Individually,
we are one drop.
Together,
we are an ocean.
- Ryunosuke Satoro
It all begins with designing an
engaging meeting.
Set Clear Goals: Before the meeting, make sure that everyone understands the purpose of the meeting and what you hope to accomplish. Clearly communicate the goals and objectives for the meeting, and encourage everyone to come prepared with their own ideas and input. Additionally recommend that the presenting committee of a meeting do the same.
Encourage Participation: During the meeting, encourage participation from all Board members. Create an open and supportive environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions. Be sure to respond to feedback and questions.
Use Visual Aids: Visual aids can help to make your meeting more engaging and memorable. Consider using slides or other visual aids to illustrate key points, share data, and help Board members to visualize fundraising goals and progress.
Break into Small Groups: Depending on the size of your Board, consider breaking into smaller groups to discuss strategies for making asks in more depth. This can help to encourage more focused and productive conversations, give everyone a chance to participate more actively, and provide more opportunity for board members to share successes and critics in their solicitation strategies.
Make it Fun: Finally, don't be afraid to inject some fun and energy into your meeting. Consider starting with a team-building activity, or incorporating some friendly competition or games to keep everyone engaged and motivated. An example of this can be each committee competing against each other in a round of trivia based on organizational events since the board last met. A fun and engaging meeting can help to build camaraderie and energize your Board for future fundraising efforts.Tips for running an engaging meeting.
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Call to Order and Roll Call (5 minutes)
The Chairperson takes attendance and informal conversation/hellos take place.
Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes (5 minutes)
The Board reviews and approves the minutes from the previous meeting.
Fundraising Goals (10 minutes)
The Board reviews the current fundraising goals and progress towards achieving them.
Recent Organizational Successes (10 minutes)
The Executive Director shares recent organizational successes and highlights how fundraising efforts have contributed to these successes.
Upcoming Organization Needs (10 minutes)
The Board discusses upcoming organizational needs and how fundraising efforts can support these needs.
How to Ask for Donations (10 min)
The Board discusses effective strategies for asking for donations, including how to make a compelling case for support and how to engage potential donors.
Sample Fundraising Materials (10 minutes)
The Board reviews and discusses sample fundraising materials, such as brochures, videos, and online giving platforms, that can be used for fundraising efforts.
Old Business (5 minutes)
Any unresolved issues from the previous meeting are discussed and addressed.
New Business (5 minutes)
New issues that require Board approval or discussion are presented.
Announcements (5 minutes)
The Chairperson shares any relevant announcements or updates before closing the meeting.
Adjournment (5 minutes)
The Chairperson adjourns the meeting.
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Roll Call (5 minutes)
The Chairperson takes attendance and informal conversation/hellos take place.
Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes (5 minutes)
The Board reviews and approves the minutes from the previous meeting.
Executive Director's Report (10 minutes)
The Executive Director provides an update on the organization's activities and highlights any major achievements or challenges.
Treasurer's Report (10 minutes)
The Treasurer provides a financial report that includes the budget, income statement, and balance sheet.
Committee Reports (10 minutes)
Committee Chairs provide updates on their committee's activities, accomplishments, and goals (cycle one committee for each meeting, ideally each committee presents once per quarter).
Old Business (5 minutes)
Any unresolved issues from the previous meeting are discussed and addressed.
New Business (10 minutes)
New issues that require Board approval or discussion are presented.
Announcements (5 minutes)
The Chairperson shares any relevant announcements or updates before closing the meeting.
Adjournment (5 minutes)
The Chairperson adjourns the meeting.
Now let’s work on that
elevator pitch.
How do you talk about your nonprofit organization? What is a simple way to answer the question, “tell me about your organization?” The following template will help you develop a personalized elevator pitch to inform others about your organization and share why you are passionate about it.
I. What does your organization do?
Simplify your mission statement and identify the most important elements to share with others.
Ex: We lobby the New York Times to include same sex couples on its wedding pages. We help low-income families become more financially stable with free classes and professional advice.
II. Why is your organization important? Clearly state the problem your nonprofit is trying to solve.
III. What is unique about your organization? Identify what makes your nonprofit different from the rest.
IV. Why do you give your time, expertise, and financial support to this organization, when there are so many other worthy organizations out there?
V. Provide a clear, quick, and simple example of or story about one of your organization’s programs or beneficiaries.
Take a look at each type of pitch on the right, then give it a try yourself on the left. Submit your six pitches and at the next meeting, we’ll pick the best from each category!
