Where Have All the Good Board Members Gone?
Picture this: I’m about halfway through a virtual board training on the basic roles and responsibilities of a nonprofit board for one that desperately needs to learn what it is really supposed to be doing, instead of what the dissatisfied executive director allows it to do.
I may have mentioned “passion” a few times and how important it is for board members to be passionate about the organization’s mission in order to be that really good board member. I had just asked a question of the Read more
Is Fundraising a Dirty Word?
Board fundraising is an opportunity, not an imposition that we dump on others . That’s the lesson I’ve been trying forever to get board members to accept. I’ve explained countless times that fundraising isn’t about asking people for money, but about cultivating and stewarding relationships. My limited success with this has led me to ask: should we be talking about fundraising at all?
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When I ask a group of board members and wanna-be board members why a nonprofit needs a board, answers range from Read more
Death, Taxes and Fundraising
Recently, a colleague reported hearing a speaker say the following: “Boards can decide if they want to fundraise or not.” Blasphemy. For a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, it is not a choice. All board members must be active participants in fundraising. Again, no choice, but reality is that too many boards fail, with impunity, to fulfill this obligation.
Instead, they think they have found an out by jumping on what appears to be a small but growing trend: creating another 501(c)(3) organization to do the fundraising. Read more
