How to address board objections to fundraising.
Whether this month flew by for you or dragged on; whether it was out like a lion or a lamb… I hope you’re leaving this month feeling a bit more empowered in engaging your board in fundraising.
We talked about:
Getting board support for stewardship.
The purpose of board pledges and how to create one.
Supporting our boards with fundraising training.
And the power of board buddies to up your fundraising results.
Let’s say you’ve tried all of this, and your board is still refusing to help. What do you do?
If you haven’t realized this already, my advice is nearly always going to be “just talk to them!” Have a clear, honest, non-judgemental conversation. Seriously, I believe that’ll solve just about anything. Ask your board members to be truly honest with you about why they aren’t fundraising, and see what they say.
Here are some things I’ve heard, and what I’ve done about it.
I’m really uncomfortable with fundraising.
Nearly everyone is uncomfortable with fundraising. My first question is “do you have the information you need to understand how fundraising works?” Sometimes, it’s a lack of knowledge.
Sometimes, though, it’s a true discomfort. I see this show up in people who grew up in a family that wasn’t financially secure (even if those people are wealthy and stable now). I see this show up in people who see money as a tool for power and manipulation. I see this in people pleasers, who feel that they need to “do” something in exchange for donations.
First, it’s helpful to explore with that person why they feel the way they do. Their feelings aren’t at all wrong…they are totally valid. But often they are misplaced. Fundraising, when done correctly, is about bringing people together who believe in some kind of change to provide the financial resources to make that change happen. For the person who grew up amid financial instability, remind them we’re not asking anyone for grocery money, only disposable income. For those who see money as power or manipulation, remind them that yes, and we need money to turn the power in our direction! For the people pleasers, remind them that we are “doing” something in exchange for the donations…we’re creating impact…the impact the donor wants us to have in the world, and donations imply no further obligation than that!
I wish I could do more, but I don’t have the time.
This is one I myself have given…guilty! I’m a busy mom, running a business, volunteering in my community, and sometimes I over commit (who hasn’t?). Usually when I’m called to task by a staff member of a nonprofit I’m on the board of, I apologize, and I let them know “I just need to get through girl scout cookie season, and I’m going to make sure I make that connection for you. If I haven’t done it by April 1, you have my permission to pester the heck out of me!”
However, I know to hold myself accountable because I’ve been on the other side of the conversation. But if you have a board member that is saying this, ask them “what is on your plate right now? When will you have room for this thing I’m asking you to do?” Don’t settle for a vague answer. Demand a deadline. Hold them to the deadline.
Maybe you have someone who is a serial ball-dropper. That’s when you need to have a more serious conversation. “Is board membership something you really have time for right now? I’d certainly understand if you need to take a break. If you need to resign from the board, we’d be delighted to have you back when things are a little less busy for you.” Sometimes a kind out is what people need. Don’t be afraid of it. A chronically absent board member isn’t a lot better than no board member at all.
I’m ready to fundraise, as soon as you…
Oh, the board member who makes their activity contingent on something happening. I have a client that had a board member that said they’d only solicit their business owner friends for corporate sponsorship if the organization would put together a fancy gala. My client said “no.” I served on a board where a fellow board member refused to fundraise until we bought a completely unnecessary, fancy piece of equipment to make her experience helping the organization more pleasant (that ran at a cost of about $1,500…that they refused to fundraise for). We said “nope, we’ve got better things to do…like paying our summer interns.”
Being on a board means being responsible for the organization and setting the organization up for success. Being on a board DOES NOT mean you get to dictate the priorities and expenses of the organization (at least, not single-handedly). Board members should be dedicated to what is best for the organization overall, not their pet projects and niche interests.
If a board member has a legitimate request (“I’m ready to fundraise, as soon as you write me a great Case for Support that I can use”), that’s fine. They’re just asking for what they need to get the job done. But if they are holding their help hostage…well, here again, having no board member might be as effective an option.
I’m happy to introduce you to people, but I will not solicit them!
If I had a dollar for every time I heard this one…
This one really annoys me, especially because most people who say this consider the “introduction” a cold, out-of-the-blue email that essentially says “John, meet Kelly. Kelly, meet John. Joseph out!” Like, what did that accomplish for me?
Usually, I coach people through what this has to look like if we’re going to let the board member out of the solicitation. It looks like:
You lay some ground work by talking to this contact about the nonprofit.
You make a WARM introduction, like inviting this contact to lunch, and asking me along.
Then you send an email saying you really hope they’ll take another meeting with me to discuss getting involved with our organization in a financial capacity.
But if all a board member wants to do is give me a list of email addresses, that’s a hard pass. Once again, that’s about as useful as not giving me email addresses. If a board member is truly uncomfortable with soliciting, I get it…but they absolutely must set me up for success before they peace out.
I don’t know anyone who is wealthy enough.
This is a common one…and I get it. I’ve spent my career in nonprofits. Beyond donors I’ve solicited, most of my friends aren’t wealthy either (because they all also work for nonprofits).
I believe strongly that board members do not have to be wealthy or know wealthy people to be incredibly valuable board members. In fact, I believe that it’s critical that board members reflect the community the organization serves and, first and foremost, are dedicated to holding the organization to it’s values and supporting it’s ability to make its mission possible. Of course, resource development is part of that mission.
But as I made clear in week 1, a great way to do that is to engage in stewardship. If you have board members who don’t know anyone “wealthy enough,” getting them to help out with stewardship is a perfectly acceptable alternative to bringing in gifts. In fact, sometimes it’s an even more necessary and impactful part.
I also do frequently push back on this one. “You’re telling me you don’t know anyone who could give us $20?” “Oh, well, no, I have a bunch of friends who can do that!” “Great! Talk to them!”
Too often people feel that the only donors worth having are major donors. But we all need a broad base of low-dollar donors to stabilize our missions. Making sure your board members know that you value every dollar they bring in, whether it’s $20 or $20,000…that helps them feel like a team. Give board members credit not for dollars raised but donors raised. It’s a great equalizing force.
Last year, I served on a board. During the year end campaign, the Executive Director asked us all to raise $500. I didn’t have the bandwidth to fundraise from friends (I was dealing with a series of family emergencies), so I just wrote a $500 check. Another board member couldn’t afford to give personally, but brought in 10 gifts of $25. Who was the MVP here? I’d argue, my colleague. She did significantly more to recruit donors than I did. Are you saying the same thing to your board members?
None of my contacts are interested in this cause.
I get it. We all have niche interests. But also, there’s usually a reason we get interested in them.
When I hear this comment, I ask my board member to take me down memory lane with them. How did they first get interested in our organization? Further back, how did they get interested in the issue we work on? Usually, if you can work through this with them, they can think of people who are in fact interested.
The one exception is when the board member themselves aren’t actually interested in the cause (it happens, they say yes to a friend who wanted them to support the org). It’s worth an honest conversation about whether or not they care enough about the mission to stay on the board. Are you getting value out of a board member who isn’t deeply committed to the cause? Is the board member getting value out of their involvement? Is this relationship working? It’s worth a chat about that if they truly can’t think of anyone else they know who cares about your cause.
