If I had to point to the two most common questions I randomly get (about nonprofits anyway), it would be these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I am asked the board member question, the smartass in me wants to ask a few follow-up questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You lost board members? When were they last seen? What were they wearing?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n But there is a certain element of desperation in their voice so my sad attempt at comedy feels off the mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, I want to focus on the second question. In this post I am not<\/em> going to tell you how to raise money. Forgive me if I got your hopes up. But don\u2019t give up on me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But here\u2019s what I am<\/em> going to do. I\u2019m going to help you to dissect the question. Because that\u2019s where the treasure will be found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019d like Joan to come help us create a development plan. We really need to raise money \u2013 we want to scale but we just make ends meet.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n My office probably gets a call like this one a week. I approach the answer a little differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some consultants will say, \u201cSure I can assess your current development program, benchmark your efforts against similar organization in your sector, and make some recommendations on how to change things up in a way that will really help.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Me? I can\u2019t bear to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A client once compared me to the fictional Dr. House on the Fox show, House<\/em> (without the substance abuse). I look for clues to diagnose what is really happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Someone will say they need help fundraising and I\u2019ll ask them to describe their board chair. They will see how their weak chair is a root problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or I\u2019ll ask the \u201cpatient\u201d to tell me about their aspirations as an organization. Maybe I\u2019m told that they want to have a cash reserve. Or that they want to increase the number of people they serve. These are good, but not audacious. Lack of Inspirational aspiration can be a root problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so it goes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So instead of asking for your date of birth, asking for a copy of your insurance card, or what meds you are on, I\u2019m going to pose a series of more relevant questions. Simple yes or no questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I will assess and prescribe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instructions are simple. It\u2019s kind of like 20 questions. In fact, there really are 20 questions! For each item below, mark it off as \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My organization has a clear mission and fills a unique niche in the sector and our community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every one on my board makes an annual financial contribution \u2013 100% giving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each of my board members knows different people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n We all agree on what our organization aspires to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of my board members can easily and enthusiastically offer someone a 2-3 minute elevator pitch about what the organization does, why it\u2019s important and bring it to life with a short anecdote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n The board chair is an enthusiastic champion and excellent motivator of volunteers. May not have fundraising experience but loves the org and welcomes the opportunity to tell people about the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our social media presence is growing and more and more folks are engaging with the content, building a very nice pipeline of prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lots of people know about us and we are quite visible. We are not a \u201chidden gem\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our staff leadership has an external presence and engenders trust in the organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have a strong board development committee that sees its role as different and broader than a group that monitors staff progress against fundraising goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are committed to stewarding our donors and our retention rate is high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have a healthy revenue mix and are not overly reliant on any single source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have a strong development team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our organization values diversity in an authentic way \u2013 we are building toward a culture of inclusion and in so doing are able to invite more and diverse folks to be a part of our organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we recruit board members we are clear that we will be looking to them to partner with us in fundraising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have a culture where we take risks. We talk about what\u2019s not working in our efforts to fundraise and learn when things go awry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a prospective funder asked what you hope to accomplish this year, you can point to year 1 goals in a simple and compelling strategic plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n We work hard to ensure that board members have the tools, resources and motivation to be great ambassadors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n We can speak to the impact of our work with something more than stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have an annual board retreat that engages and enriches board members and motivates them to be vocal and visible ambassadors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes __ No__<\/p>\n\n\n\n This assessment can be a great exercise to do with your board and\/or staff. To make that easier, you can download a PDF, print copies for each board or staff member, and ask each of them to mark \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d for each item.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ==> Download the assessment here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n You may be greatly surprised by what you find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Go back through each question. If you answered \u201cyes\u201d, move on to the next one. But if you answered \u201cno,\u201d you may have identified a big red flag on the field. For each \u201cno,\u201d here\u2019s some further advice\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. My organization has a clear mission and fills a unique niche in the sector and our community.