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The Pixar pitch story format is surprisingly simple and flexible. It follows the format, ‘Once upon a time… Every day… One Day… Because of that… Because of that… Until finally…’ One of the most popular trends in nonprofit storytelling is to depict the donor as the hero, seen below:
Once upon a time, there was a woman named Florence in Rwanda who was fighting to provide for her children.
Every day, she would wake up at the crack of dawn and work all day but never quite get ahead.
One day, she saw a group of women with an Opportunity International loan officer under a tree and walked over to see what was going on.
Because of that, she learned how a micro-loan could help her start her own milk distribution business in her neighborhood.
Because of that, she was able to employ other people, open two stores and earn more income with less work.
Until finally, she had earned enough profit where she could provide a quality education for her son Johnson.
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Ask your donors to put themselves in the shoes of those in need.
How much do you think it would cost to start your own small business today in Rwanda?
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A rhyme is a great memory device to keep your mission in the minds of donors.
Help a business bloom and a mother’s dreams come true.
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Ask a short, actionable question to raise the donor’s curiosity.
Want to help small women owned businesses?
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280 characters to convey your call to action to donors.
Help enable Rwanda mothers to open small businesses that grow a women led local economy.
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Don’t be afraid to invent your own words.
Women-nomics.
Engaging to the fullest
doesn’t require reinventing the wheel
We get it, you wear a lot of hats! Switching between task after task takes a lot out of all of us. Below are a collection of sample scripts, emails, forms, and more to help you skip the busy work and focus on what matters most, mission.
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Thank you for your continued generosity—lots of worthy causes to support out there. But [Company Name] is doing some powerfully individualized work—and it works! I hope you’ll join me in attending their [upcoming event] to see first-hand how they’re changed the lives of [community served].
Thank you for your continued generosity. Ask me the next time we chat why I love this organization, it will be an inspiring, hope-filled discussion. Perhaps it can be at our [upcoming event]. Hope to see you soon!
We can’t thank you enough for your recent donation to [Company Name]. We rely on the generosity and support of donors like you and could not do it without you!
Thank you for your generous donation to [Company Name]. We greatly appreciate your support of our mission. Thank you for being part of the solution.
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Subject: Help [ORGANIZATION NAME] double our donations!
Hi [first_name],
As you may know, I am a member of the board of directors for [ORGANIZATION NAME]. This year will be raising much needed funds and awareness for [CAUSE].
We are working hard to find new and exciting ways to incentivize our supporters to give back during the Big Give. We have found that donors are 3 times more likely to give when motivated by a matching donation or incentive challenge.
This is where you can help [ORGANIZATION NAME] in a big way! Through your matching gift or unlockable challenge, we can motivate more of our supporters and community members to stand behind [ORGANIZATION NAME]’s mission and make an exponential. I am happy to discuss this opportunity with you further and find the best possible fit for you and [ORGANIZATION NAME].
Thank you for your consideration and I hope I can count on your support in any capacity.
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Subject: [ORGANIZATION NAME] is important to me. Will you help [THOSE BEING SERVED]?
As you may know, I am a member of the board of directors for [ORGANIZATION NAME]. This year we’ll be raising much needed funds and awareness for [CAUSE] during [CAMPAIGN NAME]. [ORGANIZATION NAME] is important to me because [Your Story: Why do you support this organization? What impact has this organization had on you/your family/your friends?!
I hope you can please join me in this movement by contributing in a way that will be meaningful to you! Check out our page here: [LINK TO GIVING PROFILE]
I would love to talk more about ways to get involved! Thank you for supporting me and [ORGANIZATION NAME]!
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Introduction
Hi! I’m _______, board chair/member (or other title) and I’m calling on behalf of the team for the Puppet Showplace Theater.
Do you have a few moments?
If no, then: I just want to offer a few words of thanks for your recent donation to our organization. Have a good evening and we hope to see you soon.
If yes, then: The reason for my call is to thank you for your recent donation to our organization!
Your contribution is vital to the work we do, helps us to present exceptional puppetry shows, as well as engage young people in the artistry of puppet-making through a variety of programming.
Most importantly, thanks to your support, thousands of children and families can see live theater that inspires imagination while highlighting unique stories told through puppets from all over the world.
Engage
Can I ask how you first became aware of Puppet Showplace Theater?
JUST LISTEN HERE. Interact as feels natural to you ….
Would you be interested in learning more about how to get involved at Puppet Showplace Theater? If so, we would love to invite you for coffee.
Gratitude
Well, it was great to reconnect with you.
We are grateful for your generosity and hope we’ll see you again soon at an upcoming production.
Thank you again for your generosity.
A Donor’s relationship with an organization
is a journey that we take them on.
If you want to spend less time fundraising to donors and more time working with donors towards your cause, it's important to prioritize their time wisely. To help you make the most of your donors journey, try using a cheat sheet to figure out the best approach for each donor and maximize your fundraising efforts.
