Board Engagement

A culture of philanthropy

Slide68Nonprofit organizations that have nurtured a culture of philanthropy among its constituents are the most effective at raising money for their missions. What do I mean by culture of philanthropy? Nonprofits with a culture of philanthropy tend to:

  1. focus less on money and more on relationships.
  2. focus less on financial needs and more on winning people, programs and solutions.
  3. balance being donor-centered and mission-focused effectively.
  4. have established annual giving programs that support effective major gifts programs.
  5. have boards and staff who all donate.
  6. have volunteers involved at every level of fundraising.
  7. have engaged board members and senior leadership teams who accept responsibility in sustaining this culture of philanthropy.

It takes time to develop a culture of philanthropy.

Time well spent!

[updated with links]

Invest More Time with Board Members

Slide42A thoughtful study with more than 3,000 Executive Directors from nonprofits across the country is compiled in the Daring to Lead 2011 report, a joint project led by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services and the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation.

Rick Moyers, co-author of the report, understands executive directors will be better served by investing more time with their board members.

Moyers believes: (more…)

A family recipe for board and donor engagement

Slide503 cups of Face-to-Face Visits. Over coffee or lunch, at their office and (best of all) on-site. Phone calls, emails and social media touches are all good and relevant but should be used to provide a greater context to the personal interaction. The near-entirety of your business is to build relationships and nothing comes close to face-to-face conversations with board members and donors. (more…)