You’ve seen the studies. The 2015 Leading With Intent Report from Board Source shows that only 60% of nonprofits have achieved 100% board giving. Even when every board member is investing, rarely are they treated as well as other major donors. That’s ridiculous.

Why such harsh words?

* If you’re in the other 40%, you’re missing a major opportunity to develop leadership and instill a sense of pride in your volunteers. And I bet you have a board engagement challenge too, right?
* I will assume you have a board giving policy that indicates all members of the board are expected to contribute. So when you don’t adhere to it, the organization looks weak, and you can’t expect other donors to get excited about investing.
* An intentional approach to board giving will model the behavior you want from your board members. How can you expect them to be successful fundraisers if they aren’t leading the way?
* Practically, many funders won’t consider applicants who can’t say they have 100% board giving.

Your board members, who are at the inner most circle of your organization, deserve the respect of a personal invitation to invest.

Sending out an email, reminding them of the commitment they made when they joined the board, isn’t enough. Expecting them to enthusiastically reply with a generous pledge isn’t realistic. Do you want to engage your volunteers and help them feel appreciated? Then reach out, bring them closer and create a meaningful board giving process to maximize their support.

In my own experience, I watched my Y board giving increase by 27% in one year when we started using a more personal approach with each member. And beyond that, the money they raised increased by 19% in the same year!! Would you like results like that? Try this…

5 Steps to Greater Board Giving:

1. Put it in writing. Do you have written board expectations? Does it clearly state what type of personal financial contribution is needed? All board members must financially invest, and they must also participate in fundraising (there are different ways to do so, in a way that utilizes their individual strengths and leverages resources). You share this written list of expectations when you first interview them for the board and allow for questions so it’s crystal clear. You reiterate it again at the new member orientation. Then when you meet with them personally to confirm their commitment, there will be no surprises.

2. Enroll your Champions. Put together a small team of board members with the CEO who serve as strong champions of board giving and will commit to 2-3 meetings with their peers. Host a meeting to bring this team together to reach consensus on strategy. The goal is to assign each board member to a Champion who will meet with them personally to honor their past giving and participation, then invite them to invest generously again.

3. Customize each conversation. You must remember that every one of your volunteers is different – varying degrees of capacity, varying experiences with fundraising and giving, different goals and motivations, different personality types. Try to match the best Champion with each board member. When you’re coaching your team of Champions, have thoughtful discussions about what each board member might respond best to, in addition to understanding how each member is already contributing. This will help you determine your approach. Does this sound familiar? It’s what you’re probably already doing when you manage other donor relationships. Empower your Champions to honor and appreciate your board members and watch them shine!

4. Make it easy. Think about what you need to accept various types of donations and be sure you have the tools in place to do so. Most people can give more over time. Encourage your board members to think about monthly or quarterly giving. If they want to pay immediately, prepare your Champions to accept a check or credit card. If they want to give online, be sure your site is ready to handle a variety of giving choices. If they want to pledge now and pay later, have your systems determined in advanced so the mechanics don’t trip you up.

Beyond the transactional details, if there are more ways to invest beyond the annual board member giving season, consider having a comprehensive discussion about it. Many volunteers prefer to talk about how they will support the Gala or 5K or social media campaign all at once, rather than feel like they are being “nickel and dimed” numerous times throughout the year.

5. Build in Accountability. You’ve lined up your team of Champions, you’ve coached them and are ready to let them loose! Establish a reporting procedure and a timeline to support the effort. If you have a smaller board, 30 days may be enough to complete the meetings. One example could be to have them email in results to the CEO every Friday by noon; email them a reminder Thursday with the information you need on Friday; at 1:00 call those you haven’t heard from; by 2:00 send out a weekly progress report to celebrate and keep them motivated (be careful not to list individual pledges, just totals – donation amounts are confidential). It may sound like a hassle, but trust me – most people will appreciate the structure and rise to the occasion.

If a systematic approach to board giving sounds complicated or burdensome to you, I will argue the opposite. It’s made a sustainable and significant difference for many organizations. Strong board giving programs also send a positive message to the community. This is the kind of organization people want to be involved with.

Here’s the bottom line: You’re undermining your community work if you dance around expectations. This isn’t about you or your organization – it’s about the people who are counting on you to change lives.

Still confused? Talk to me and let’s figure out how your unique organization can get started.

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