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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