Making the Most of your Board, Session Three: Involving Your Board in Fundraising 03 25 15

March 25, 2015

Kelly DunphyVice President, Orr Associates, Inc. (OAI)

Juliana Sloper Senior Director, Orr Associates, Inc. (OAI)

Making the Most of Your Board

Session Three: Involving Your Board in Fundraising

1. Introductions

2. Recap of Session Two

3. Three Philanthropic Responsibilities of Board Members

4. Common Challenges Faced by the Board When it Comes to Fundraising

5. Q&A

6. Wrap-Up

Agenda

2www.oai-usa.com#OAIBestBoards

Kelly Dunphy

• Vice President, Fundraising and Development, OAI

• 15 years of fundraising experience, 8 years with OAI

• Clients projects include:

Outsourced development leadership

Board development

Development planning

Capital campaigns

Event fundraising

Strategic planning

• Serves as Chief Development Officer for Boys & Girls Harbor

• Previously worked at Share Our Strength

About Us


Juliana Sloper

• Senior Director, OAI

• 13 years of fundraising experience, 7.5 years with OAI

• Expertise in:

Event fundraising and production management

Development management

Corporate and individual prospect strategy, cultivation, and relationship building

• Previously worked at National Park Foundation

About Us


Recap of Session Two

OrientationCommunicate

Regularly and Hold them Accountable

Hold Effective Board Meetings

Work ThemInvolve Them in

FundraisingBe Transparent

Have Fun

Steps to Engagement


Involving Your Board in Fundraising

Involve Them in Fundraising


A board member’s philanthropic responsibility:

1. Give generously

2. Be an advocate

3. Participate in fundraising

• Identify prospects

• Cultivate / open doors

• Solicitation

• Stewardship

1. Give Generously

• Have an annual meeting with each board member to make a personal solicitation and to set their fundraising goals for the year

• Provide board members with an annual commitment form that covers annual giving, events, and any other fundraising activities for which you solicit your board members


Annual Commitment Form Example


• Meet with every board member (and do your research on giving history beforehand) to discuss his/her giving ability and to make a specific ask, and that might be well above the minimum level in some cases

• Also discuss their total “get” level and come to agreement on that

• Then equip each board member with several tools to help them achieve this task, including:

Annual training of your board on fundraising approaches and tactics

Opportunities for a board member to engage in fundraising (e.g., sell tables or tickets to an event, host a cultivation event, secure their employer as a sponsor, set up 5 introductory lunches with potential donors for the board member and the ED/development director, etc.)

Support from staff and the Development Committee chair (if applicable) as a resource for questions, motivation, accountability in meeting the individual fundraising commitment, etc.

Quarterly updates from the staff on each board member’s progress toward achieving his/her commitment.

Annual Meeting About Give/Get Expectations


2. Be an Advocate

• Encourage board members to tell their personal story related to the organization

How did they get involved?

Why do they stay committed?

• Ensure board members know the organization’s case for support

What are the facts and figures?

How does philanthropic support help the organization fulfill its mission?

How can people give?

• Have an “elevator speech”

Board members should have a 30-second summary to be used when asked about the organization


3. Participate in Fundraising

Identification

Cultivation

Solicitation

Stewardship


• Ways your board can be involved:

Opening their personal networks

Reviewing a list of prospects generated

by the development staff

• Ways the staff can support the board:

Create opportunities to meet new donors

Review current supporters and make connections to the board members

Provide screening, ratings, profiles, and other research

Identification Identification

Cultivation

Solicitation

Stewardship


Attend and invite potential donors to a cultivation event

Host a cultivation event

Fill their gala table with potential donors

Participate in “get to know you” meetings with new potential donors

Contacting people from their networks to have an introductory conversation or meeting

Invite potentials donors to visit the organization to see programs in action


Plan cultivation events

Conduct post-event de-briefs to gather information on prospects and determine next steps

Keep track of all the board members’ prospects and their prospect “moves”

Prompt follow-up steps

Cultivation Identification

Cultivation

Solicitation

Stewardship


If a board member has a relationship with a prospect, participate in the ask meeting

Make the case/tell the story in an ask meeting, and the staff member can make the ask


Train your board on “making the ask” best practices

Provide them with the resources needed to make a strong ask (prospect profiles, meeting strategy, talking points, prep call)

Attend the solicitation meeting with the board member

Solicitation Identification

Cultivation

Solicitation

Stewardship


Make thank-you calls or write personal notesto donors they know or even ones they do not know

Invite a donor to an upcoming event


Provide board members with a thank you call script/talking points

Provide updates when a Board member’s prospect makes a gift

Keep the board up to date on opportunities for stewarding donors, such as site visits, events, etc.

Stewardship Identification

Cultivation

Solicitation

Stewardship

• Development Committee

One of its responsibilities is to ensure that 100% of the board is giving as well as fundraising

The staff should provide the committee with regular updates on the status of board giving/getting

• Consider a Board Giving Campaign with clear goals, expectations, and a timeframe

Accountability

• The “ask” takes the least amount of time, but is the biggest fear

Introduce Board members to fundraising by having them help with stewardship activities

Ask to host or attend a cultivation event

Accompanied by a staff member – staff member makes ask, board member makes case

• The “Quid Pro Quo” Factor

Start with a conversation, not an ask

Invitation to an event as a guest

Common Challenges Faced by the Board When it Comes to Fundraising


• Fear of hearing “no”

Know the right time to make the ask, for the right amount and the right purpose

Starts with cultivation

If you do get a “no”, ask follow-up questions to figure out the objections – don’t think of it as a closed door, but the opening of a new conversation

• Lack of follow-through

Start with a manageable list -- pick 2-3 names and achieve early wins

Make sure they have the tools they need (e.g., talking points, collateral, draft emails, etc. )

Fundraising training


• Culture change

Board leadership must be in favor

Start with the Development Committee

Use the best practices described here

Early wins

Celebrate and educate the rest of board

Board recruitment

This will not happen overnight, likely 2-3 years


Send additional questions to:

Kelly Dunphy: [email protected]

Juliana Sloper: [email protected]

Q&A

Wrap-Up

Government & Nonprofit

Making the Most of your Board, Session Three: Involving Your Board in Fundraising 03 25 15