3 Reasons Why Your Board Disappoints You (and how to fix it!) Sandy Rees, CFRE
3 Reasons Why Your Board Disappoints You (and How to Fix it!)
Nov 18, 2014
Does your Board disappoint you?
Would it be a miracle for your nonprofit to have a Board full of movers and shakers who are constantly drumming up support for your mission?
Are you tired of having to chase Board members down to find out if they’re planning to attend an event or a meeting?
Do you wish your nonprofit Board would just pull their weight?
Unfortunately, these are very common issues facing small nonprofit organizations!
And if you’re planning to raise BIG money this year, it’s time for a change.
Even if your nonprofit is doing amazing work and changing lives, you’re probably still struggling to keep your Board engaged.
I know. I’ve been there.
Every day, I coach people with these and many other nonprofit Board issues, like:
Lack of attendance at meetings
Avoidance of anything that remotely looks like fundraising
Micromanagement
Apathy or unproductive conflict
It’s frustrating for you, I know. But here’s the thing - it’s not fun for your Board members either!
I remember being on a nonprofit Board that was incredibly disorganized. Even though I agreed to serve because I cared about the nonprofit, I soon became frustrated with the experience. Every time I saw a Board meeting on my calendar, my heart would sink. I dreaded going because the meetings weren’t fun or productive.
The empty chairs of Board members who repeatedly fail to show up for your meetings PROVE that they would rather be somewhere (anywhere) else!!!
I believe that the core problem lies in recruitment and orientation. When you get the wrong people on your nonprofit Board, it doesn’t matter what comes next, it’s not going to work out well. And if you happen to get the right people on your Board, but you don’t give them clear expectations, you’re going to have equally dismal results.
But it doesn’t stop there. Once you get the right people on your Board, you have to get them oriented so they understand what’s going on and how they can plug in. Otherwise, they’re just a by-stander, watching and not participating.
The answer is actually fairly simple. It’s how you think about and treat your Board members. When you honor their commitment to your organization, and treat them as valued donors, you’ll get what you expect from them. It just takes a few key tactics to build a solid, successful Board.
“Sandy’s so-very-positive style and gracious approach turned a disgruntled and reluctant group into an enthusiastic crowd of fundraising converts. All who attended her sessions said it was the best training they had ever received in the whole of their professional careers. What Sandy does in training is take people where they are and lead them to a much higher level. Our now-productive fundraisers are raising more money than we originally thought possible, and we owe it to the inspirational and motivational training they received.”
~Doug Kingsriter, former Vice President of Development, Be the Match
Would it be a miracle for your nonprofit to have a Board full of movers and shakers who are constantly drumming up support for your mission?
Are you tired of having to chase Board members down to find out if they’re planning to attend an event or a meeting?
Do you wish your nonprofit Board would just pull their weight?
Unfortunately, these are very common issues facing small nonprofit organizations!
And if you’re planning to raise BIG money this year, it’s time for a change.
Even if your nonprofit is doing amazing work and changing lives, you’re probably still struggling to keep your Board engaged.
I know. I’ve been there.
Every day, I coach people with these and many other nonprofit Board issues, like:
Lack of attendance at meetings
Avoidance of anything that remotely looks like fundraising
Micromanagement
Apathy or unproductive conflict
It’s frustrating for you, I know. But here’s the thing - it’s not fun for your Board members either!
I remember being on a nonprofit Board that was incredibly disorganized. Even though I agreed to serve because I cared about the nonprofit, I soon became frustrated with the experience. Every time I saw a Board meeting on my calendar, my heart would sink. I dreaded going because the meetings weren’t fun or productive.
The empty chairs of Board members who repeatedly fail to show up for your meetings PROVE that they would rather be somewhere (anywhere) else!!!
I believe that the core problem lies in recruitment and orientation. When you get the wrong people on your nonprofit Board, it doesn’t matter what comes next, it’s not going to work out well. And if you happen to get the right people on your Board, but you don’t give them clear expectations, you’re going to have equally dismal results.
But it doesn’t stop there. Once you get the right people on your Board, you have to get them oriented so they understand what’s going on and how they can plug in. Otherwise, they’re just a by-stander, watching and not participating.
The answer is actually fairly simple. It’s how you think about and treat your Board members. When you honor their commitment to your organization, and treat them as valued donors, you’ll get what you expect from them. It just takes a few key tactics to build a solid, successful Board.
“Sandy’s so-very-positive style and gracious approach turned a disgruntled and reluctant group into an enthusiastic crowd of fundraising converts. All who attended her sessions said it was the best training they had ever received in the whole of their professional careers. What Sandy does in training is take people where they are and lead them to a much higher level. Our now-productive fundraisers are raising more money than we originally thought possible, and we owe it to the inspirational and motivational training they received.”
~Doug Kingsriter, former Vice President of Development, Be the Match
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Transcript
3 Reasons Why Your Board Disappoints You
(and how to fix it!)
Sandy Rees, CFRE
What do I know about Boards?
Truth for today
If you want to help more people, you’ve got to raise more money.
Truth for today
If you want to help more people, you’ve got to raise more money.
If you want to raise more money, you need your Board’s help.
So let’s talk about…
YOUR BOARD
Why do they do that?
They won’t help with fundraising
They don’t return phone calls
Sometimes they don’t do what they say they will
Other times they’re more trouble than they’re worth
The Myth of Boards
When someone joins a Board:
• They know what to do• They know how to be a good Board
member• They will help with fundraising
Most Board members are…
• Inexperienced• Ignorant• Love the mission• Don’t know what to do
Why people say “yes” to your Board
• Care about the mission• Want to serve or give back• Want to rub elbows with other Board
members• What else?
WIIFM
We get the Board we deserve.
Reason #1
Your expectations for your Board are out of whack.
Manage expectations
• Set the stage from the beginning•Make everything CLEAR• Put it in writing
“You’ll be expected to participate in fundraising and make a gift.”
Manage expectations
Create and use a Board Expectations Sheet
1. List what the organization expects from the Board member
2. List what the Board member can expect from the organization
Reason #2
You’ve got the wrong people on your Board
Build the Board of your Dreams
• Identify ideal Board member candidates• Look for both skills and commitment•Use a process for recruitment
“Warm bodies need not apply”
Build the Board of your Dreams
• Create a process to interview potential Board candidates• Leave yourself plenty of time to have multiple conversations with them to get to know them and vice versa
This is great work for a Governance Committee!
Reason #3
You aren’t setting them up for success
Educate them
• There’s no Board Police to monitor your Board• Help them learn their job• Provide continuous education
Why won’t they help?
Fear
It’s about fear
RejectionFailure (or success)What others will thinkHumiliationMaking mistakesThe unknown
ConfrontationCriticismGetting hurtNot making budgetNot doing it rightNot fitting in
Then come the excuses
To avoid discomfort, they use excuses:
“I don’t have time to...”“I don’t know how to...”“That’s not what I signed up for.”“I already hit my friends up for…”
And then comes the behavior
They don’t return callsThey don’t show up to meetingsThey don’t keep their word
The answer is simple
• Change what you expect• Give them support• Educate them
If you want to help more people, you must raise more money.
If you want to raise more money, you need your Board’s help.
The answer is simple
More of the same = more of the same
If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got
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