The Retriever Development Council did a survey of nonprofit fund-raising officers, mainly in the Pacific Northwest, on fund-raising trends. The Council found that organizations that were struggling in this economic environment had leaders who were not engaged, did not communicate well, lacked a unity of vision, and didn't share a common vision. The upshot is, their leaders were not leading and, particularly, not taking a "hands-on" role in the fund-raising effort.
On the other hand, organizations that are weathering the storm have leaders and Board members who are engaged, and making a solid effort to identify, cultivate, solicit, recognize, and steward donors and prospects.
Your Board members must understand what is expected of them when it comes to fund-raising.
- Board members need to make gifts to your school, to the extent they can afford, in every fund-raising campaign. Their gifts serve as an example for others to follow suit.
- Board members need to play a major role in stewarding donors, just by calling to thank them for donations, letting them know of exciting news from the school, and inviting them to be the Trustee's guest at an event.
- Board members need to be leaders of your campaigns, or serve on your advancement committees.
- Board members need to serve on your solicitation teams. After all, as school leaders, other prospects/donors look to them as examples and ask what the Board is doing to support the school. If the Board member has not given a gift to the extent possible, why should a donor, who does not necessarily have a vested interest?
In these trying times, when the economy is affecting individuals and businesses across the country, it's important that your Board members need to embrace their responsibility and commitment to your school by giving to keep the fund-raising pipeline flowing.
*Cited in Mega Gifts: Who Gives Them, Who Gets Them by Jerold Panas, Emerson & Church, 2005. Available at Amazon.com
