Nonprofit 911: Building a Strong Board for Fundraising Success · Fundraising Success with Dick...

Nonprofit 911:

Building a Strong Board for Fundraising Success

with Dick Walker

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Dick Walker

Today’s Speaker

Building a Strong Board for Fundraising Success

April 30, 2013

Dick Walker, Managing Director, Orr Associates, Inc. (OAI)

Copyright © 2013 Orr Associates, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Agenda

• About you

• Start with a plan

• Who are we now and what do we want us to be?

• Building your board is a 12-month job

• The three essential things your board must do to ensure your

organization’s fundraising success

• Some next steps you can take NOW!

www.oai-usa.com

5 Copyright © 2013 Orr Associates, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

How Effective is My Board?

Polling Questions:

100% of my Board makes a gift to the organization every year?

a. Yes b. No

My Board members take an active role in fundraising for my organization?

a. All b. Most c. Some d. None

www.oai-usa.com


Introductions

Dick Walker, Managing Director

• More than 35 years of fundraising experience, primarily in the independent school sector

• Former VP of Corporate Giving at FBR Capital Markets

• Serves on the boards of College for Every Student (former chair), Mentors, Inc., and Princeton AlumniCorps

www.oai-usa.com


Agenda

• About you







www.oai-usa.com


Plan? What plan?

• Does your organization have a strategic plan?

• Does your board establish a list of priorities for its work each

year?

• Is there a standing (or ad hoc) board planning committee?

• Do board committees set annual goals for their work?

www.oai-usa.com


The Proactive Board

• Affirms organizational planning as a major ongoing responsibility

and develops an infrastructure to make it happen

• Sets annual goals for the board’s work as a whole and for each

Board committee

• Assesses and reports progress toward meeting goals at each

meeting

• Makes adjustments as circumstances change

• Evaluates its performance and the performance of its members

annually

• Makes changes to its membership in response to changes in

priorities

www.oai-usa.com


Agenda

• About you







www.oai-usa.com


Board Diversity

Profile current board annually to determine sectors, skill sets

and demographics

Sectors Skills Demographics Other Factors

Defense Legal Age Nonprofit Board Experience

High Tech Finance & Accounting Gender Personal Wealth

Government Investment Race “Plays well with others”

Developers Human Resources Residence Corporate or foundation ties

Legal Government Relations Ties to other organizations

Education Marketing

Health Care IT

Banking Fundraising

Retail

Nonprofit

www.oai-usa.com


Sample Board Profile

Name Affiliation

Fundraising

Capacity Residence EthnicitySector Skills/Expertise/Attributes AgeGenderLe

gal

Hig

h Te

chG

over

nmen

tFi

nanc

e/Ba

nkin

gRe

al E

stat

e/D

evel

opm

ent

Ex-O

ffic

ioN

on-P

rofit

Educ

atio

nO

ther

Bus

ines

sM

anag

emen

t/H

uman

Res

ourc

es

Mar

ketin

g/PR

/Com

mun

icat

ions

Fina

nce/

Inve

stm

ents

Gov

. Aff

airs

/Rel

atio

ns/A

dvoc

acy

Fund

rais

ing

Art

s In

tere

st/E

xper

tise

Entr

epre

neur

ship

M F to 34 35-49 50-64 65+

X X X $$$ Florida X White X

X X $$ Maryland X White X

X X $$ Maryland Black X

X X X $$$$ Maryland X White X

X X $ Maryland X Asian X

X X $$ Maryland X White X

X X $$$ Maryland X White X

X X $$$ Maryland X Asian X

X X $$$$ Maryland X Latino X

X X $$$$$ Maryland X White X

X X $$ Maryland X Black X

X X $$$$ Maryland X White X

X X X X $$ Maryland X White X

X X $$$$$ Maryland X White X

X X $$$$ Maryland X Latino X

X X $$$$ Maryland X White X


X X $$$ Maryland X Black X

X $ Virginia X White X



www.oai-usa.com


Recruit Board Members for

Action

• Keep in mind your organization’s plan and its immediate

priorities

• Seek new board members for what they can do to help

address priorities

• In other words, recruit board members for what they do, not

for who they are

www.oai-usa.com


Board Member Job Description

Your organization’s board member job description should

include expectations in all or most of the following categories:

• Advocacy for the organization and its mission

• Service/attendance

• Fundraising activity/financial support

• Governance

• Knowledge of the organization

• Access to information and confidentiality

• Accountability

www.oai-usa.com


Agenda

• About you


• Who are they now and what do you want them to be?





www.oai-usa.com


Board Recruitment is a

Year-Long Function

www.oai-usa.com

17

Orient new board - identify needs for the next year using your board profile and taking board priorities

into account

Determine renewals and retirements and have

conversations with both - identify candidates who meet identified

needs

Interview candidates using a job description - determine a “slate” to

be presented to the full board

Approve the slate - inform new and renewed Board members/celebrate the service of those rotating off the

board


The Special Role of the

Governance Committee

The Governance Committee should:

• Identify, cultivate, recruit and orient new members

• Identify board leadership through a well considered

succession plan

• Evaluate the board’s performance

• Evaluate the performance of individual board members

www.oai-usa.com


The Blue Ribbon Nominating

Committee*

• A recent Blue Avocado webinar proposed recruiting what it

calls a Blue Ribbon Nominating Committee. Here’s more:

– Members are people in your community who know your organization but

would be unlikely to sign on as board members

– Ask them to attend one meeting to help you identify board members

– Brief them on your board’s top current priorities (Blue Avocado calls them

your “Critical Path”)

– Ask each committee member to suggest 3-5 people who could help your

board address the priorities.

– Secure permission to use the name of the nominator when making

contact with the prospect

*Blue Avocado and Board Cafe articles are copyright CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, all rights

reserved. Subscribe for free at www.blueavocado.org.

• *This term and idea are from Blue Avocado

(www.blueavocado.org)

www.oai-usa.com


Sample Governance Committee

Timeline (FY July 1 – June 30)

www.oai-usa.com


Agenda

• About you







www.oai-usa.com


Board Engagement in

Fundraising

1. Give generously

2. Be an advocate

3. Participate in fundraising

www.oai-usa.com


Sample Board

Commitment Form

Name: _________________________________________

My personal contribution:

1. I personally pledge $_____ to support our development goals and fulfill my individual commitment.

I will pay this: _______________________________________________

2. I will ___ sponsor and/or ___ purchase tickets to the annual event.

My fundraising activity:

I will participate in at least one of the following activities (indicate specifics below each category):

___ Identification of prospects

___ Cultivation of prospects

___ Solicitation of prospects

___ Stewardship

Signature: ___________________________________ Date:___________________________

www.oai-usa.com


Be An Advocate

• Tell your own personal story related to the organization

– How did you get involved?

– Why do you stay committed?

• Know the organization’s case for support

– What are the fact and figures?

– How is philanthropic support used by the organization?

– How can people give?

• Have an “elevator speech”

– Compose your own 30-second summary to be used when asked about

the organization

www.oai-usa.com


The Four Activities of

Fundraising

www.oai-usa.com

25

Identification Current supporters, personal networks,

screening, rating, research

Cultivation Building the relationship through communications,

events, personal visits

Solicitation Asking the right person, at the right time, by the right asker, for the right amount

Stewardship Thanking, recognizing,

communicating, involving


Agenda

• About you







www.oai-usa.com


If you are the Board Chair

• Compile by committee the expectations for their work this

year. Share this with your CEO

• Share the board profile and sample timeline with your

Governance Chair and set a time for a conversation

• Share the board commitment form and the expectations slide

with your Development Committee Chair and ask that he/she

include a discussion of these at the next Development

Committee meeting

www.oai-usa.com


If you are the CEO

• Set up a time to meet with your Board Chair to discuss what

you have learned today

• Make a list of your organization’s current strategic priorities

and the board’s role in addressing them. Share this with your

Board Chair

• Meet with your CDO to discuss board involvement in

fundraising

www.oai-usa.com


If you are the CDO

• Call your Development Committee Chair to set up a time to

discuss ways to increase board involvement

• Brief your CEO on outreach to current board members and

indicate those who are strongest in their potential to aid your

organization’s fundraising efforts

• Begin to compile a list of potential new board members whose

interest and capacity indicate potential to make a difference in

board fundraising involvement and share your list with the

CEO

www.oai-usa.com


www.oai-usa.com

30

Questions? Feedback?

Dick Walker

(202) 719-8082

[email protected]

Please check Nonprofit911.org to register for Creating Habits for Social Good with Allan Burstyn and Katya Andresen,

May 14 1 p.m. ET

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