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An institution’s mission cannot be fulfilled if its governance and financial health are not aligned. Money cannot be raised if the people in charge have been placed in a position to fail from the beginning. The stakes of having the right people at the top are high in all nonprofit sectors, and as organizational leaders, it’s important that we help them succeed.

Revenue for nonprofits is primarily steered by financial gifts that come from the board. When you factor in board members who make introductions and help request gifts, the board’s total fundraising impact is even greater. Regardless of what your mission is, or how many board members you have, there are three actionable practices to use right away that will ensure that your board will be successful in raising funds.

1. Identify and Recruit Strong Fundraising Board Members

The strongest boards include people with a variety of backgrounds and skill sets. Requesting gifts might not be for everyone, but just as the inclination to give is a common requirement for board service, the inclination to ask is also important. Organizations of all sizes should look for potential board members who are willing to help with fundraising, along with donor stewardship and cultivation.

How do you know who will be willing to ask? Develop opportunities to “test” potential board members. Advisory boards, alumni organizations, campaign committees, or smaller task forces focused on a specific issue are excellent ways to get to know volunteers and see them in action. Like a job interview, this kind of role also gives the volunteer the opportunity to see if a higher-level leadership role is right for them. Both the organization and the volunteers should know what they’re getting into before the official board service begins.

Look for volunteers who, first and foremost, are committed to your institution and your mission. Beyond this, identify potential board members who are comfortable with the idea of fundraising. Those who give to your organization regularly, attend events, and are generally comfortable in conversations about their own support are most likely to be willing to visit with others. Some volunteers bring other talents to your board and may not be familiar with fundraising but are willing to learn. Include some fundraising education and orientation in all volunteer opportunities to test the waters with your volunteers and see who might be willing to become more involved from a fundraising standpoint.

2. Set Expectations

Your board members have many responsibilities and fundraising is a priority. It is important to set expectations from the outset and reinforce those expectations throughout the year. Clearly communicate that a critical ingredient for powerful impact is funding brought in from the board, either through their individual gifts or through securing funds from others. Sometimes, we are inclined to apologize for fundraising, but it’s important not to present fundraising in a negative light or downplay its importance compared to other roles on the board.

Fundraising is an “inside/outside” function. The campaign experiences of successful organizations reinforce this idea. People closest to the organization need to lead the way in financial support so it builds momentum and confidence when you begin to reach out to the broader community. No one is closer to your organization than the group charged with its governance. There are many ways to engage your board members in securing their gifts, including through annual giving, or event sponsorship. You can also implement a strategy where every board member commits to targeting a multi-year leadership gift.

For any strategy, it is paramount to outline your fundraising expectations in the beginning. Incorporate fundraising into the formal board roles and responsibilities, and review this in your new board member orientation each year. Remember that the board chair needs to lead by example—he or she sets the expectation that fundraising is an essential component of the board role at your institution.

3. Onboard Them Properly

Orienting and training board members to engage in fundraising is essential, not only to build their confidence, but also to ensure that the right messages are being shared.

Asking for gifts can be daunting. You need to educate board members about the process and train them in best practices. One or two (or more) dedicated orientation sessions will give you the opportunity to share the language board members should use to be successful and help them understand how to handle the questions or objections they are likely to encounter. Use these training sessions as opportunities to share the most important message points of your institution or campaign, to ensure that all volunteers are on the same page. Don’t be afraid to use games and role play— acting out different gift request scenarios will help your board members prepare for all types of conversations.

Following these orientation sessions, make sure your board members are equipped with the tools they need for success. A suite of training materials might include a volunteer handbook, contact sheet, overview of best practices, and frequently asked questions.

Most importantly, remind board members that you are here for them. Feeling supported by the institution and professional staff will convince volunteers that their time is well-managed and they are not in this alone. Give them the confidence to be successful, and celebrate their successes—large and small—with them.

