Boards That Love Fundraising: A How-to Guide for Your Board

Introduction.

1. What Every Board Member Needs to Know to Start Fundraising.

The Five Responsibilities of a Nonprofit Board.

Specific Board Fundraising Responsibilities.

A Healthy Board.

Advisory Boards.

Campaigns.

2. Fundraising Rules Underlying Successful Appeals.

Programming Determines Funding.

Getting People to Ask.

People Love to Give Away Money.

People Give Money to People.

Fundraising from the Perspective of the Donor, Not the Applicant.

People Give to Strength, Not Crisis.

Specificity is Next to Godliness.

Successful Fundraising Depends on Careful Record Keeping.

Ten Percent of the People Give 90 Percent of the Money.

Donors’ Gifts Must Be Recognized Immediately.

Good Fundraising is Opportunistic.

3. The Board’s Role in Specific Fundraising Activities.

Individual Contributions.

Contributions from Businesses.

Grants.

4. Effective Board Recruitment.

Whom to Recruit.

How to Recruit.

5. Primed for Fundraising.

Creating a Development Plan.

What the Board Needs to Understand About Fundraising Staff.

What Development Staff Can and Cannot Do.

Specific Fundraising Roles.

Fundraising Costs.

Working with Consultants.

Evaluating Your Fundraising Effort.

Conclusion.

Resource A: Major Donor Solicitation: Asking for the Gift.

Resource B: Major Donor Solicitation Scripts.

Index.