You have an important message to share about the work you do in the community. Staff are working hard and they need more hands on deck to get the message out. Otherwise, you may not be able to secure important partnerships, raise enough money or serve everyone who needs you.

It’s time to enroll a team of Cause Crusaders!

And who else is better positioned to do this than your board? They’re already passionate about your work, they understand what you do and now they need to be shown how they can specifically plug in to advance the mission. It’s not enough to say, ”Now go tell everyone you know about us!”

Below is a partial list of items I recently developed with a client who is working hard to increase their visibility. Just like any other initiative, in order for this to be successful, your board members need to be armed with the tools they need to become amazing ambassadors for you. Remember to start there before you send them off willy nilly – do they need some talking points, for example?

And then decide up front how you will measure success and celebrate! When you have a team that is motivated to do this work, you can increase their odds of success and even expect a repeat performance when they feel proud of what they accomplished.

Share this list with your volunteers and ask them where they might be willing to plug in.

Here are 20 actions your Board Ambassadors Can Take Now to Share Your Story:

1. Speak publicly to community groups
2. Identify and introduce potential board members to your leadership team
3. Add new names (with permission) to the newsletter list
4. Post/share a message on social media twice a month
5. Volunteer at a community event and represent your organization
6. Identify potential new donors and introduce them to the Executive Director
7. Invite guests to your next event
8. Work with your company to set up an employee volunteer program
9. Serve on the Outreach/PR Committee
10. Host a friend-raiser (e.g. dinner, happy hour, etc. at home or business) as an opportunity to tell your organization’s story
11. Join your Executive Director at meetings with elected officials
12. Make thank you calls to donors
13. Invite friends and colleagues for a tour
14. Encourage others to volunteer in programs, at events or on committees
15. Forward the newsletter to members of your network who care about your mission
16. Write an op-ed about your mission work for a local publication
17. Invite staff to present at a brown bag at your office
18. Be proud to be a board member and share with your network (in person, email, social media, LinkedIn, etc)
19. Encourage your affinity groups to become a Giving Circle in support of your mission (alumni group, soccer team, walking club, etc.)
20. Enroll a team of Social Media Ambassadors who like, share and otherwise engage on various platforms.

Just imagine what’s possible when you have a dedicated group of passionate volunteers sharing the story of your good work! It’s worth the investment of energy to get organized, hold them accountable and celebrate! The community is counting on you.

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