The Signs of a Successful Board Plan

You’ve identified, engaged, and recruited the best board prospects
You’ve set realistic expectations
You have their commitment, and you have helped them understand the successes and challenges of your organization
Your board has a solid foundation, and your organization will be able to implement a fundraising plan that will be a driving force toward a positive and powerful impact for good!

The success of a capital campaign depends on several factors. One of the most important is to get your effort off to a strong start, which is most effectively accomplished by securing large, pace-setting gifts. Securing early, significant support provides the initiative credibility. Early success, in turn, inspires confidence in solicitors, creating momentum that results in more major gifts.

In the quest to attract large gifts, especially early in a campaign, challenge grants are a unique approach that, when executed properly, result in several large gifts in a brief period of time.

A challenge grant is a (semi) conditional significant gift made by a donor or group of donors that is fulfilled when others step forward to support the campaign at a specific level and/or by a specific deadline. There are a myriad of ways in which a challenge can be used to support a campaign. A few examples include:

A challenge tied to participation levels. For example, the College of the Holy Cross has successfully conducted a 50% participation challenge over the past three years.
An existing gift used to attract a new or larger gift. For example, the chairman of the board of a large social service organization offered to match all seven-figure gifts from new donors to kick off a $50 million campaign.
Dollar-for-dollar: For example, a large East Coast academic medical center concluded its annual fund drive with a $100,000 match from a member of their board to ensure that the effort reached its goal before the end of the year.
Two-for-one: For example, this strategy is highlighted in the following profile of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church’s Kirkland Challenge.

Challenge Grant in Action: The Kirkland Challenge

In 2014 one of CCS’s client partners, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, effectively leveraged a challenge grant to launch the Major Gift phase of its $12.5 million Generation to Generation restoration campaign. The first pledge received a $2.5 million commitment from a family of noted philanthropists who encouraged the church to leverage their support in any way that could help the campaign. When presented with the option of issuing a challenge, the family was enthusiastic about the idea.

The challenge was branded The Kirkland Challenge in honor of the former Senior Pastor, Bryant Kirkland, who would have been 100 years old at the time of the launch. Several scenarios on the implementation and timing of the challenge were considered, but ultimately a two-for-one match for all gifts of $25,000+, not to exceed $1.25 million (1/2 of the $2.5 million pledge), was chosen. The challenge took place during the major gift phase from January 1 until the public launch of the campaign on March 3.

An overview of the challenge was developed and presented to the Campaign Co-chairs and the Senior Pastor for approval. The donors were then briefed and also approved of the church moving forward with the challenge.

A two-page challenge flyer was developed as a supplement to the solicitation material being used by the Major Gift Committee, the team of church members recruited to solicit gifts of $25,000 and above. The Kirkland Challenge was announced at the major gift committee training in early January and volunteers were briefed on how to present this opportunity to the church members they were assigned to visit. Talking points included:

A unique opportunity to triple the impact of their gift ($25,000 pledge + $50,000 match = $75,000 worth of impact).
A limited window in which to participate – before March 8, prior to the public announcement.
An important mechanism to raise the sights of members.

Progress was continually tracked, with each committee meeting and action memo offering an update on the challenge, including reminders on how to use the challenge to motivate donors.

Impact

The challenge was a tremendous success. During the seven weeks of the challenge, the church received 36 commitments totaling $1,260,000, and an average gift of $36,000.

Further, it had positive impacts on all involved. The volunteer committee embraced the challenge because it offered them an additional talking point when speaking with prospective donors. The challenge not only allowed the campaign to raise additional funds, but it also motivated donors and volunteers to adhere to the prescribed timeline; motivating the campaign to remain on track. Donors were provided with a strong incentive to elevate their level of support to meet the challenge.

Lastly, the challenge was a unique way to steward a donor critically important to the church by further involving the donor in the campaign in a way that elevated the value of a historic gift to the campaign.

Key Takeaways

Challenge grants are the ultimate endorsement of your initiative, as they validate your vision, confirm the case, heighten philanthropy, motivate leaders, and drive energy.

