By Pat Munoz, Director of Organizational Development, River Network

There are two aspects to Board Fundraising. The first is board giving-the idea that as "organizational guides," each board member should make a personal gift to the organization. The second is board getting-the concept that board members should engage in the actual fundraising process and help raise money from others. Both of these activities are extremely important to the success of any nonprofit, and both are inextricably linked to one another.

Board Giving

Most experts agree that nonprofits should expect 100% giving from their board members. After all, board members are the "organizational guides," the "owners" of the organization, chosen for their interest and commitment to the mission, and as such, are intimately familiar with the nonprofit's goals and aspirations. If they are not motivated to make a financial contribution to the organization, how can other, less committed and informed individuals be expected to contribute? Other reasons each board member should make an annual financial contribution include:

1. Many funders look at board giving as a measure of organizational effectiveness and expect to see 100%.
2. To be effective in asking others to give, board members must first make a gift themselves.

The level of board giving is, however, open to discussion. Here, the general wisdom is that each board member should make a donation to the organization that for him or her represents a "significant" gift. A "significant" gift could be defined as the largest single donation that an individual makes to a nonprofit group for the year (with the exception of religious contributions). If a board member gives to more than one nonprofit, the donation should at least be equal to gifts given to other groups.

How and When to Use Board Giving

Board giving can be used to raise funds for almost any purpose. Board members are ideal funders for core operating support, the hardest money to raise, since they know the organization intimately and care deeply about its success. Board donations can be sought in emergencies, when there is a special opportunity to do something that will benefit the organization's health, or to leverage its resources. Like other donors, Board members can also be asked to give for specific projects that they care about or are involved in. Indeed, board leadership in a fundraising campaign can be vital as a pre-requisite to broader community support, since it can influence how others respond to a particular funding appeal.

Motivating Board Members to Give

Like any member or donor, board members will usually give money when they understand the mission of the organization, endorse its programs and activities, and feel "ownership" of the organization. For this to happen, you must communicate frequently with them, in writing, and in person. Contact them not just when you need a favor, but when there is good news to share, or when you need advice. Build a personal relationship with each one. Board meetings provide an excellent opportunity to practice your communications skills-don't let entire meetings be taken up with discussing the budget, or fundraising or personnel policies. Be sure that exciting new program activities get a prominent place on the agenda, and if possible, bring in a guest who can tell a story about how you have helped, or a speaker who will educate board members on the latest river restoration technique that you plan to use.

In addition, involve your board members in decision-making and activities of the organization in a meaningful way so that they feel they are contributing. Get to know the interests, talents and assets (such as access to corporate contacts, an outfitting business, a large home suitable for events, etc.) of each board member, and then ask each to contribute to the organization in specific ways which correspond to their interests and utilize their talents and assets.

Setting a Goal

Although many groups include board gifts in their major donor income category, I recommend creating a special "Board Giving" category each year, getting the board to sign off on it as part of the annual fundraising plan, and tracking board gifts separately. This way, board members know what is expected of them as a whole and can see their progress toward meeting their goal as the year goes on.

Asking the Board for Money

Like everyone else, the board needs to be asked to give. I have found that asking board members to give for a specific purpose, such as underwriting the costs of an event, helping purchase new equipment for the office or creating a matching fund to motivate individuals to join the organization, works very well.

Board members should be asked to give several times during the year for different purposes. Each should be treated differently, depending upon his or her circumstances, interests and ability to give. Ideally, it should be the board chair or fundraising chair that makes these "asks," not the executive director, although the executive director should be involved in strategizing about how much to ask for. Like other donors, many board members make gifts at the end of the year, so it is important that they be called or sent a special letter in November or December asking them to contribute.

Sometimes, individual board members can help increase board revenues by offering to match the contributions of other board members, or challenging them to meet a specific goal. Any donor likes to see their contribution leveraged in some way, and board members are no exception.

Board members are good targets for trying out new fundraising programs or approaches, like stock gifts, bequests and monthly giving programs. Use your board to practice marketing these new efforts. If you can't get a number of your board members to join your monthly giving program, or put your organization in their will, then you probably won't have a great deal of success with your general membership.

