Effective Ways to Engage Your Board in Fundraising
You’ve got some wonderfully intelligent and accomplished people on your board, who are dedicated to your cause and active in the community. They are a force to be reckoned with! Their ability to leverage your fundraising efforts can really give a boost to your success. Here are some ways to engage your board in raising money for your cause.
- Invite the board chair out to coffee for a one-on-one chat to learn specifically how the board members want to be involved. Perhaps some members have specific talents or interests that could be creatively utilized, or they’re involved in a social media platform that could help leverage your outreach.
- Create a “Thank-a-Thon” after your fundraising event and ask your board members to call top donors and personally thank them for their support. Provide each board member with a list of donors and their phone numbers, along with the amount they donated and any unique details about the donor that would be helpful.
- Tap into your board members’ expertise and ask them to give a talk at your committee meetings. Each month a different board member could give a talk on a subject that’s both relevant to your committee and in line with your board member’s experience.
- Work closely with your board in choosing who to solicit for donations when procuring items for your next auction. Collaborate on a plan where they start with their closest connections and then branch out from there. You can even provide a webinar, video or checklist to assist them with the process.
- Create a competition among board members for ticket or table sales at your next event. The winner gets the table closest to the stage or a specialty bottle of wine.
- Ask a board member to be a speaker at your fundraising event or participate in the special appeal portion of the event. This gives them more exposure in the community and it adds importance to your event.
- Make sure your board members have time to volunteer with your organization and interact with your constituents before the fundraiser. This gives them a hands-on knowledge of your mission and the impact it has on the community. With this experience, they’ll be better advocates for your cause.
Your board is a treasured resource. By creatively engaging them in your fundraising efforts, you’ll not only keep them actively engaged in your mission, you’ll improve your revenue prospects as well. Make sure to honor and thank your board for all their efforts to support your cause.
