building and empowering your fundraising board

BUILDING AND EMPOWERING

YOUR FUNDRAISING BOARD

MICHAEL DONEGANFOUNDER

MD FUNDRAISING SERVICES303-475-7003

Corporate giving, which is closely tied to corporate profits, is projected to have decreased 4.5 percent (-8 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars), to $14.5 billion. It is estimated to equal 5 percent of all charitable giving.

NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY TOTALS

NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY TOTALS (Con’t)

Foundation grantmaking, according to data from the Foundation Center, was $41.21 billion, an estimated 3 percent increase in current dollars but a drop of 0.8 percent adjusted for inflation. It is 13 percent of total giving for 2008.

NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY TOTALS (Con’t)

Individual giving, which is always the largest component of charitable contributions, was an estimated $229.28 billion, or 75 percent of the total, in 2008. This is a decrease of 2.7 percent compared with 2007 estimates (-6.3 percent adjusted for inflation).

Charitable bequests are estimated to be $22.66 billion in 2008, a decrease of 2.8 percent (-6.4 percent adjusted for inflation). They make up 7 percent of total giving.

INDIVIDUAL GIVING ACCOUNTS FOR:

82% of all contributions

WHY DO YOU SPEND SO MUCH TIME ON THE 18%?

Why the gap between what is done in the non-profit agency and what is possible?

• Penelope Burk’s Survey• Conclusions?

Why is the primary responsibility of the Board Fundraising?

• Your Board members are often your best link to

donors who can make a difference

• The time to avoid Direct Fundraising is over• What do I mean by Direct Fundraising?

• Indirect Fundraising?

WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS YOU MAJOR DONOR PROGRAM?

The answer is…………………………….

Everyone’s Responsibility!What does that mean?

Five Ways Board members can find great donors in plain sight

• Find the Connections• Reconnect with the Passion• Ask the Hard Questions• Look for specific tasks• Set up to win

HOW CAN YOU CHANGE THIS DYNAMIC?

ONE STEP AT A TIME• What do you expect of your Board? Ideas?

• List of expectations• Governance committee is key

• Do you have a sheet with Board Expectations on it?• If not, create one (example)

WHERE ARE THE MAJOR DONORS?

Where can you find most of your Major Donors?• Database?• Excel Spreadsheet?• Handwritten list tucked in drawer or file?• In your head? • Other?• Your Board member connections?

ARE YOU MAXIMIZING YOUR BOARD CONNECTIONS?

IF NO, WHY NOT?• Do you really know your Board members?• Have you met individually with them?• Do they know what you expect of them?

• Sample meeting summary• Sample Board member timeline

GROUP ACTIVITY

BASED ON THESE SAMPLES• Spend 10 minutes filling out both sheets

• Use your most frustrating Board member with most potential

• Fill in what you know in Meeting Summary

• Create Ideal Timeline -make it a 6 month timeline

• Present your findings to your group

WRAP UP

CONCLUSIONS?

• 14 Rules of Fundraising• Is it staff ‘s job to make Board members

successful?• Is it a combined effort from Board and staff

to create realistic expectations?• Is it a Board member’s job to keep their

promises?• Is it staff’s job to help them keep their

promises?

QUESTIONS?

THANKS!