Board Getting

How One Board Raised $50,000
By Harriet Moss

In addition to giving, all board members should help with the "getting" (fundraising) in some way. Fundraising cannot be delegated to one board member or even a board committee. Every board member can and should help (and will feel good about contributing to the financial well-being of an organization they are committed to).

You, as volunteer or paid staff, have an important role to play in this process. For the most part, board members are unaccustomed to fundraising. If told, "Go out and raise money," they will have little idea of what to do. You must develop a relationship with each board member and discover what his or her talents, skills and special resources are. Then, you must work individually with that board member to determine one or two specific things s/he can do to help raise money.

Here are some tips on getting the board to help:

Put Expectations in Writing. It is a good idea to provide potential new board members with a general "board member job description," indicating that they will be expected to help with fundraising. It also helps to have a written annual fundraising plan, spelling out for the board what is expected in any given year. The plan should be specific about what board members will be asked to do over the course of the year, such as selling tickets for a raffle, holding "house parties," approaching foundations or corporations and so on. In addition, many organizations ask each board member to prepare for themselves an individual "board member agreement" in which they detail how much they plan to give and what other activities they plan to undertake on behalf of the nonprofit. Then, the executive director or board fundraising chair works individually with each board member to implement the agreement.

Start Small. Don't expect your board members to start off requesting big gifts. In fact, most board members will never reach this point. You will need to work with each one to find out how s/he can best contribute. This will take time and energy on your part and a realization that board members are volunteers and require a good deal of staff support. Some of the ways board members can assist with fundraising include:

• Providing input for fundraising plan
• Providing lists of names of potential members/donors
• Setting up meetings with foundations, corporations or donors 
• Accompanying the executive director on visits with donors, foundations, etc. 
• Writing individual thank-you notes to funders 
• Obtaining mailing lists from local outdoor clubs, fishing groups or civic organizations 
• Sending out personal solicitations to friends and relatives 
• Selling tickets for your raffle or other event
• Drafting proposals or fundraising letters
• Organizing/hosting parties or other events
• Obtaining prizes for a raffle or auction
• Donating needed items such as computers, copiers, etc.
• Helping with mailings or telephone renewal campaigns 
• Holding a workshop on a special topic and donating the proceeds 
• Asking friends to donate to your organization instead of giving birthday gifts 
• Donating items from their business for use as premiums, auction items, etc.

By participating in some of these activities, board members will gain confidence in their abilities to raise money. Gradually, a few of them will become ready to move on to the big time-asking one-on-one for big gifts.

Training/Workshops. Fundraising does not come naturally to most people. They need to learn certain techniques and principles to be effective. Role-playing to practice asking for money is particularly helpful. It is often very effective to bring in an outside consultant to coach the board, or to send individual board members to workshops and trainings. Most people are reluctant to ask for money, but some can become good solicitors once they have a few successful experiences.

Written Materials. If you expect the board to help with fundraising, you must provide them with written materials that they can use to present your organization to their friends and colleagues. A clear, concise case statement that board members can review is an absolute must. Brochures, maps, descriptions of programs, reports and studies are all helpful as well.

Modeling and Reinforcing Success. Model for your board whatever fundraising activity it is you want them to do. If you want them to go to businesses and ask for donations, do this yourself first, and go back and tell them about it. Or have one of them accompany you and observe. Encourage them to role-play with other board members, and once they become successful, to mentor each other in the process.

Since success reinforces behavior, try to structure initial fundraising activities such as making a contact or getting an appointment, so that your board members will be successful. Then follow up with a thank-you note and a plan for the next activity.

Recognition. Like everyone, board members like to be thanked. In addition to personal thank-you notes, be sure you recognize them in your annual report, newsletter and other documents. Thank them personally at board meetings, and so on. There is nothing that motivates people so effectively as positive reinforcement.

How to Start

The key to unlocking the fundraising potential of your board is to develop a personal relationship with each and every board member. Get to know their individual strengths and talents, and their reasons for getting involved with your organization. Listen to them, provide them with information and training (if needed), give them specific assignments which fit their capacities and interests, support them with staff resources, recognize and celebrate their accomplishments. If you are patient and persistent in this approach, you will undoubtedly b rewarded by a board that will give and get, and will become an essential and valued partner for you in your ongoing search for resources.