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If I met you at a cocktail party and you started talking about your organization, and I asked you what the mission was, what would you say<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Every one of my board makes an annual financial contribution \u2013 100% giving.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n No? Here are some ideas on how to get your board to approve a give and get policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Each of my board members knows different people.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If not, it’s important that you expand your pool of donors and volunteers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. We all agree on what our organization aspires to do.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This one is particularly important. Do you have a coherent and communicated vision? Need some inspiration? Here\u2019s a small nonprofit that thinks really big<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Most of my board members can easily and enthusiastically offer someone a 2-3 minute elevator pitch about what the organization does, why it\u2019s important and bring it to life with a short anecdote.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s another one that is on the more important side. If you\u2019re blowing this one, you\u2019re hardly alone. If what I see at many board and staff retreats is true, it may be true that most nonprofit people are messing this up. Here\u2019s how to fix it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. The board chair is an enthusiastic champion and excellent motivator of volunteers. May not have fundraising experience but loves the org and welcomes the opportunity to tell people about the work.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You had better have a 5-star board chair<\/a>. Not sure if you do? Click the link for a checklist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. Our social media presence is growing and more and more folks are engaging with the content, building a very nice pipeline of prospects.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Robin Cembalest has built a social media following of tens of thousands for \u201cthe art world and beyond\u201d and spoke with me on my podcast about how to bring a more artful approach to your social media outreach<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. Lots of people know about us and we are quite visible. We are not a \u201chidden gem\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Not the case? Here are some ideas about how to get inexpensive PR for your nonprofit<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 9. Our staff leadership has an external presence and engenders trust in the organization.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The ability to speak in public is crucial for many staff leaders and an area that many of us can improve. Here are my tips for how to give a first-rate event speech<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10. We have a strong board development committee that sees its role as different and broader than a group that monitors staff progress against fundraising goals.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Particularly important\u2026 But what exactly makes for a great board fundraising committee<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 11. We are committed to stewarding our donors and our retention rate is high.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n But if that\u2019s not the case, here\u2019s how you can improve retention, renewals, and make your donors feel like a million bucks<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 12. We have a healthy revenue mix<\/a> and are not overly reliant on any single source.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps this is the case today. But perhaps you\u2019re not sure what your revenue mix will look like in the future. Here\u2019s how to properly forecast your fundraising revenue<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13. I have a strong development team.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Not yet? Not sure? Or maybe you have no development team at all? Here\u2019s how to build a great one<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 14. Our organization values diversity in an authentic way \u2013 we are building toward a culture of inclusion and in so doing are able to invite more and diverse folks to be a part of our organization.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a diversity problem in the nonprofit sector<\/a>. One reason is that we\u2019re not doing a good enough job developing a diverse leadership pipeline, especially when it comes to leaders of color, and in particular women of color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 15. When we recruit board members we are clear that we will be looking to them to partner with us in fundraising.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The board interview process is critical. Here are the questions you should ask for board recruiting<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 16. We have a culture where we take risks. We talk about what\u2019s not working in our efforts to fundraise and learn when things go awry<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Look, we all make mistakes. But here\u2019s the thing. Clarity only comes from taking action. And if we\u2019re so afraid to take action until everything is perfect, we\u2019ll never accomplish our big goals. You want to nurture a culture of experimentation and innovation. And that means a willingness to try things. So, when you do inevitably screw up, here\u2019s how you can get past your fundraising mistakes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 17. If a prospective funder asked what you hope to accomplish this year, you can point to year 1 goals in a simple and compelling strategic plan.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Strategic plan? Painful, right? But when you do strategic planning right<\/a>, it\u2019s game changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 18. We work hard to ensure that board members have the tools, resources and motivation to be great ambassadors.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And that absolutely includes keeping them engaged between board meetings<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 19. We can speak to the impact of our work with something more than stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve got a podcast episode on this topic coming up soon with Chari Smith. I highly recommend her book, Nonprofit Program Evaluation Made Simple: Get Your Data. Show Your Impact. Improve Your Programs<\/a><\/em>. In fact, I even have a quote on the back of the book. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\nGETTING TO THE ROOT OF IT ALL<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
THE \u201cWHY CAN\u2019T WE RAISE MORE MONEY\u201d ASSESSMENT<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
SO HOW DID YOU DO?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n