The Top Five Reasons to Train Your Board to Fundraise
by Brian Saber
This post was written by Brian Saber, Asking Matters President. Brian has spent his entire career ASKING for money for non-profits. From his early days as a student leader and telethon caller (!) to his six years in charge of major and principal gifts throughout the Midwest for Brandeis University, to his two stints as an executive director, every position involved significant face-to-face solicitation. And he is still honing that art today, cultivating and soliciting select major donors for various clients. With that perspective Brian created Asking Matters, a resource that all non-profits could afford.
I’ve been doing a lot of board fundraising training lately, including half-day off-sites with Staten Island Arts and JVS Detroit. This gave me a chance to think about why we train our boards to fundraise. Here are the top five:
#1 Board members WANT to be trained and appreciate it when they are.
Talk about your “Aha Moment.” It’s easy to think in terms of how difficult it is to get your board together. But the logistics struggle in no way reflects their strong desire to learn and to help. Every time I train, board members are incredibly enthusiastic, have fantastic questions, and participate fully.
#2 Training=Education
Board trainings are wonderful opportunities to educate your board members. They’re a chance to have everyone re-embrace your mission, get comfortable with your case for support, and better understand your organization’s programs.
#3 Training leads to better board giving
Once your board has had fundraising training, board members have the tools not only to cultivate and solicit people in their circle of friends and associates, but to solicit each other. A board solicitation process led by your board rather than you and your staff will pay off in spades down the road.
You can’t ask people to practice what they don’t know how to do
#4 Training leads to practice
You can’t ask people to practice what they don’t know how to do. So if you don’t train them, no amount of role playing, one-one-one pep talks from staff, or similar efforts can have the impact you want.
#5 It’s unfair not to
We all have to stop expecting people to do their jobs without proper training and tools. A “board fundraising packet” is not a training – it’s just more information board members have to absorb. Everyone needs training to do their job well.
