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How to Get Your Board to Love Fundraising

Drs. Bob Andringa and Fred Laughlin | posted 10/24/2007
This article provided by the Engstrom Institute

Some time ago Ron, a ministry CEO friend, stared dejectedly across the lunch table. "I don't get it. My board says that fundraising should be one of our top priorities, but none of them is willing to help me raise a dollar. I feel like quitting."

It doesn't have to be this way. If your board seems listless about, even resistant to, fundraising, don't give up. Ron didn't. As he discovered, if you want your board to love fundraising, you can't ignore five essential principles and practices.

1. Govern wisely.

A competent, well-organized board goes hand in hand with a well-run organization. Donors want to invest in successful organizations, not those pleading poverty. How many letters have you received at the end of the year begging for help to get out of the red? Are people aware of your successes? Imagine how much more involved your donors (and your board members!) would be if they saw the many transformed lives as a result of your mission.

Governing wisely means choosing the right chief staff ...