How to Get Your Board to Help with #GivingTuesday Fundraising

Interested in board fundraising techniques? Download our on-demand webinar with Pursuant’s Rachel Muir: 5 Ways Your Board Can Help with Year-End Fundraising.

Who here has a board that loves to fundraise?

If the thought of your board jumping to fundraise fills you with wistful “if only’s” and is neatly filed in your imagination next to unicorns and talking chipmunks, this post is for you.

Believe it or not, your board wants to help with fundraising. They care about your mission, they care about your success, and they care enough to help make it happen.

The real question is; how do you turn a hesitant board member into a fundraising superstar?

First, address their fears. A lot of board members are hesitant to fundraise because they’re afraid. Three common fears are:

• They’re afraid they’ll sound stupid or do it wrong.
• They’re afraid to ask people for money.
• They’re afraid it’s going to take way too much time.

Take time to listen to their concerns, and then give your board members an easy and personalized fundraising plan that removes both tactical and psychological barriers. You’ll transform fundraising-phobic board members into ambassadors who feel empowered, comfortable, and excited about fundraising.

Next, give them some concrete tasks. There are a lot of fundraising “jobs” that would be perfect for your board members. Making gratitude calls, writing personal notes on your appeal letters, and thanking new donors are all appropriate activities for your board to perform.

Your board can also play a pivotal role in rallying the community and spreading the word about your campaign through their networks.  To start, encourage your board members to be some of the first participants in your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. (Quick tip: Offering prizes or awards for the highest achieving peer-to-peer page can create a spirit of friendly competition among board members and encourage active participation.)

And finally, download our on-demand webinar with Pursuant’s Rachel Muir: 5 Ways Your Board Can Help with Year-End Fundraising.