And don't be afraid to get creative! You can try out things like video calls, group phone calls, or social media live events to hold fundraising events or update your supporters on your organization's progress. These fun and innovative approaches can really help you engage with your donors and raise more funds!
Keeping track of your donor’s journey with your organization is crucial for meaningful cultivation and effectively making asks that maximize giving potential. A donor pipeline keeps track of each stage in a donor’s journey to making a donation and gives board members clear cut next steps.
Download the Donor Pipeline Template spread sheet below.
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a. They have engaged with your organization and its mission (either by giving in the past, volunteering, sharing your messages, advocating on behalf of your cause, etc).
b. They state that they are interested in having or are willing to consider having a one-to-one relationship with a primary fundraiser (a representative of your organization who can facilitate their giving). c. They have a powerful, emotional reason to give (that usually has something to do with their lived experiences).
d. They have the capacity to give (although, remember money isn’t everything; also need interest, inclination, and personal connection in addition to capacity).
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a. How did they learn about your organization?
i. Personal contact, event, website
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a. Who are they? Where do they live? What do they do for a living? What do you know about them?
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a. Google search
i. Look for gifts to other organizations to estimate giving capacity ii. Look for political giving
iii. Look for asset ownership/business ownership
b. Does the donor sit on other boards or participate in community service?
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a. Build your relationship
b. Discovery is about interviewing your prospects. Ask questions to learn more about them, their interests, families, philanthropic philosophy, etc. c. Key questions to include:
i. Does the work of our organization resonate with you?
ii. What other causes do you support?
iii. What about our work do you really like?
iv. Are you open to learning more about our work?
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a. You are already in my will.
b. I might be able to make a gift once we sell our business.
c. How much does it cost to name a room?
d. I want to focus more on travel right now and that’s where a lot of my $ is going
e. My husband and I saved and invested all our lives.
f. You should spend time with people who have more resources than me. g. I don’t think we can consider giving until we sell our two mountain homes.
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a. Do they have the ability to give?
b. Are they inclined to give?
c. What will get them inclined to give?
How to qualify a donor and build a pipeline
Be prepared for your next board meeting with this foundational and individual pipeline monthly meeting agenda template.
We aren’t here to sell, we are here
to have conversations.
Form Relationships
When conversing with a donor, it's important to build the foundation of the relationship based on mutual curiosity and interest.
An Authentic Voice
The relationship should be philanthropic in nature, and it's important to find your authentic voice to convey enthusiasm for the organization.
Be Prepared
Practice is key to building confidence in these conversations, and it can be helpful to do role plays with trusted friends or colleagues.
We’re All Human
The goal is not to have a perfect conversation, but to connect with interesting people who can support the organization.
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☐ Thank them for their last gift.
☐ Tell them what impact their last gift had.
☐ Ask them what inspired them to give.
☐ Ask them about their other philanthropic interests and why.
☐ Make a case for why they should give to you now.
☐ Ask for a stretch gift.
☐ Agree on next steps or follow up you need to do.
☐ Record notes from your meeting for institutional memory.
☐ Send a thank you for the meeting or call.
☐ Do follow up with information requested or a reminder for their gift.
Here is your Donor Conversation Checklist to help you prepare for and debrief your conversational cues.
Bonus: buzzwords dominate the fundraising vernacular of organizations, so here is your comprehensive glossary of fundraising term, shorthands, processes, and systems.
Committing to the fullest of your ability
is essential to the success of every board.
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I, _______, understand that as a member of the Board of Directors of _______, I have a legal and ethical responsibility to ensure that the organization does the best work possible in pursuit of its goals. I believe in the purpose and the mission of the organization, and I will act responsibly and prudently as its steward. As part of my responsibilities as a board member:
1. I will interpret the organization’s work and values to the community, represent the organization, and act as a spokesperson.
2. In turn, I will interpret our constituencies’ needs and values to the organization, speak out for their interests, and on their behalf, hold the organization accountable.
3. I will attend at least 75 percent of board meetings, committee meetings, and special events.
4. Each year, but no later than Thanksgiving of each year and without having to be asked, I will make a personal financial contribution at a level that is meaningful to me.
5. I will actively participate in one or more fundraising activities.
6. I will excuse myself from discussions and votes where I have a conflict of interest.
7. I will stay informed about what’s going on in the organization. I will ask questions and request information. I will participate in and take responsibility for making decisions on issues, policies, and other matters. I will not stay silent if I have questions or concerns.
