10 Reasons Why Your Board Isn't Helping You Fundraise

Episode Overview

• The episode tackles the common frustration nonprofit leaders face when their board members fail to actively participate in fundraising efforts.
• It explores the underlying reasons for this disengagement, such as fear of rejection, misconceptions about fundraising, and a lack of clear direction.
• The host provides several actionable reasons why boards aren't helping and offers concrete steps leaders can take to shift the dynamic.
• The discussion emphasizes the leader's crucial role in setting expectations, providing tools, and holding the board accountable to achieve fundraising success.

Key Concepts

• Board Disengagement: Addresses the cycle of board members promising to help fundraise but disappearing when it's time to act.
• Misconceptions and Fear: Identifies that board members, regardless of their professional success, often avoid fundraising because they don't know how, perceive it as begging, fear it will take too much time, or are afraid of rejection.
• Leadership Dynamics: Argues that nonprofit leaders often act as assistants to the board rather than strategic leaders, failing to set clear expectations and hold members accountable.
• Campaign-Driven Fundraising: Stresses the importance of creating a tangible campaign with a clear goal, story, and urgency for the board to plug into, rather than making vague requests to "help fundraise."
• Mission Connection: Highlights that disengagement can stem from a board member's lack of deep, emotional connection to the organization's mission.

Quotes

• At 00:16 - "And then when it comes to crunch time, they're gone. Crickets, nothing." - The speaker describes the common and frustrating experience of board members disappearing after promising to help with fundraising.
• At 02:14 - "They don't know how." - This is presented as the number one reason why board members, even highly successful professionals, don't help fundraise.
• At 08:13 - "Rejection hits hard, especially for high achievers." - Explaining the psychological barrier that prevents successful individuals on the board from engaging in fundraising activities where they might face rejection.

Takeaways

• Break Down the "Ask": Instead of a vague request to "fundraise," provide your board with small, specific, and manageable tasks that take very little time, such as sharing a link with three friends.
• Normalize Rejection: Educate your board that hearing "no" is a natural and expected part of the fundraising process. Share conversion stats to show that success is built on both "yeses" and "nos."
• Shift from Assistant to Leader: Stop waiting for permission and start positioning yourself as the fundraising leader. Provide your board with clear direction, tools, and a defined strategy, then hold them accountable.
• Create a Tangible Campaign: Develop a clear campaign with a specific goal, story, and timeline. This gives your board something concrete to rally behind and promote, rather than just an abstract annual goal.