Some guidelines to follow when formulating your next challenge grant are:

Identify a qualified prospect for whom a challenge would resonate.
Determine the parameters based on your needs.
Solicit the donor positioning the challenge as a central aspect of the gift.
Secure the donor’s buy-in. Demonstrate the impact both on the campaign and the organization. Share the vision for the campaign with the donor so that they understand how the challenge fits in.
Develop a plan to implement the challenge. The plan should include a timetable, promotional material, and talking points.
Promote and track the challenge’s progress.

A successful campaign requires momentum. It is the result of dynamic leadership, and inspiring, pace-setting generosity. Challenge grants are an excellent way to leverage the former to inspire the latter and set your next campaign on the right path.

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There are countless strategies to be successful in the fundraising industry. From building lasting relationships with prospects and stewarding donors, to successfully planning and executing gift requests, there are always steps to take to maximize your results.

Recognizing the importance of each fundraising strategy, something often overlooked is the importance of managing yourself. Based upon our experience working with development professionals across all nonprofit sectors for the past seven decades, one fact is glaringly clear: Managing time and actions effectively makes the difference between a spectacular fundraiser and one that merely gets the job done. While these points may seem like common sense, it can be difficult to put all of these practices into action. However, with a little focus and planning, a good fundraiser can follow these eight guidelines to become great!

1. Prioritize the activities that bring in the gifts.

Of course, we all must write reports, complete paperwork, and make coffee, but try to make a concerted effort to prioritize the tasks that will have the highest return on your time investment. Write down the top three-to-five revenue-generating tasks that must get done today and do these FIRST. When you get to the end of the day, the tasks that remain should be those that do not raise money—not the important, productive tasks that would have raised money had you gotten to them. Prioritize meeting with or calling prospects and focus on tasks that will lead to a gift (e.g., writing request letters, assigning prospects for volunteers to contact, conducting a ‘meet our CEO’ event with top prospects, stewarding donors, etc.). Contacts, events, and visits lead to gifts. The more you can conduct, the more gifts you will secure.

2. Sitting at your desk doesn’t raise money.

The working world has trained us to sit at our desks, in our swivel chairs, for 8+ hours to be considered “working hard.” However, as fundraisers, you can get a lot done away from your desk. Effective fundraising professionals are rarely in the office because they are meeting with donors, asking for gifts, and raising money. Do not fall into the trap of being glued to your desk – get out there, make connections, and increase support for your organization!

3. Set aside 45 minutes DAILY on your calendar to make phone calls.

Whether you make follow-up calls to prospective donors, set up in-person meetings with prospects, ask for gifts over the phone, call your board members/volunteers, or call donors to thank them for their gifts, one of the most productive uses of your time is getting on the phone with your constituents. Make time for it.

4. Get out of your comfort zone.

“The level of your success is directly proportional to the number of uncomfortable conversations you have.” – Sir Richard Branson, entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist.

Does picking up the phone make you a little bit nervous, so you keep putting it off? Are you afraid to meet that “whale” of a prospect because you’re afraid he or she will say no? Do not wait until you are motivated and comfortable, because you’ll spend all year waiting! Just pick up the phone and start dialing. Take every opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone. That is the only way to continuously improve.

5. Do things one step at a time.

Most organizations have annual fundraising goals. But what does this mean on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis? Work backwards from your goal and set weekly, measurable goals for your (and your team’s) activities. To walk or even run, you must take one step at a time. Without knowing how many steps per day to take, it is unlikely you will reach the end of the year having reached your desired destination.

Do you need to raise $1 million this year? Look at your donor database. How many people will you need to ask, and at what gift request levels, to meet your goal? Extrapolate this over 12 months, even 52 weeks. How many calls and visits do you need to make per week (or per day) to reach your goal? Establish measurable benchmarks for activity, stick to them, and measure your performance against them.