8. While I am a member of this board, I will make every effort to vote in every public election.
9. I will work in good faith with staff and other board members as partners toward achievement of our goals.
10. If I don’t fulfill these commitments to the organization, I will expect the board president to call me and discuss my responsibilities with me.
In turn, the organization will be responsible to me in the following ways:
1. I will be sent, without having to request them, quarterly financial reports and an update of organizational activities that allow me to meet the “prudent person” standards of the law. (The “prudent person rule,” applied in many legal settings in slightly differing language, states that an individual must act with the same judgment and care as, in like circumstances, a prudent person would act.)
2. Opportunities will be offered to me to discuss with the executive director and the board president the organization’s programs, goals, activities, and status; additionally, I can request such opportunities.
3. The organization will help me perform my duties by keeping me informed about issues in the industry and field in which we are working and by offering me opportunities for professional development as a board member.
4. Board members and staff will respond in a straightforward fashion to questions that I feel are necessary to carry out my fiscal, legal, and moral responsibilities to this organization. Board members and staff will work in good faith with me toward achievement of our goals.
5. If the organization does not fulfill its commitments to me, I can call on the board president and executive director to discuss the organization’s responsibilities to me.
Signed: by _________________________, Board Member
Date ________
and by __________________________, Chair of the Board of Directors
Date _______
Becoming a nonprofit board member is a significant commitment that requires time, effort, and a sense of responsibility. Understanding the weight of this commitment is essential to ensure that you are fully prepared to fulfill your obligations and make a meaningful contribution to the organization.
As a nonprofit board member, you will have legal and ethical responsibilities that impact the organization's operations, finances, and strategic direction. Failing to understand the weight of your commitment could result in negative consequences for the organization and the community it serves.
By taking the time to understand the weight of your commitment, you can set realistic expectations, establish clear boundaries, and develop a plan to fulfill your responsibilities effectively. This, in turn, will help ensure the success and sustainability of the organization, and enable you to make a positive impact in the community.
Below is a sample of a board commitment form outlining typical and standard duties, and a level at which you can be expected to preform those duties during your tenure.
Additionally, it is important to know that you and your fellow board members are accurately and thoroughly assessing the performance of both the board and of the organizations overall fundraising strategies.
Each PDF for download below offers a rubric for insight assessments.
Get ready to report vital organization forecasts
to secure confidently secure major and institutional gifts.
In building a proposition that will attract major philanthropy, we'll need to draft a brief "package" or "presentation" that both tells a story, and lays out, at a granular level, the explicit opportunity to invest. We need your help in drafting, reviewing, shaping and defining the right "pitch" - one that will function as a resource for how we might approach a wide variety of potential donors. It is, more or less, a pitch to secure the capital investment needed to both launch and/or sustain your organization.
It is important to define gift opportunities at many different levels, £100K-£1M-£5M, etc - building powerful, and well priced gift opportunities. Answering these questions, even briefly, will give us an invaluable and necessary framework for engaging donors.
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What would make us better?
What would differentiate us?
What might transform us, take us to a whole new level?
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What problem are we trying to solve?
How does that define what precisely we are proposing to do?
What's our credibility as an Institution, our Brand, and its explicit, and implicit Promise? Why is this something we are uniquely positioned to do?
Who will lead this effort? Is there a leadership team? Is the right talent in place? Do we need to find more?
What IMPACT is this initiative likely to have? For Cambridge? For the wider world? In other words, how might we define its ROI? Intellectual and educational, financial... How does it create value? Align with Cambridge's mission?
Do we have a strategy to execute this plan? To spend the Donor's money wisely? What are the broad parameters of that spending? Timescale? (Some donors want more, others less financial detail) Can we phase this project? The investment we need? How much of this project depends upon philanthropic investment?
Is there early stage work we are building upon? Momentum that already exists? Other resources we are leveraging? Other investor/donors?
What will it actually cost? Equipment? Space? People? Infrastructure and other soft costs? What are we asking donors to do? At what gift level?
How are we likely to publicly recognize our investor/donors? How are we proposing to stay accountable to them for the ROI? Keep them involved?
Now lets craft your Power Prospectus. A Power Prospectus is a high-level overview and introduction to your project or program. A Power Prospectus is a great way to introduce your project or program ahead of a funder outreach meeting–allowing you more time in a funder outreach meeting to listen and learn.
Todays forecast calls for major donations! The fundraising forecasting spreadsheet tool below will help determine where revenue comes from, break it into categories, and forecast expected revenue so you can report accurately to potential funders, and your board of directors.
Lastly, Let’s get it on the calendar!
There’s a lot to do in a year, so let’s plan ahead and get our calendars synced! Below is a downloadable .csv template to get all your meetings planned for the coming year.