Fundraising is one of the most important and challenging responsibilities of a board member. From the beginning, your board must understand that their networks are one of the biggest assets they bring to your organization. This session will be led by Kelly and Juliana Sloper, who brings more than a decade of experience coaching board members in making the most of their network with the support of the nonprofit. This session will review how nonprofit leaders should work with their board through the “Moves Management” process – identifying prospects, cultivating those prospects, working up to the “ask”, and then how to steward prospects in a way that ensures a repeat gift.

1. March 25, 2015
Kelly Dunphy
Vice President, Orr Associates, Inc. (OAI)
Juliana Sloper
Senior Director, Orr Associates, Inc. (OAI)
Making the Most of
Your Board
Session Three:
Involving Your Board
in Fundraising

2. 1. Introductions
2. Recap of Session Two
3. Three Philanthropic Responsibilities of
Board Members
4. Common Challenges Faced by the
Board When it Comes to Fundraising
5. Q&A
6. Wrap-Up
Agenda
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3. Kelly Dunphy
• Vice President, Fundraising and Development, OAI
• 15 years of fundraising experience, 8 years with OAI
• Clients projects include:
 Outsourced development leadership
 Board development
 Development planning
 Capital campaigns
 Event fundraising
 Strategic planning
• Serves as Chief Development Officer for Boys & Girls Harbor
• Previously worked at Share Our Strength
About Us
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4. Juliana Sloper
• Senior Director, OAI
• 13 years of fundraising experience, 7.5 years with OAI
• Expertise in:
 Event fundraising and production management
 Development management
 Corporate and individual prospect strategy, cultivation, and
relationship building
• Previously worked at National Park Foundation
About Us
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5. Recap of Session Two

6. Orientation
Communicate
Regularly and Hold
them Accountable
Hold Effective
Board Meetings
Work Them
Involve Them in
Fundraising
Be Transparent
Have Fun
Steps to Engagement
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7. Involving Your Board
in Fundraising

8. Involve Them in Fundraising
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A board member’s
philanthropic responsibility:
1. Give
generously
2. Be an advocate
3. Participate in
fundraising
• Identify prospects
• Cultivate / open
doors
• Solicitation
• Stewardship

9. 1. Give Generously
• Have an annual meeting with each board member to make a
personal solicitation and to set their fundraising goals for the
year
• Provide board members with an annual commitment form
that covers annual giving, events, and any other fundraising
activities for which you solicit your board members
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10. Annual Commitment Form Example
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11. • Meet with every board member (and do your research on giving history
beforehand) to discuss his/her giving ability and to make a specific ask,
and that might be well above the minimum level in some cases
• Also discuss their total “get” level and come to agreement on that
• Then equip each board member with several tools to help them achieve
this task, including:
 Annual training of your board on fundraising approaches and tactics
 Opportunities for a board member to engage in fundraising (e.g., sell tables or
tickets to an event, host a cultivation event, secure their employer as a
sponsor, set up 5 introductory lunches with potential donors for the board
member and the ED/development director, etc.)
 Support from staff and the Development Committee chair (if applicable) as a
resource for questions, motivation, accountability in meeting the individual
fundraising commitment, etc.
 Quarterly updates from the staff on each board member’s progress toward
achieving his/her commitment.
Annual Meeting About Give/Get
Expectations
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12. 2. Be an Advocate
• Encourage board members to tell their personal story related to
the organization
 How did they get involved?
 Why do they stay committed?
• Ensure board members know the organization’s case for support
 What are the facts and figures?
 How does philanthropic support help the organization fulfill its
mission?
 How can people give?
• Have an “elevator speech”
 Board members should have a 30-second summary to be used when
asked about the organization
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13. 3. Participate in Fundraising
Identification
Cultivation
Solicitation
Stewardship
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14. • Ways your board can be involved:
 Opening their personal networks
 Reviewing a list of prospects generated
by the development staff
• Ways the staff can support the board:
 Create opportunities to meet new donors
 Review current supporters and make connections
to the board members
 Provide screening, ratings, profiles, and other research
Identification Identification
Cultivation
Solicitation
Stewardship

15. • Ways your board can be involved:
 Attend and invite potential donors to a cultivation event
 Host a cultivation event
 Fill their gala table with potential donors
 Participate in “get to know you” meetings with new potential donors
 Contacting people from their networks to have an introductory conversation or
meeting
 Invite potentials donors to visit the organization to see programs in action
• Ways the staff can support the board:
 Plan cultivation events
 Conduct post-event de-briefs to gather information on prospects and determine
next steps
 Keep track of all the board members’ prospects and their prospect “moves”
 Prompt follow-up steps
Cultivation Identification
Cultivation
Solicitation
Stewardship

16. • Ways your board can be involved:
 If a board member has a relationship with
a prospect, participate in the ask meeting
 Make the case/tell the story in an ask meeting, and the staff
member can make the ask
• Ways the staff can support the board:
 Train your board on “making the ask” best practices
 Provide them with the resources needed to make a strong ask
(prospect profiles, meeting strategy, talking points, prep call)
 Attend the solicitation meeting with the board member
Solicitation Identification
Cultivation
Solicitation
Stewardship

17. • Ways your board can be involved:
 Make thank-you calls or write personal notes
to donors they know or even ones
they do not know
 Invite a donor to an upcoming event
• Ways the staff can support the board:
 Provide board members with a thank you call script/talking points
 Provide updates when a Board member’s prospect makes a gift
 Keep the board up to date on opportunities for stewarding donors,
such as site visits, events, etc.
Stewardship Identification
Cultivation
Solicitation
Stewardship

18. • Development Committee
 One of its responsibilities is to ensure that 100% of the board is
giving as well as fundraising
 The staff should provide the committee with regular updates on
the status of board giving/getting
• Consider a Board Giving Campaign with clear goals,
expectations, and a timeframe
Accountability

19. • The “ask” takes the least amount of time, but is the biggest
fear
 Introduce Board members to fundraising by having them help
with stewardship activities
 Ask to host or attend a cultivation event
 Accompanied by a staff member – staff member makes ask,
board member makes case
• The “Quid Pro Quo” Factor
 Start with a conversation, not an ask
 Invitation to an event as a guest
Common Challenges Faced by the
Board When it Comes to Fundraising
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20. • Fear of hearing “no”
 Know the right time to make the ask, for the right amount and the
right purpose
 Starts with cultivation
 If you do get a “no”, ask follow-up questions to figure out the
objections – don’t think of it as a closed door, but the opening of a
new conversation
• Lack of follow-through
 Start with a manageable list -- pick 2-3 names and achieve early wins
 Make sure they have the tools they need (e.g., talking points,
collateral, draft emails, etc. )
 Fundraising training
Common Challenges Faced by the
Board When it Comes to Fundraising

21. • Culture change
 Board leadership must be in favor
 Start with the Development Committee
 Use the best practices described here
 Early wins
 Celebrate and educate the rest of board
 Board recruitment
 This will not happen overnight, likely 2-3 years
Common Challenges Faced by the
Board When it Comes to Fundraising

22. Send additional questions to:
Kelly Dunphy: kdunphy@oai-usa.com
Juliana Sloper: jsloper@oai-usa.com
Q&A

23. Wrap-Up