6. Ask for help.

Even with your stellar team of fundraisers, you may still need help reaching your goals. Leverage your board of trustees by asking them to identify prospect connections, bringing them on gift request visits, and requesting their assistance in opening select doors. This group is a critical asset to your fundraising success, so use them. Recruit a team of volunteers to help: those who will visit prospects and request gifts, phone-a-thon volunteers, or volunteers who help free up your team to ask for more gifts. A successful fundraising operation is a symphony of many moving parts. Recruit your team (staff, board, volunteers, and consultants) and purposefully manage their efforts for the greatest impact.

7. Carve out time for thinking.

It’s easy to get caught up in daily tasks without thinking about the big picture. Clear time on your calendar to think about your strategy. Which actions are yielding the most results? What is the most effective way to leverage your time and your team? Are your tasks getting you closer to your desired outcomes? Is your plan the right one to achieve your long-term goals? To work smart, you must carve out time to think.

8. Evaluate and adjust.

Which elements of your plan worked? Which ones did not? Adjust and continuously tweak your strategy. There is always room to improve – those fundraisers who are introspective and identify these opportunities are the ones who get better.

If we said that 100 other miscellaneous tasks will not arise daily, we’d be kidding ourselves. But purposeful, strategic management of your tasks, giving priority to those that lead to gifts, will help you more effectively raise funds for your organization. Get out of your office, meet with your constituents, and secure support that fulfills your organization’s mission. The keys to success are in your hands!

Four Corners is a basketball play made famous by legendary University of North Carolina coach, Dean Smith. Essentially, four players stand in the corners of the offensive half-court while the fifth dribbles the ball in the middle (see: Diagram A below). The basketball is passed between the point guard in the middle and the four players making up the corners. This “pre-shot clock” strategy— called the Four Corners— is meant to stall a game by denying the defense a chance to regain possession, and ultimately guarantee a lay-up for the point guard.

Likewise, how can fundraisers guarantee a win in a capital campaign? The answer will make Dean Smith proud: rely on the “Four Corners of a Campaign”: case, leadership, prospects, and plan.

Point Guard (1): You

As the Development Director or Campaign Director, you have the ball and are tasked with managing the capital campaign. It is your job to direct the case for support, volunteer leaders, potential prospects, and overall campaign plan. You oversee all movement from these corners and are constantly analyzing the landscape, or the “basketball court,” to determine where to act next.

Corner (2): Case

After your case elements have been determined, start building the arguments surrounding why this campaign is needed and how you intend to achieve its goal. A strong case for support will always clearly highlight the necessity, not just the desire, to further the mission and work of an organization. The “ball” should be passed back to the case throughout the entire campaign. Once finalized, always revert to the case for support, reminding your organization and donors why these dollars are needed and what you anticipate being the impact.

Corner (3): Leadership

The point guard relies on and guides the leadership in any campaign effort. For true success, the volunteers need to be engaged, regularly updated, and tasked with next steps. Leadership is critical when developing the case and creating and implementing the campaign plan. Campaign leaders and volunteers will also be the main source of interaction and activity with prospects/donors. Passing the ball to campaign leadership, and ensuring they pass the ball to another corner, is critical in campaign movement and will ensure progress.

Corner (4): Prospects

It goes without saying— prospects/donors are the bread and butter of securing dollars. As a prospect moves through the different stages of Moves Management, the point guard/campaign director must always align eyesight with what can be the next Four Corners move. While researching new prospects, or working with long-time donors, always be thinking how the case (Corner) relates to a prospect or could interest them. Perhaps a campaign leader (Corner) has connections with a certain prospect? Or perhaps they could create a unique opportunity or event for a prospect? While working with prospects (Corners), it is imperative to collaborate quickly and often with the other players on the court.

Corner (5): Plan

The campaign plan and individual division plans are the first things written for a campaign. This is the lifeblood of any project. Every action that happens with the other corners must be checked with the plan to ensure all activity is aligned and driven with the campaign purpose. No matter the stage of the campaign, always revert to the plans for guidance.

