Reimagining Board Giving

Hello everyone,

I hope you are enjoying the early fall! This time of the year is great for geeks like me. We get to see how everyone positions themselves to their donors, a practice I find fascinating. One thing I want to have you focus on this fall is not just how we position our value and engage your general donors, but something more. 

You all know I believe that the board should be part of donor relationship engagement in some form. The board should be involved with the donors cultivating, stewarding, and yes for some, inviting donors to give intimately.

However, I want to take that a step deeper. Really focus this fall on seeing your board as the intimate heart of the organization, the closest donor constituency you have. As such, ensure that they are invited to a deeper relationship in your shared values and vision in ways that reflect and honor that relationship. I offer my questions as points of humble reflection as you go into this fall.

How do we engage the most intimate donor constituency to give to the cause that they are legally charged with overseeing?

• Is standing up at a board meeting and asking everyone to turn in a gift a means that reflects the intimate position the board holds?

• Is sending out a form letter or email to the group appropriate?

• Should we hold a board event and ask them to give as a group?

• Should we have the board chair send out an update that not everyone has made a gift?

• Should we write them each a personal invitation to give in a letter?

• Should we meet with them face-to-face and invite them to give at a meaningful level?

However you invite the board to give, spend some time thinking about what will portray the right witness of the intimate role of the board member. The way we invite the board member to invest also gives us the opportunity to share with them the care we take in inviting others to our table. It also helps to demystify what solicitation can look like.

In the end, I believe they should be seen as lifelong advocates. Invite them into your shared vision and values in ways that let them see the type of care that goes into creating value and intimacy in a cause you both care about.

I have shared a mix of topics this month in the podcast and research items.  I believe they will be helpful.  

Warmly,

Jamie