onPhilanthropy:
I have often lamented that fundraising is “an unnatural act” for most people. How many times have you or I heard “I’ll do anything for the cause, but ask for money”; when all we want that trustee to do IS ask for money, because that is the greatest need for program delivery and success. How much at opposite ends of the spectrum could we be in some cases?
Just as you have to manage your boss as well as those reporting to you, nonprofits work best when they recruit effectively up as well as down. In other words, attracting and retaining board members with not only the financial assets you seek but also the fundraising mindset you need should be a top priority. | 501(c)
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