The goal of the Four Corners is to always keep the ball moving across the corners and, when executed properly, guarantee the point guard a lay-up. As complex campaigns take off and begin to maneuver through the strategic offense and defense of fundraising, it is important to continue moving your actions between the case for support, the campaign leadership, the prospects, and the campaign and division plans.

And best of all, there is no shot-clock!

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A capital campaign is a transformational moment for your school. By effectively engaging your board of trustees, you empower some of your most important friends and donors to help you succeed. When you bring your board “on board,” your campaign will galvanize your school’s community, connect with your volunteer leadership, build a culture of philanthropy, inspire and motivate your donors, and implement your vision for the future.

A culture of philanthropy is one of the most important indicators of success in fundraising, especially when considering the involvement of your board. What does a philanthropic culture look like?

Everyone has contact with donors, not just development staff.
Development costs are seen as an investment in your school’s future, not just another line item.
Donors receive informational reports in addition to recognition. They feel like important insiders.
Personalized communication has replaced boilerplates. Donors’ interests and issue areas of focus are kept in mind.
More time is allocated to keeping donors than to acquiring new ones.

For your school to develop a culture like this, it is necessary to start at the top with the board of trustees. A board is responsible for three main arenas for a school: the strategy and direction, or mission and values; oversight and accountability, especially in financial matters; and participation, ensuring the school has the resources it needs to do its work. With this oversight, it is important that the Board accept that philanthropy has a vital role in advancing the school’s mission, then define that role and integrate it into the strategic plan. Once it is considered an essential part of the school’s strategy, communicating that importance becomes much easier.

Another important part of building a culture of philanthropy on the Board and throughout the school is ensuring that board members actually give each year, especially during a campaign. Board members are the leaders of the school and they should be among the first to give. The BoardSource Nonprofit Governance Index from 2012 shows that nearly 75% of nonprofits report a 90-100% giving rate by board members, and that only 64% of nonprofits require contributions from board members. 100% participation from your board members should be an expectation! Since your Board makes up your closest friends and strongest supporters, a demonstration of financial support is essential in making your philanthropic case to others.

Beyond making their own gifts, both in annual giving and especially during a capital campaign, board members are critical fundraising partners. As the volunteer group closest to the organization, their own participating in fundraising efforts sends a clear signal of commitment to others. In the solicitation process, they bring credibility and are one of the strongest voices of support for the organization. During a campaign, board members can play many essential roles:

Identify, evaluate, and cultivate prospects
Attend events
Advocate for the case and articulate compelling arguments for support
Explain the reasons for the campaign
Introduce new potential donors and open doors
Invite friends to events
Provide leadership in giving and financial expectations of board members
Serve as solicitors
Host special events
Thank donors

In order to involve the board in all these ways in a campaign, you will need to convince them that all of the above is true – that their participation is critical to the campaign’s success, and that their support will inspire the support of many others. Some important messages that they should hear from the development office and the Head of School include:

We can’t do this without you.
This is necessary for the school’s future.
Thank you for your leadership!
This campaign will change the lives of our students.
If not you, who?
Your gift and participation will bring in many more gifts.

Once your board members know how important their role can be and are eager to be involved, they will need some training and coaching to determine the best role for each member. Involve everyone in reviewing prospect lists for connections, and then determine the best possible fit for each board member. When it comes to coaching board members who are doing solicitations, remember:

Provide specific action items so they have a clear idea of what is expected of them
Support them before, during, and after each solicitation they are involved in
Train your board members as you would any other solicitor
Provide resources: fundraising priorities, case statement, financial goals, brochure, proposal, talking points, gift table, background information, and training on how to handle objections or answer difficult questions

By thoughtfully involving your board of trustees in a capital campaign, you will be able to make your most important group of supporters your biggest advocates. When you take the time to foster a culture of philanthropy at your school, you can turn gratitude and passion into dependable giving. Your board members are your most significant partners, and with their leadership and support, your campaign is certain to achieve success.

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